Thread by @Zavie

August thread:

This month I'll tweet about something completely different than usual.

I was just notified that my Russian visa was ready for pick up.

Starting Friday 9th, I will move from Japan to France, without boarding a plane.
I'll post in this thread along the way.
1/

The plan is: Wednesday I return the keys of my apartment in Tokyo, Friday I take a train to Sakai Minato in Tottori prefecture, there I board a ferry to Vladivostok, where I will start a train journey all the way to Paris.
2/

I started organizing this trip a bit late (in July) so I decided to cut some corners: to avoid additional visa requirements, I am not taking the Mongolia or China routes, even though they are apparently recommended. So I won't see the Gobi desert.
3/

Similarly, I won't take the Belarus route (the most direct way from Moscow to Paris): crossing the Belarus - Russia border requires another visa, which one can only apply for *after* having obtained the Russian visa.
I didn't have time, so instead I'll take a detour to Kiev.
4/

So the first thing I did this morning, was to go and retrieve this.
(the rest of the day was made of mails, phone calls and cardboard boxes, because I still have an apartment to clear)
5/

Here we go!
I'm on my way to Osaka, in a super crowded Friday night train.

I have a ferry to board tomorrow at Sakai Minato. I was planning to go there today, but a few hiccups that had to be handled delayed me, so I'll stop at Osaka tonight, and continue tomorrow morning.
6/

Day 2.
Greetings from Osaka, while I'm waiting in line to get my next train ticket.
7/

My ride has arrived. Starting my 2nd leg, to Tottori prefecture.
The train is fully packed again; some people couldn't get in and will have to wait for the next one.
Any other day, I'd normally be telling you how comfortable and spacious the Shinkansen is. Today, not so much.
8/

Arriving soon at Sakai Minato.
It's been a quiet ride through West Japan.
9/

We're about to leave for Vladivostok.
Passengers are discovering the ship and socializing.
10/

Day 3.
We've arrived at Donghae, in South Korea. We have a couple of hours so a lot of passengers are deboarding.
As we were approaching the harbor, it looks like we were boarded by coast guards.
11/

Donghae was very quiet, likely because it was Sunday morning. Some of us spotted the closest shop on Google Map and walked there like lemmings.
Besides a meal, I took some drinks and snacks.
Back to the terminal, we checked in again and left.
12/

On the ferry, time flows at a slower speed. After the initial exploration of the ship, we all quickly realized there was not much to do except socializing, reading and, of course, watching the sea.
There's no wifi or 3G in international water. :)
13/

So groups started to form, and people asked each other their stories.
This 34yo wanted to change job, and 4 years ago someone convinced him to start a company. He's doing the cruise to relax.
This 18yo will study in Germany for 5 years. He's going there by train.
14/

This junior school teacher is going to Kazakhstan.
This student is going to Europe by train and will decide the details along the way.
Everyone had a story like that.
15/

Something I didn't expect was how relaxing the cruise would be.
When there's so little to do for two days, with no bus to catch, no phone call to make, no mail to answer, you have no choice but relax, deeply, and you start to reflect...
16/

We arrived at Vladivostok on Monday around 2pm. Because of the fog it took a while before we could see the coastlines, but we noticed the other ships first.
Then we waited one hour before disembarkment started.
17/

Upon arrival, I had 3 quests to complete: buy currency, buy a SIM card, and buy a JP/RU power plug adapter for my laptop.
The lady at the information corner of the terminal recommended me a bank a few blocks away, and indeed their rates were excellent.
18/

Thanks to her advice I could also get a SIM card, although not the operator I was looking for. Now I just hope the coverage will be good enough for the trip.
So far it seems to stop working as soon as we're out of a urban area.
19/

Getting the plug converter took 3 shops, but after that I could finally head for the station in time for my train.
20/

Apparently the chocolate bars in the vending machines are scaled to the trip duration...
21/

Inside the train, this is how things look like.
It's pretty comfortable, but the fact that it's basically one long corridor means, unlike on the ferry, there's not much opportunity to walk around. It also shakes more, but we had a quiet sea so...
22/

I really like how some elements have such a classic design.
Poke @GeoffreyDorne. ;)
23/

From what I understand, each car has its own attendant. That lady has a manifest of the passengers, hands the bed sheets, sells snacks, coffee and souvenirs, takes care of the trash bin, cleans the toilet, and does other duties several times a day.
24/

Three nights in and I still haven't figured where the car number is written. So this vacuum cleaner is my visuel cue to find my car.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

25/

On average, I'd say the train stops somewhere once every two hours. The small stops last only a few minutes, but the major ones last up to half an hour. The schedule is remarkably precise.
Today, after three days and nights, we've arrived at Irkutsk, exactly on time.
26/

The longer stops are the happy breaks. Most passengers get out, stretch their legs, have a smoke, or just get a bit of Sun and fresh air.
Depending on the station, there may be a shop, or locals may sell produce directly on the platform.
27/

At one stop, this technician checked the cars one by one, hitting different parts with a sort of hammer. I assume he was checking for hidden cracks by sound.
28/

I didn't know how Siberia looked like. It's a beautiful nature: vast areas of forest (it was mostly birch in the Eastern part, and mostly pine as we got closer to Baikal), weaving rivers, colorful wooden houses.
29/

The landscape is made of smooth hills sculpted by the erosion. It feels endless.
30/

Correction and addendum to tweet 26:
the complete schedule is displayed in the car, with each stop's name, arrival time, duration, depart time and time zone.
The longest ones are 50 minutes long.
31/

Back to the itinerary.
The reason for stopping at Irkutsk (apart from having a rest and a shower) was to see the lake Baikal.

It's the world's biggest lake, accounting for 1/5th of the world's entire freshwater supply. Its area is 1/20th of France (metro) or 1/12th of Japan.
32/

The railway follows the South East coastline of lake Baikal, so we could admire it for several hours before reaching Irkutsk (these photos are shot from the train's window).

The lake goes beyond the horizon. I kept reminding myself it was not the sea.
33/

At Irkutsk I didn't really have a plan. I crashed at a hostel, which I'd booked 2 days before, thinking I'd figure it out.

Other travellers told me the main site to see was Olkhon island, but it takes 3 to 6 hours to get there. Since I had 3 days, I decided to do only that.
34/

So the next day at 10am, I took a shuttle with a dozen other passengers for Kujir, the main village on Olkhon island. The first part was a good quality road, which tricked me into thinking we'd be there in just 4 hours.
About halfway, we stopped for 45 minutes for lunch.
35/

The last 40km however, were a real pain. The road on the island is basically a sand trail, which tends to make little waves, like the ones you see on your typical dune.
An hour of those really puts both the shock absorbers, your back and your stomack to the test.
36/

A thing that struck me along the way, and on the island, was the cows and horses roaming freely.
A herd of 50+ horses in a valley is quite a view to see. So are a few cows chilling on a beach.
Who need fences when the terrain is so vast!
37/

After about 6 hours we finally reached Kujir.

I GoogleMap'ed my way to a stay, where I slept in a yurt for 600 rubles a night.
38/

Surrounded by the lake, with a soothing landscape and just a handful of small villages, the place feels remote.
39/

Tourism seems to have developped a lot recently though, and it is not anymore the lost place some blog posts described just a few years ago.

From these photos, one can guess who likely are the main visitors...
40/

Olkhon island has several of these poles and totems with ribbons, or sometimes ribbons attached directly on trees, usually on the coastline.
41/

After this excursion I headed back to Irkutsk, and boarded a train for my 5th leg, to Novosibirsk.

Since the restaurant car had not been very welcoming, this time I came better prepared!

Also, despite looking newer, this train's interior had an even more classic design.
42/

I reached Novosibirsk yesterday, and this is where I need to start sending thanks.

At the station, I was greeted at way-too-early o'clock in the morning by @aviktorov and @slice3d, who then proceeded to show me around. A meeting that was made possible by @w23ru. <3
43/

Last but not least, serial traveler @AndyBTravels has been very helpful for putting this trip together.

It really helps to have someone who's already familiar with the itinerary, knows how it works, and can answer what would otherwise take an hour of googling and reading.
44/

After Novosibirsk, I headed for Yekaterinburg.

It was the least comfortable ride so far, as there was no electrical socket in the compartments. People relied, with various degrees of hacks, on the corridor sockets.

Also, arriving at 5am is not fun; I don't recommend it.
45/

@lauraviatrix: I thought of you when taking the 2nd picture. See the grass landing strip in there? ;-)

Out of order tweet to mention that I just arrived to Moscow. \o/

I'll post some pictures of Yekaterinburg later. For now I'm going to enjoy the great weather.
46/

I stayed at Yekaterinburg for just one day, before leaving on the next morning.

The city felt spacious, with a good balance between builings and trees.
47/

The architecture is a mix of classic and modern buildings, with orthodox churches and their golden tops standing out in the skyline as they shine with the sunlight.
48/

There are a lot of statues to discover for the visitor wandering around; classic, soviet and modern styles.

As you can see, some streets are really wide.
49/

Here are a few more pictures to give a taste of the atmosphere...

(the last photo of the previous tweet should have been here too, but well, so much for consistency...)
50/

Day 15.
After a day spent at Yekaterinburg, I headed back to the station in the morning, for my 7th leg, to Moscow.

I arrived the next morning, as mentioned in tweet 46.
51/

At that point I started to realize I preferred the rides that took several days, over the shorter ones.

The 3 day train ride to Irkutsk gave me time to get comfortable, get used to the crew and passengers, relax.

On overnight rides, I already have to think about arrival.
52/

On the first day at Moscow, I did what all tourists do: I tried to see the Kremlin and the Red Square.

I was not prepared for how the day would turn out.

When I arrived there, there were security gates (bottom left of the photo), cops, and signs indicating tickets booths.
53/

I first assumed visiting required a ticket, until I realized there was some sort of festival (I later learned that the Red Square is sometimes closed for such events).

I had no idea what this was about, but I thought I might as well get a ticket or I wouldn't see the place.
54/

Once inside, it seemed like the typical Summer festival. Overpriced food stands, drink stands, souvenir stands, sponsor booths.

There were horse riding demonstrations, synchronized horse riding, performers in costume wielding swords. Quaint and family friendly.
55/

But the real deal was the actual concert. We had reserved seats, and I was lucky to get a pretty good one, considering I was a few meters away from the VIP platform.

So I was sitting there, waiting for the thing to start, still not knowing what the thing was about.
56/

So as it turns out, this was the 2nd day of Spasskaya Tower, a renowed military tattoo.

After an opening parade, I think the announcer said Vladimir Poutine himself was here. I couldn't spot him though, but since this general greeted the crowd when his name was announced...
57/

The show lasted for well over 2 hours, with many marching bands and plenty of dancers, accompanied by all sorts of light and pyrotechnic effects, including canons, and light painting on the Saint Basil's Cathedral.

Based on the final, I'd say there were over 1000 performers.
58/

The performances from the different groups ranged from pure military display, to opera, to pop culture with at times a hint of humor.

As a Breton, my preference went to the Intl. Celtic Massed Piped. :)

As a Westerner though, the most foreign moment was the DPRK parade.
59/

The show ended with all groups playing a finale together, and fireworks over the cathedral.

My reaction: what did I just watch?! 😯
60/

Resuming the thread.
In general, Moscow gave me the impression of a beautiful and lively city, similar to big European capitals, with the occasional very Russian detail.
However the contrast in apparent wealth with the other big Russian cities where I stopped is striking.
61/

Among the Russian looking details there are, as expected, the bold constructions, often with strong vertical emphasis.
62/

Underground, some of the metro stations are just as bold, featuring marble, chandeliers, bronze statues or mosaics.

The impressive depth and the endless escalators also add tout the picture.
63/

By the way, I apologize for the typos - obviously "add tout" was meant to be "add to" - and throw the auto-completion under the bus, which is only fair given the efforts it's made so far at ruining what I type.
64/

After a couple of days in Moscow, I headed for my 8th leg to Kiev (as explained in tweet 4).

Despite what's written, this is not Kiev but the Kiev station in Moscow. And I have no idea why it has this authentic looking Parisian metro exit.
65/

Passing the Russian border was an experience...

Around midnight, a few kilometers before the border, we got awakened by the immigration officers. The Russian woman in my compartment was told curtly to sit up so the officer could properly see her face.
66/

The whole thing lasted for a moment, with the train idle in the middle of the night, all lights on, while we were waiting to go back to sleep.

Finally the officers got off the train (or at least I suppose so) and the train set off again. But not for long!
67/

Soon after, the Ukranian immigration officers came to control out passports as well. The atmosphere was warmer and there was more smiling this time.

I said that I didn't speak Ukrainian nor Russian, then my roommates spontaneously explained to the officers my journey.
68/

Day 19.
I arrived at Kiev the next day at dawn.

I had all my train tickets booked until Kiev, but no precise plan after. So the first thing I did at the station was buy an evening train ticket to Warsaw.
69/

It was tempting to try a route via Budapest, Vienna and Munich, and possibly say hello to @karoly_zsolnai. But at that point I was getting tired of hopping on and off, so instead I was considering getting the (weekly) direct Moscow - Paris at Warsaw.
70/

Anyway, I figured I'd decide in Warsaw. For now I had a city to visit. One day is not much, so I picked one place to see.

After a good breakfast I put my suitcase in the station's baggage room, and I headed to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage monastery.
71/

Despite the nearly 6km distance, I went there walking, so I could have a glimpse of the city along the way.
72/

Take a look at this massive street art by @bkfoxx...
73/

The monastery looks like a city inside the city. It is just huge, with paved streets, squares and gardens.
74/

The details both inside and outside are impressive.

I thought photos inside were forbidden, but as I made a comment about what I just saw in one of the chapels, the keeper invited me to get back inside and take a few pictures, as long as I didn't use a flash.
75/

After visiting and walking around for a few hours, I sat on a bench, opened my laptop to deal with a few emails and administrative tasks (like signing the employment contract with my new company; yep, from a monastery ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ), and headed back to the train station.
76/

Arriving at the train station:
"Wow, what is that queue?! Anyway, where's my platform? Oh.."
77/

And so I started my 9th leg, to Warsaw.

The immigration officers on the Ukraine side stamped my passport as soon as I boarded the train. Again, they were very friendly, and even laughed out loud at my passport photo (that's when you know you're getting old).
78/

I arrived in Warsaw the next day.
The direct to Paris was available, but at over 300€ a seat, it changed my mind.

Instead, I decided to go to Munich to say hello to my long time friend and demoscene partner, LLB.
79/

Upon arriving in Berlin, I was exstatic. This was the first city I had already been to before, so the feeling of having nearly completed my journey was strong.

Now look at this idiot on the photo (me), not realizing yet this is Ostbahnhof and not Hauptbahnhof!
80/

So I was in Berlin, but not at the station I thought I was.

I started to realize that when I couldn't find the platform for my train to Munich. I had to take a commuting train to Hbf first then, as travelers usually do in such circumstances, run like a madman to my platform.
81/

I arrived a few minutes late but fortunately for me, the train was late as well and I could still board it and thus meet my friend in Bavaria a few hours later.
82/

Finally, after spending a day in Munich, I left and took a train for Paris, then a train for Clermont-Ferrand, my final destination.

I arrived on Friday afternoon, August 30th, after 22 days and 13 legs, right in time to start my new job the next Monday. 🎉
83/

Time to wrap it up. What are my takeaways?

Was it worth it? Absolutely. I hope I'll have the opportunity to do it again.

Would I change something? I'd bring a smaller suitcase and take longer legs.
84/

How does it compare to airplane? It's way more comfortable: I felt in better shape the whole time than I typically do after a 12 hours flight. Since each day we passed a single timezone, I didn't feel any jet-lag at all.
Not to mention that border security was less stressful.
85/

Now it makes me reflect on the railway culture, which I feel we've lost in Western Europe.

There is irony in the fact that I traveled though an entire continent on old (but well maintained) equipment and didn't have a single delay, but had two delays in Germany and France.
86/

There is irony in the fact that the least comfortable ride was a Munich - Paris night train in 1st class.
A 1st class seat is terrible compared to a 3rd class berth.

At a time when we should favor train due to carbon emissions, @SNCF, @DB_Info, can we have berth cars back?
87/

@SNCF @DB_Info I think that concludes it.

Thank you all for reading and for your comments. :)

88/88

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