Eastern Europe

It was actually quite a relief to cross over the Russian border into Finland. Although the architecture and people in Russia had looked European it wasn't until we got to Helsinki that we felt we had really arrived back in Europe. The supermarkets were well stocked with familiar products, there was a helpful tourist information office with maps and most people could speak a few words of English. Best of all it felt as though there was no chance of getting trouble from any policemen as we wandered around town. In fact we couldn't even see any policemen!

We spent a couple of lazy days in Helsinki just walking around the very pleasant but not massively exciting town center before going to Budapest for the wedding of our friends Jonny and Bettina. We arrived to find the bride and groom not feeling very happy at all. With only a couple of days to go before their wedding there had been a massive security alert at all UK airports and many of the English guests had had their flights cancelled. Fortunately by the afternoon of the wedding all but two of their guests had found a way to make it over from England.

The wedding was held in the Gerbaud in the center of Budapest. Betty is Hungarian and the wedding ceremony was held in both Hungarian and English presided over by a man in a rather cool Dracula style cloak. It was really nice to see so many of our friends again and after a big dinner with lots of wine Jonny and Betty impressed us all with their Hungarian folk dancing. The language barrier made it difficult for the English and Hungarian guests to communicate, though that didn't stop Betty's granny chatting away to everyone in Hungarian regardless!

Jonny and Betty and many of the guests stayed on for a couple of days after the wedding so we got to spend some more time with them. We spent an afternoon at the Szigat music festival but didn't do much actual sightseeing in Budapest due mainly to the bad hangovers that we kept waking up with.

From Budapest we flew to Krakow in Poland to meet up with Roy, Heather and Willi (my Dad and Steve's mum and step dad). We had rented an apartment near the Market Square for the two of us and my Dad to stay in. Unfortunately the apartment turned out to be directly above a nightclub and so we made arrangements for my Dad to stay in a hotel with Heather and Willi instead. This turned out to be a good decision. One night the music was so loud that Steve ended up getting out of bed and going downstairs to the nightclub on the basis that if he was going to have to stay awake all night he might as well try to have a good time.

Krakow is a very beautiful medieval city which was once the capital of Poland. At the very center of the town is the huge Market square which is flanked by impressive buildings, including the lavishly decorated Basilica of the Virgin Mary. The square is packed with bars, restaurants, cafes and market stalls. To add to the atmosphere, every hour a bugler appears in the tower of the Basilica and plays the Last Post. Streets filled with shops and interesting old buildings and churches radiate out from the market square. This whole central area of Krakow is surrounded by a park where the city walls and fortifications used to be.

We spent quite a lot of our time in Krakow just soaking up the atmosphere in the centre of the city, drinking cups of coffee and sampling the tasty polish dumplings. Just outside the central area of Krakow is Wawel Hill where we visited the castle where the Kings of Poland used to live as well as the Cathedral.

Another interesting area of Krakow is the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. It is a very pretty and atmospheric area of Krakow with an old Jewish cemetery and several Synagogues. Unfortunately Kazimierz is a familiar sight to anybody who has ever watched the film Schindler's List, much of which was filmed here. It was this area of Krakow that was turned into a ghetto during the Second World War and where the Jewish citizens of Krakow were imprisoned before being murdered by the Nazis.

We went on a visit to the remains of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp which has now been turned into a memorial and museum. Auschwitz is just over an hours drive from Krakow, which I must admit I found quite shocking in itself. I had always imagined Auschwitz to be miles from anywhere hidden away in some bleak and desolate region of Poland, not just down the road from a beautiful and cultured European city.

Auschwitz was in reality a number of different camps as well as an industrial complex and was spread out over quite a large area. Today two camps remain, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II or Birkenau. We went first of all to Auschwitz I which was the headquarters of the whole complex. This was the first camp to be set up, initially to hold Polish political prisoners. On the surface, perhaps because it had been converted from an ordinary barracks for Polish soldiers, Auschwitz I looked surprisingly normal.

At least 1.1 million people were killed by the Nazi's at Auschwitz. The great majority (around 1 million) of the people who died were Jewish, though many Gipsys, Russian prisoners of war, Poles and other categories of prisoners were also killed. It is really very difficult to grasp the enormity of these crimes, but the large collections of shoes, particularly the children's shoes, on display, that were found at the camp, get the point across to some extent.

As part of the guided tour of Auschwitz I, we were taken into the punishment block. This was where many prisoners were tortured before being shot and also where in the underground cells the first experiments at Auschwitz of killing people using gas were carried out on Russian prisoners of war. Also in Auschwitz I is the only surviving gas chamber left in the complex. This gas chamber fell out of use before the end of the war because the camp authorities decided that the screams coming from the victims created too much disturbance. Instead prisoners too sick to work were taken to the more isolated gas chambers at Birkenau to be killed. Walking into the gas chamber where so many people had died felt really very sad as was walking out again past the ovens where the bodies of the victims were burned.

Next we were taken on a bus to visit Birkenau. This camp was built after Auschwitz I, initially to house Russian prisoners of war but it was later adapted for the purpose of murdering all the remaining Jewish people in Nazi occupied Europe. At the entrance you can still see the gate, the watch tower and the railway tracks where the trains came in. On the platform SS officers and doctors would divide people into those who would be sent to the gas chambers straight away, such as old people and children and those who were fit for work. The prisoners who it was decided were fit for work would be admitted to the camp. They might stay in Birkenau or be sent to any of the sub camps in the Auschwitz complex to work as slave labourers.

In reality those who were admitted to the camp to work were also condemned to death, only more slowly. The food and clothing provided to prisoners was completely inadequate and after a few months most prisoners would either die of exhaustion or disease or become unable to work and be sent to the gas chambers. Those who did manage to survive until close to the end of the war were made to march back towards Germany ahead of the Russian advance and most either froze to death or were shot by the SS along the way. The remaining survivors were then sent to concentration camps like Bergen-Belsen where many more died of starvation before finally being liberated. Sick prisoners that were unable to move were left at Auschwitz but many died of the cold and starvation before the Russians arrived or succumbed to their illnesses.

Despite all this it is from the prisoners that worked at Auschwitz that most eyewitness accounts of the Nazi death camps come. From camps like Belzec and Treblinka, which were purely extermination camps there were virtually no survivors.

At Birkenau we were taken to look at the prisoner's barracks where they slept in wooden huts tightly squeezed into narrow bunks and also the sanitation facilities. The gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau were destroyed by the SS before they left in an attempt to cover up their crimes and so today only the foundations remain.

It might seem a little strange to decide to visit a place as horrible as Auschwitz. I think though that it is important for people to visit in order to understand the past and hopefully therefore help to prevent similar things occurring in the future. I think that even people who are familiar with this period of history would probably gain a greater understanding from visiting the camp.

We went on an organised tour and to be honest we were rushed around quite a bit. I went to the toilet for five minutes for example and found the bus was ready to leave without me. While I think that all visits around Auschwitz have to be guided, for a less frantic experience it might be better to go independently and then hire your own guide or join in one of museum's guided tours.

After one more day in Krakow, during which time I turned 30, it was time to leave Poland and go back to China. You might be thinking at this point that we are not really following a very logical route for a round the world trip! Initially we were actually planning to end our journey in Europe but with six weeks still to go we thought it would be more interesting to go back to China and visit Tibet and Nepal.

Nine hours on the plane were sufficient to arrive in Chengdu in Western China and travel further than we had in a week on a train going in the opposite direction. I have to say that Chengdu is definitely not the most attractive city that we have visited in China! The air is thick with pollution and it is hot and humid. Meanwhile the fetid stench coming from the river suggests its main function is that of an open sewer. A bit like a nightmare vision of environmental catastrophe.

Fortunately it is not all bad. Only 10km outside of the town is a Giant Panda Breeding Centre. Set amongst bamboo groves, not only can you see dozens of giant pandas roaming around spacious enclosures but you can also breath. We were lucky enough to also see some baby giant pandas in incubators. They are extremely small when they are born and completely pink. The ones that we saw were born a few weeks ago and had grown distinctive black and white fur but were still very tiny.

We have also managed to find a computer in a hostel in Chengdu, from where the usual restrictions don't seem to apply and is possible to view and post to this blog. You still can't see the BBC website though!

Tomorrow we are going to fly from Chengdu to Lhasa in Tibet.

Siberia to St Petersburg

When we woke up on the train on our first day in Russia the scenery had changed dramatically. The Mongolian steppe had given way to a seemingly endless forest of birch trees. Soon Lake Baikal appeared though the window, stretching out to the horizon like the sea.

Lake Baikal contains one fifth of the world's fresh water, which is more than North America's five great lakes combined. We decided to head straight for the lake after arriving in Irkutsk and took a bus to the village of Listvyanka.

It didn't take long for us to encounter the 'Nyet' philosophy of customer service. Nyet means no in Russian and unfortunately it is often the only response that you get when asking a question. It's often accompanied by the person glaring at you and crossing their arms in front of their face to make sure that you get the message!

We didn't like Listvyanka that much as it seemed a bit run down and had a road running along the lake front. After spending the night there we decided to take a boat to the more remote lake side village of Bolshie Koty.

The lake at Bolshie Koty was unquestionably beautiful. In fact looking out across the blue lake and the wooded hills we could almost have been beside one of the Italian lakes. Unfortunately the similarities between Bolshie Koty and Northern Italy stopped there!

Between the wooden houses there were piles of rusting metal and disused machinery. The lake shore was covered in rubbish. In fact, as we found when we went on a walk, all the rubbish and waste from the village just seemed to have been thrown into the woods on the outskirts. There were no restaurants or cafes and just a couple of kiosks selling beer, cola and Snickers bars.

We found some accommodation in a wooden hut but there was no running water and only a smelly pit toilet. To top things off Bolshie Koty was very hot and home to some very nasty insects. Forget anything that we might have seen in the Amazon, these things were like oversized flying cockroaches and even Steve was scared.

After one night in Bolshie Koty we were desperate to leave. Unfortunately we had to sit and wait for a boat out (there is no road) for seven hours. Perhaps we were being paranoid but it seemed like the only thing that brought a smile to the faces of the rather glum Russian tourists (and lets face it if your annual holiday was to Bolshie Koty would you be in a good mood?) was us trying to ask in sign language what time the boat left.

Back in Irkutsk we checked into a youth hostel and felt very relieved. We were back in civilization and there were supermarkets and restaurants! After a day wandering around Irkutsk not doing a lot it was time to get the train to Moscow.

The three and a half days on the train were surprisingly pleasant. We were traveling in second class and so shared a four berth compartment with a Russian couple. It was very comfortable and we were impressed by the efficiency of the Russian railway network which got us to Moscow within a couple of minutes of the scheduled arrival time.

The landscape itself was not particularly exciting. There are clearly a lot of trees in Russia. A couple of times each day the train would stop for 20 minutes and we would get out and stretch our legs. With the time available it was only really possible to walk up and down the platform, which was filled with ladies selling food from baskets to the people on the train. There was also a dining car on the train selling reasonably ok food but it was mainly full with people drinking beer and vodka.

After arriving in Moscow we headed for the center to see Red Square, St Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin. The Kremlin has many beautiful churches as it is not only the centre of the Russian Government but also of the Russian Orthodox Church. In Red Square itself, is the mausoleum where the embalmed body of Lenin is on display. Sadly we missed our opportunity to see Lenin as he is closed to the public on Mondays!

There are some interesting sights in other parts of Moscow too. In Iskussty Park we saw a display of decommissioned Soviet statues that included Lenin, a toppled Stalin and other Soviet leaders. We also went to the Novodevichy Convent and the atmospheric cemetery next door. Russian VIPs ranging from Checkhov to Raisa Gorbachev are buried in the cemetery. A lot of the grave memorials show what the person did in their lifetime, so there are sculptures of ballerinas dancing and cosmonauts with their helmets on.

On our last day in Moscow we decided to pop back into Red Square to take a better look at Kazen Cathedral before going to collect our bags and leave for the train station. As we approached Red Square we were stopped by some policemen who wanted to check our documents.

Perhaps at this point I should explain a little about the documents that you need in order to travel in Russia. Virtually all visitors to Russia need a visa. To get a visa if you are not on a package holiday you have to obtain an invitation to Russia from a tourist agency. In theory this agency should book your accommodation, though in practice many agencies will make 'virtual' hotel reservations leaving you free to arrange your own trip. Confused? It gets worse.

On arriving in Russia you are given an immigration card. This card needs to be stamped within 72 hours of your arrival in Russia in order to 'register' your visa. Then if you stay in any area of Russia for more than 72 hours your visa has to be registered again. This visa registration can be done by all the large expensive hotels but a lot of the smaller hotels, hostels and homestays cannot register your visa unless they were the agency that invited you to Russia. Well sometimes they can if you pay them some extra money...

When we arrived in Irkutsk we stayed in a hostel which was able to register our visas for a fee. In Moscow however we checked into a cheap hotel (cheap being a relative term) which couldn't register our visas. We had our train tickets from Irkutsk and onward tickets to St Petersburg, so that we could prove that we were spending less than 72 hours in Moscow should we encounter any problems.

The policemen that we met in Red Square insisted that because we were staying in a hotel our visas should have been registered straight away and that the 72 hour rule only applied to homestays. We tried arguing with them but they said that we had broken the law and would have to come with them to the police station and pay a fine.

"Don't worry Madam" said one of the police officers. "The process will only take about four hours. It is such a pity that you will miss your train to St Petersburg."

This was of course a preliminary to suggesting that we should pay them an "on the spot fine" of $80. Eventually Steve negotiated a price of $40 to get them to give our passports back and leave us alone.

This whole experience left us feeling pretty angry, though under the circumstances we didn't really have any choice except to pay. Anyone visiting Moscow should definitely make sure that they get their visa registered before going into the centre of town regardless of how long they plan to stay. Unfortunately if a policemen in Moscow sees that you don't have a Moscow registration stamp on your immigration card they will probably use it as a pretext to try to extort money from you.

Given the complexity of the regulations and the corruption of the Russian police it perhaps isn't surprising that we have come across quite a few other tourists that have run into trouble.

An American woman that we got to know on a tour in Mongolia was not allowed to leave Russia when an official at the airport noticed that on her visa her nationality had been written as Thai. This was clearly just a silly mistake by the Russian embassy in Thailand. As the visas are written in the Cyrillic alphabet, she couldn't have even been expected to spot the error. This didn't stop the official making her obtain another visa saying that she was American (which he knew she was anyway) and missing her flight home!

Getting to St Petersburg cheered us up quite a bit as it is such a beautiful city. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 with the aim of rivaling the great European capitals. Architects and skilled craftsmen were brought from all over Europe and the Russian empire and no expense was spared. The result is a historic center that stretches on for miles and positively overflows with churches and palaces.

One of the most magnificent buildings in the city is Winter Palace where the Tsars of Russia lived. This has now been turned into the Hermitage museum, which houses one of the world's largest collections of art. The collection was begun by Catherine the Great, added to by her successors and increased in size still further after the Russian revolution when the art collections of wealthy Russians were "nationalized" by the party. What makes the Hermitage different from other art galleries, apart from the scale, is its setting in the amazingly lavish interior of the Winter Palace.

While the Hermitage displays art work from all over the world the Russian Museum concentrates on Russian art work. We went to see an exhibition of the work of the avant guarde Russian artist Pavel Filonav. Usually I am not a massive fan of modern art, at least not the sort of stuff that wins the Turner prize, but this was really imaginative, interesting and thought provoking.

In the Russian Museum we also saw a more general exhibition on 20th century Russian art. If only from a historical point of view it was fascinating to see all the pictures of buxom young women harvesting corn, workers with rippling muscles forging steel and huge canvases depicting epic revolutionary scenes. There were also examples of underground art showing life in the Soviet Union in a slightly more realistic way.

St Petersburg is as famous for its musical traditions as its collections of art. We had first heard Russian Orthodox Church music in St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and had been totally blown away. There are no instruments used apart from the male voice. Some of the singer's voices are so low that they sound a bit like a didgeridoo. The harmonies are very complex and the the overall effect is both beautiful and unusual.

We went to see the Male Choir of St Petersburg sing traditional Russian church and folk music at the Peter and Paul Fortress and were both totally captivated. It's definitely something that I would recommend to anybody visiting St Petersburg.

Our plan is to leave St Petersburg for Helsinki on 7th August. That's always assuming we aren't detained at the border for breaking any rules that we haven't heard of yet or pretending to be Japanese.