B - Reporting
We set off about 8:30, headed for Irkutsk, about 230km away. We arrived at around 12:30, slowed down by long busy winding roads, pot-holey when they were not busy or winding!
Irkutsk is a beautiful city, when you get past the dusty apartment-block-filled outskirts. Its 350 years old (there are posters everywhere announcing this, no I did not do any research!), with Russian baroque buildings restored to their original pale blues, yellows, and peach. And swallows swooping madly, peeping loudly, everywhere! After lots of confused walking down Karl Marx St, we found the tourist info place, and a hostel, and could set off to enjoy the city.
Irkutsk has the best Lenin yet! Gesticulating, his coat flapping in the wind...we found the waterfront, with beer tents and shashlik (kebabs) and ordered. The man behind the bar looked at us like we were made of dog poo, and very reluctantly served us beer! Did we seem too scruffy? Did we smell? Did he not like English/Canadians? Who knows?? So, after this beer, we moved to another beer tent where we must have smelled sweeter, as the staff there were fantastic and we had beers while the sun set over the river.
We walked back to the hostel via the Liverpool Pub, a Beatles-themed pub...bizarre! Had a couple of beers, then walked back to the hostel.
We set off about 8:30, headed for Irkutsk, about 230km away. We arrived at around 12:30, slowed down by long busy winding roads, pot-holey when they were not busy or winding!
Irkutsk is a beautiful city, when you get past the dusty apartment-block-filled outskirts. Its 350 years old (there are posters everywhere announcing this, no I did not do any research!), with Russian baroque buildings restored to their original pale blues, yellows, and peach. And swallows swooping madly, peeping loudly, everywhere! After lots of confused walking down Karl Marx St, we found the tourist info place, and a hostel, and could set off to enjoy the city.
Irkutsk has the best Lenin yet! Gesticulating, his coat flapping in the wind...we found the waterfront, with beer tents and shashlik (kebabs) and ordered. The man behind the bar looked at us like we were made of dog poo, and very reluctantly served us beer! Did we seem too scruffy? Did we smell? Did he not like English/Canadians? Who knows?? So, after this beer, we moved to another beer tent where we must have smelled sweeter, as the staff there were fantastic and we had beers while the sun set over the river.
We walked back to the hostel via the Liverpool Pub, a Beatles-themed pub...bizarre! Had a couple of beers, then walked back to the hostel.
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| A very calm Baikal at sunrise. |
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| Lenin! |
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| Founder of Irkutsk (I think!) |
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| 1st man in space. |
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| Sunset from the riverside bar :-) |
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