I change now blog language to englisch, because maybe there will be more and more international readers.
I
send you greetings from Yekaterinburg, the so called capital of the
Ural. I have here already 4 hours time difference to good old little
Switzerland. Tomorrow morning at 6:30 local time I will continue my trip
around the world with the Transsib to Irkutsk and Sea of Baykal. There
I'm going to stay a little bit longer - 5 days - and I would like to
hike around the sea. After the stay there I go on for my first
Intrepidtravel-guided tour in Mongolia, really lookin' forward to it! :)
Most
of the time I'm very fine, but yesterday I had a small philippsche
crisis :) here in Yekaterinburg - I really missed my home and especially
my lovely girlfriend. But a nice SMS from her and my world was again
fine :-) My travelling equipment such as rucksack and trekking shoes
prove themself all - great thanks to Simeon from Baechli Bergsport in
Zurich Oerlikon and the guys from Transa in Bern! (and by the way: the
heavy rucksack is not heavy anymore at all, I could walk with it now for
days thats a nice feeling :-)
In St. Petersburg I had I
shock for some hours, I made a errant step with my left foot because
there was a hole in a stair step. I had heavy pain in this night. But
taping, some cream, praying and good thought from my russian friends and
from switzerland was helping. The next morning I had as by a miracle a
good feeling again with my foot and I could start with the Transsib
experience. Wow, absolutely great, I'm so thankful!
I'm
very happy because I have the opportunity to meet so much different
people and I can learn from them. Learn from land and country. Touching
hearts and be touched...this is life...When I was driving with the
Transsib trough the endless forests of the russian taiga, it came always
the same thought again and again: "Outer growing is useless when you
don't have also inner growing" Means: You are allowed to grow on the
materialistic side, but, you should also know or learn how to deploy
your resources in a greater sence - have a heart for others... it is so
easy and I think in a greater context it makes you happier than any
ferrari...
Yesterday I also realised, that when you wanna get to
know the world you have to go to the world. And you also get to know
better your home place, because you know then also other
sides/places/peoples of the world. And of course, you can appreciate
more your home and your friends you have. Because nothing you get is
self-evident...
My highlights 'till now: Many touching
meetings, the awesome sunsets and sunrises over the russian taiga
(sometimes hard not to share this impressions with your best friends...)
, spontaneos painting- and tree-planting session in St. Petersburg, the
World Championship Ishockey-Match Finnland - Switzerland with a lot of
Swiss Fans and the really really lovely City of Yekaterinburg with a lot
of green cosy places (I had a absolutely different picture in my head.
This is also a result of travelling, I realised it in the beginning of
my journey: You're confronted with the real world and you have to
correct sometimes some pictures in your head :) ).
A lot more details I would like to present you when I'm home again.
I
already can tell you all, when you only had one little thought in your
head to travel around the world: So do it, let things go and don't have
fear, just trust and you will make your experience of life...
Let's go on to Sibiria. I love to go on a step further. For inner growing....
Thanks so much for your thoughts on me and my trip, and for the support for this trip!
Miss you all, miss you Spaatz... :-*
//here some impressions in pictures, they say more than 1000 words//
Start in Burgdorf 5.5.2012 7:45 (the small green bag is the birthday present for my girlfriend :) )
Philipp from "Die Linke". Nice political discussions and also about god and the world :)
Luebeck. The City of Marzipan (yes, I have some in my rucksack :) )
A
spontaneous violine concert on the finnlines ship on the way to
Finnland. It was great, especially the blonde girl was playing an
incredible solo. I think she is a very big talent. All the audience was
standing up after her solo and gave a loud applause...
The
two guys from my room on the ship - Joachim is russian with german
roots and now he lives again in Germany. Aulis is finn and lives now
half-half-a-year in Finnland and Austria (his wife is from Austria). He
is artist. I learnd a lot from this two very nice persons...miss them!
Incredible sunset on the sea...
Harbor in Helsinki. Just walking around a little. I like this City, could imagine to live there :)
The
most original swiss fans which I met in Helsinki. And we saw each other
again in the fan area in the evening and also through the whole night
:)
Suomi and Swiss Fans together. Switzerland lost, but you could get another impression during this night... :-)
My finnish salomon breads - unfortunately one of them couldn't resist an attack of a seagull :/ :-)
Tramway Line 3T/3B in Helsinki. With this roundtrip-line you can make the best sightseeing of the city.
The new fast train between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. It brings you from one to the other city in 3:36 hours instead of 6.
On my arrival day in St. Petersburg on May 9th there were festivities - Day of Victory (world war 2)
Spontaneous painting session with Mascha to beautify another "Friends"-Hostel in St. Petersburg.
The
painting- and planting-crew with the result :-) "When something is not
that beautiful how you would like it, then just create it different" :)
Another colorful moment: VW-Beetle meeting in St. Petersburg.
Engineer
Nikolai which I met on the Transsib. Because my russian vocabulary is
still little, we tried to communicate in pictures and drawings. I like
him even I didn't get to know so much about him. He has a strong
charisma and a lot of positive energy. He is a creator.
The
fish was still little frozen, but the 3-course-meal was very tasty -
especially the typical russian (I learned it is originally ucrainian) soup
"borscht"!
Train
Station in Yekaterinburg - Arriving time 5:52 local time and 3:52
moscow time (all the trains using moscow time. You have to make such
conventions in a country with eleven time zones).
Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg. The church commemorates the
Romanov sainthood.
Colorful bus with advertisement for the air corps of russian military.
In every city I was until now, I saw the signs of this custom :)
Yekaterinburg.