Part I: The Road to Russia (via Riga)

We're back! And there is so much to tell, and I would like to (attempt to) tell it all. So, I'm going to try to do it in chapters, so I don't have to spend an age on one post. Plus, we took about 500 pictures, and I want to spread them out a bit.

The first step, was, of course, the trip into Russia, to Moscow, specifically. For some reason (probably because it was cheaper), I booked tickets on a bus that first went four hours west to Riga, Latvia, and then went west to Moscow from there. All in all, a 19 hour journey.

Besides a slightly late bus, the first leg from the Tallinn bus station to Riga went smoothly, though the driver seemed over eager to pass on an over-busy, two-lane highway. Lots of speeding up and slowing down and weaving over the line to see if there was enough room to pass, and back again, as often as not there was oncoming traffic. The beginning of a long, tumultuous journey for my poor tummy.

But, the scenery was beautiful. Thick forests of birch and pine trees. Slender trunks huddled in close communion.

23!!!

I tried to get a picture of the Estonian forest, but it was blurry! So here's a field!

Latvian advertising :p

Riga's Eiffel Tower

We were in Riga for a little less than an hour, and then right back on another bus. I think I can safely say that this was both the longest and by far the most uncomfortable ride I have experienced. Not only was it a 15 hour trip, but from Riga to the Russian border, there was no highway. Just ill-maintained roads, weaving in and out and around little-known areas of the Latvian countryside. I could not believe that this could be the quickest way to get from the capital of Latvia to the capital of Russia, but, well....Google maps says so :p Let me put this into perspective:

To drive from Peru to Cheyenne is 510 miles and takes about 8 hours and 10 minutes

To drive from Riga to Moscow is about the same distance (though we aren't really sure what route we took within Latvia), and even if you minus the hour at the border and about an hour spent driving in Moscow, it was still a 13 hour trip. With very little traffic. That's averaging about 40 mph. And though the road in Russia was far more direct, there were so many horrible potholes that the driver often had to slow almost to a stop to navigate through them. Definitely an interesting experience....

As was the border. Technically, we had to pass through two borders. First, the EU had to say it was ok for us to leave (checked our passports and tickets) and then 100 yards down the road came the Russian border control, and I was thankful for all that hard work we put into getting our visas. The only problem I had was my poor scarf getting caught in the conveyor belt. There was even a cute, puppy dog to sniff our bags (not near as cute as the one that came on the bus when we left Russia, but still cuddly!).

Sunrise in Russia

Passing the hours...

Napping on my new bag!

After the seemingly endless bus ride, was a great relief, first, to see the high rises in the outskirts of Moscow, and then, at long, long, last, to feel the bus come to a stop, and finally step off into the brisk comparatively fresh, Moscow air.

A super-cool bridge in Moscow