Irkutsk to Ekaterinburg to Moscow

First stop in Russia was Lake Baikal just outside of Irkutsk. There I went on a boat ride on the lake as well as trying a typical Russian sauna, birch leaves and all.

The omul had to be tasted as it can only be found in this one lake.

After Irkutsk the biggest test of the trip was next, a 56 hour train journey to Ekaterinburg. The train was fortunately nice as the longest stop was only 1 hour, just enough to stretch your legs and get some fresh air before heading off again. Even though the Siberian landscape proved interesting it was good to arrive in Ekaterinburg and trade the train cabin for a proper room with a shower.

Ekaterinburg is a really cool city where a lot of new buildings meet old and different style come together. There are a lot of random statues around as well as cool murals and graffiti.

Being one of the city hosting World Cup games the city was bursting with activity and everything looked very clean and organized.

After Ekaterinburg it was time to jump back on the train for a 25 hour trip to Moscow.