Goodday everyone. We have just spent two relatively relaxing days in Lake Baikal which is georgeous, surrounded by forests of Pine and Silver Birch. Yesterday we took a boat trip across the lake and walked back along the circumbaikal railway which has been built alongside the lake. It only runs on the weekend so we missed out on a ride. Rob tried going for a paddle but it proved way to cold and he hardly got his toes wet. We were put up in a homestay ...

And on to Irkutsk............. 9th August As you can see from the image, the photo's we can choose from are limited, so let me paint a picture. It was once described as the Paris of the East. It is very much a frontier town to Siberia and the town has experienced a gold rush. It's notable history took place at least 100 years ago so the town is now looking tired and faded. If you look beyond this, there are some lovely old wooden houses with decorative featu...

We are now in Yekateringburg but as yet to have a look around. Our first part of our journey on the Trans-Mongolian was interesting to say the least. Rob and I shared with a lovely old lady who gave us chocolate, biscuits and ice-cream. She didn't speak any English but still we got by and Rob gave her a London postcard and pot of jam. We began the journey by celebrating in the dining cart with a few beers and introduced ourselves to a Scottish bloke who was...

2nd August - Moscow And so onto Moscow. We survived a night on the "Red Arrow" which delivered us swiftly, well 8 hours, overnight to Moscow. The train had a guard for each carriage so we felt quite important as we boarded. We spent yesterday wandering this city and Red Square has to be the highlight so far. It is immense, and every side has a building of great architectural beauty. St Basils is as fascinating inside as it is amazing outside. Toda...

St Petersburg, 30JUL04 3.00pm Hi Everyone, well our final journey has begun. We arrived into St Petersburg to hot and humid weather. Being the seasoned travellers that we are, we took the easy option and got a cab into the city and our hostel. Even though it is still warm we have had the odd shower of rain. Yesterday we did a walking tour that took in most of the sights - Church of the Resurrection of Christ, Winter Palace, St Isaac's Cathedral and ...