Vladivostock

It was nice to spend two days in Vladivostok after such a long train journey. Like Rome (and Glasgow) it is a city built on hills, and the calf muscles felt it after two long days walking about. Russia's naval base for many years, the city was closed to foreigners until 1992. It was revitalised in time for the APEC summit in 2012, with two massive new bridges spanning Golden Horn Bay and over to Russky Island. I climbed up to the viewpoint and got a great view of the bridge (which apparently is bigger than San Francisco’s - so there!).

Due to its proximity to China, the city feels much more Asian than the other Russian cities I've visited. A variety of cuisines are now available. To get me in the mood for the next phase of my journey, I had a lovely Japanese lunch. Among the more unusual sights, I did a tour of the S-56 submarine - a bit claustrophobic for my liking, having to pull myself through round metal holes to get into each compartment. Nice to see a framed picture of Stalin in the officers’ quarters!

Surprisingly, Vladivostok has a very nice walkway along the waterfront which was very busy with families the first day due to the lovely weather, enjoying ice cream, beer, paddle boats and amusements.

In order to keep an eye on my budget I decided to book into one of the city’s new hostels, rather than an expensive hotel. The IZBA Hostel was well located and clean and fresh. There was a welcoming Samovar of tea, free wifi, good showers and excellent kitchen facilities. The staff were young and friendly, and let me check into my comfy berth early in the morning - not bad for £13 per night! The guests were a mixture of families, solo travellers of all ages and students. Got chatting to s nice family from Korea.

Well it's early to bed tonight to get ready for the next section of my trip. I hope you've enjoyed Shawlands to Siberia - if so please join me for A Japanese JauntRead more