The following day we headed to Listvyanka, a summer retreat on the shore of Lake Baikal. We checked in to the hotly recommended Belka Eco-Hostel (presumably so named because of a couple solar panels), and went for a stroll along the edge of the lake. It would have been easy to mistake for a sea, were it not for the faint outline of mountains on the opposite shore.

We bought some bread and omul (a trout like fish) from the local fish marker and ate it on the shore under the watchful eyes of a stray dog. Looking for somewhere to warm up, we found a restaurant and bought some beers and yet more omul (there wasnt much choice on the menu).

It was still dark the next day when we woke up, as we wanted to take the 8:15 ferry across the lake to Port Baikal, where we would follow an old branch of the trans-siberian railway along the lake. We finally got our first taste of how cold Siberia can be as we waited for the ferry. Even when the sun finally rose it took a long time to warm up.

The ferry arrived 45 minutes late and took us over the short stretch of water to Port Baikal. The town was a bit of a crumling wreck, but we only stopped shortly for supplies before leaving and walking along the side of the lake.

We walked a few kilometers along the track and found an abandond summer retreat spot where we stopped for lunch, and lay in the sun. On the walk back we discovered that the railway was less disused than we thought, as Judith jumped off the tracks shortly before a small train slowly trundled past.