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John Bickerstaff
John Bickerstaff

John Bickerstaff

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  • John BickerstaffLow Countries cycleJohn Bickerstaff

    Officially - my second best Best Western

    20 августа 2022 г., Бельгия ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After the grimness of Fort Breendonk, something uplifting was needed. You can't beat climbing a big tower. Well, I guess you could if you had a dodgy knee and maybe if the temp wasn't hovering around 30. Still it's what I do. Mechelen has a cathedral with a big tower you can climb and it was about a half way point so all was good. 500 steps later & all was sweaty. Great views of Antwerp to the North & Brussels to the South. You could even see the Atomium sparkling in the sunlight. Got me thinking - take a detour there while sun's out just in case - cheer me up. Lunch first & impeccable choice of spec in the middle of a dual carriageway - it was shady & there was grass. It wasn't as busy & as noisy as it sounds. A little more on the hoof navigating - detour added around 4 miles. Atomium good to go. It was a very impressive sight - the queues and bustle not so much. Get in early tomorrow. Off to the hotel and Antwerp doesn't have a hold on demon cobbles. Nice Aircon & room to myself. Quick shower & explore. The imperial Belgians didn't skimp on their capital. The Grand Place is very grand. Unfortunately a sunny Saturday evening prompted grand crowds.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffLow Countries cycleJohn Bickerstaff

    Cobbles, more cobbles & Belgian Pave.

    20 августа 2022 г., Бельгия ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Another grim night. Snorers & coughing frenzies you'd expect to be the chief culprits but annoying as they were it was the stifling heat. Warm as Antwerp was the hostel wasn't dealing well with it. Apparently it had an eco ventilation system - that's as may be but I wouldn't say it was effective. To top it off I got the breakie time wrong - forgot it was the weekend. Had 30 mins to kill. Heading out of Antwerp should be mellower on a Saturday morning. Hmmm. Less cars but much meaner cobbles - some demon stuff that was exclusively for the cycle lanes - nasty. Ended up cycling on the kerb stones for a hint of smooth. Disappointed with Boom - the place nothing explosively exciting to see. The next stop was to be challenging. A former SS prisoner of war camp. Interesting & harrowing at the same time. One in particular - a dwarf administrator who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Did nothing wrong. The uniform wouldn't fit - no allowances were made on parade. The commandant made a show of him by regularly calling this out, lifting him above his head & throwing him across the yard. The poor guy lasted a matter of days. Lots of grim stuff like that. Hard work but fascism can't be forgotten.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffLow Countries cycleJohn Bickerstaff

    No. 7 is on the way

    19 августа 2022 г., Бельгия ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Somewhat surprised to find cloudy skies but a sunburnt neck meant few complaints & bandana around the neck just in case. Not at my sparkling best - the room below had visitors banging on their windows, shouting and generally being annoying throughout the night. Was a bit weary. Headed into Breda for breakie & to have a little mooch around. Impressed by the former prison. Settled, however for a spec by the 'harbour' watching the comings & goings setting up for Havenfest, perfectly timed to coincide with the Vuelta going through Breda. Oops - my bad - a day early. Just got going on breakie when I was approached by a drunk, possibly homeless guy asking for some food. Had plenty so offered him a cake. Very appreciative & then descends into a contradictory diatribe about the Arabic world - both evil and saving the world. Got onto Liverpool & Mo Salah, unsurprisingly. Apparently No. 7 is a cast iron certainty. The media take notice of octopuses making predictions so why not a mad drunk who may or may not believe Islam is terrible. I'm going with it. Eventually he got bored with me & allowed me to finish my breakie. Onwards towards Antwerp & it was a bit like hard work - combination of wind, cobbles & fatigue. Plodded on & with about 15 to go had a pleasant surprise - a canal towpath that took me to within 6 miles of Antwerp. This wasn't any old towpath smooth paved & wide. The odd shower couldn't detract. Once off, closed roads, diversions & Antwerp's tram system brought me back down to earth. Once showered, had an explore of Antwerp. Clearly a historic and wealthy port city. Very nice wander around. Cathedral charged so that was a no no. The pedestrian tunnel to the other side of the river & town was free. Easy choice. Could see the thunder clouds approaching so made a sharp exit to the hostel - just in time. Thai for tea - yum.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffLow Countries cycleJohn Bickerstaff

    Windmill frenzy.

    18 августа 2022 г., Нидерланды ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Made it to the ferry jetty just as it was leaving. Rats. Next one was half an hour. Settled down with some strawberries & proceeded to try & sort out some issues with the sat nav. I did not. Anyway the ferry left packed with bikes - off to Kinderdijk - apparently a world heritage site - unlike Liverpool. It is an area harking back to when windmills were everywhere in Holland and there really were tonnes of them. On leaving the ferry you were directed to a path & there were windmills wherever you looked pushed on beyond the masses & it was a pretty peaceful place disturbed only by the occasional boat trip. A visit here was always the plan but the original route had been a little circuitous so I thought I'd try to find a shortcut. Messed around with the sat nav & it appeared that 30 miles had been turned into 20. Pushed on with the new route except I hadn't read carefully. The 20 was what had done & when I looked a little while later what I had left to cycle was a rather grim 65. Panicked. Reason then took over. The scenic route originally was 50 so it couldn't be 65. Did some on the hoof navigation. Tolerated some bridge issues, diversions and a heavy shower. Made it to Breda - birthplace of the Big Man and the hotel was in the middle of an industrial estate. Not really a problem since the neighbouring hotel had a restaurant, except it didn't - short staffed. So had a pleasant / bizarre evening walk through the industrial estate to the nearby retail park. Almost succumbed to the promise of Aircon in McDonalds but resisted & had a dollop of pasta.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffLow Countries cycleJohn Bickerstaff

    Abuse in Dutch... possibly

    18 августа 2022 г., Нидерланды ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Packed, unpacked & packed again - out of practice. Headed to Jumbo - nice & quiet as was the spec for breakie. A little mooch around Delft while it was less wet. Annoyingly the market square was full of market stuff. The cycle itself could've been somewhat shorter but decided to take in a number of sites in Rotterdam rather than just scooting through. Apparently it is famous for its architecture so planned a route that took in some of the more eye-catching examples, oh & the football stadium - which actually is historic - built in the 30's & what the Nou Camp is modelled on. Again cycling was a joy - busy city but everywhere had bike lanes & drivers were always giving way. On the way the Rotterdam Euromast appeared looming above the treeline. It'd be rude not to look into going up it if it wasn't too pricey. Who am I kidding? Managed to get upsold to the ride to the very top. The views weren't much different but was good for a panoramic. The Market Hall was madly big like a number of the bridges I was to tackle. Headed south via the Feijenoord stadium which disappointingly you couldn't get close to. Onwards towards the Kinderdijk ferry & bizarrely, as I approached an old man he started hurling abuse at me, at least I assume that from the tone. Needless to say I didn't understand a word. Not sure if it was bikes or Liverpool that wound him up - or he just didn't like the look of me.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffLow Countries cycleJohn Bickerstaff

    Amazon traffic jams & epic bike stores.

    17 августа 2022 г., Нидерланды ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Stupidly early flight coupled with easyJet sending an email warning of delays meant an early morning / late night start. Squeezed in the car - a Jumbo bike box meant seats were as far forward as possible. Thankfully Liz was the hero on both counts getting up at stupid o'clock & driving. Rain on the way didn't bode well. Also a bit jittery about the sheer quantity of stuff crammed in the bike box - official guidance states nothing but a bike. Banked on the taped up box and queues discouraging investigation as has been the case previously & so it proved. Security negotiated relatively painlessly. Similar leg room on the flight to the car but at least I had an aisle seat. Struggled to stay awake though turbulence helped. My first experience of Brexit tourism didn't help my mood - look at what you could've won - EU passports sailing through the automatic booths and massive queues for the stupid.
    Once done, Bike was there ready to be assembled. Minor panic when my pump exploded - nothing a bit of gaffer tape couldn't botch tho. By the time I'd assembled the bike the rain that followed me had passed. Just the small matter of cycling through the midst of an international hub served by numerous motorways. No worries - Holland has it sorted - 20m away from where I was sorting the bike was a superb bike lane that would proceed to guide me off road pretty much all the way to Delft. Even incorporated a lift to access a bridge. Couldn't do anything about the Amazon warehouse - took a while to get past the endless stream of Amazonia departing. Excited to see the first windmill but that quickly dissipated. Loads of windmills but no shops. Eventually found a supermarket at the halfway point in Leiden. Had lunch admiring a particularly historic windmill. For once this was in an urban setting rather than by one of the numerous canals. Pushed on and spits and spots gradually got worse & worse. With 6 miles to go the waterproof was called for. By the hotel all was damp to say the least. Checked in & was directed to the station bike car park. Never have I seen so many bikes - most of which were the Dutch tank like versions. Quick wash, explore Delft. Popped into the Jumbo supermarket - as in Jumbo Visma Cycling - living the high life.    Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Hand luggage! Really?

    12 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Super early start, more down to neuroses - a 5.45 alarm meant clock watching from 4. First leg was the metro to Belorusksya Station, ideally making the 7am train to the airport. Wanted to leave a bit of leeway due to Russian quirkiness & general obscure procedures. First of many metal detectors at the station - they're everywhere here. Panicked a bit with everyone hurrying but made it with plenty to spare. The 'Aeroexpress' didn't do too much expressing. Then onto the onslaught of hoop jumping. Another metal baggage scan to get into the airport. Not happy there was an aerosol in my main backpack - can't take that in the cabin - does it really look like hand baggage? Had to unlock phone as well - God knows what that shows. Managed to jump the queue a little at the bagagge drop that was suspiciously the same as checking-in - printed out boarding passes even though she'd been given ours. Passport control & a stroppy cow hedging her bets as to which queue to choose. Wasn't happy when we forced her to make a choice when she wasn't able to block everyone any longer. Bizarrely gate 31 had a skygate numbered 32. Equally bizarre the seats were numbered with seats A & C, D & F. All very weird. Got into Helsinki to find the Manchester leg was delayed by 40 mins. That bit longer to get into town & wake myself up. Had some great Salmon soup / a salmon plate at the market cafes that we'd meant to give a go when in town. On the way back to the station picked up some of the best strawbs ever (honest) & relaxed in the Esplanadi Park. Leisurely walk back to the station. Managed to avoid queuing to board while bagging some comfortable lounge seats. Nice relaxing end though Manchester may have something to say about that.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Top secret.

    11 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Previously (on 24... No) during the downpour day, indoor options had been investigated, largely with little success. The 1 intriguing option happened to be just round the corner - a top secret bunker that had just a year ago been declassified & was now open to the public. Had to be booked in advance & the only English tour was at 7pm on Sunday - packing time. Liz wasn't remotely interested so flying solo on this one. Access was a little cloak & dagger as well. Through a barrier, press the buzzer until you are met. This will only be answered 10 mins before the tour & up until the tour - don't be late! As it was I followed a group in - easy. Met the guide & began the descent. Down 20m through a 10 tonne blast door, then a 1.5 hermetically sealed door. Along a 20m corridor so we were under the Kindergarten. Then down another 60m shaft - 2 more sealed doors & we were in. No messing around here. This was one of 20 bunkers under Moscow - most linked upto the Metro, which also had the capability to be sealed off. It stored the minister for foreign affairs' secret documents and was in use up until 2008. A lot of the systems were still operational - ventilation, air conditioning, communications, alarm ... but not the lift. And even here 80m below the surface of Moscow - still there's a Manc to be found. Bahh! Some of stuff was grim but fascinating - the way they tested the effects of differing levels of radiation on soldiers so they could predict the number of deaths (citizens out of service) in the wider population. At least we know what to do in the case of a nuclear warning - go online.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Strange black thing.

    11 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Once the Kremlin had been explored we headed upto the Sparrow Hills. Passed up the opportunity to eat - too crowded & expensive and surely there'd be options at the observation deck or even at the University. Gentle walk up to the 'summit' & great views out over the Luzhniki [national] Stadium, the business district & 5 of the 7 sisters - Stalin's skyscrapers built with Gulag labour. Very busy at the top & very limited food options - sweetcorn or ice cream. Wandered towards the Moscow University building (no. 6 of the 7) & it became apparent that all that was up here was a university - no additional services, food etc. Liz wasn't happy. Decided to try around the cable car, our means of descent. Found a cafe overlooking the river, allbeit a rather expensive one. Settled down & was promptly ignored. Plenty of people were being seated. Still we waited & a number of those people were now being waited on. Doesn't bode well for speedy service. Gave up. Found what looked like a sarnie shop but was in fact a kebab shop, with a queue... that wasn't moving. OK head down to the stadium, except the cable car had a massive queue. Getting beyond a joke. Walk down, across the bridge - nope it's a motorway. Google to the rescue - navigated through the park & stumbled on Mr Big - a food shack. Admittedly the menu was in Russian but Google translated enough or so we thought. Ordered BBQ chicken and minty lemonade. 6 minute wait & I was presented with wraps yes but black. Surely it wasn't burned. Turns out the wrap was black - didn't taste any different to me but Liz wasn't having it. 2 wraps for me. A little walk around the stadium & then back via the supermarket for something a little more traditional.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Queues.

    11 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    A hoped for early start was just about on track - Liz battling through a rough head. Bizarre steady stream of people outside the hotel suggested something was happening - another protest possibly. Ideally the queue for Kremlin tickets would be relatively untouched on arrival. On getting off the metro it became apparent that Moscow was busy - sunny Sunday. Hopefully it was just the locals & that they were going to a protest rather than the Kremlin. Hopefully not a protest at the Kremlin. Wandered through Alexander Gardens to be greeted by a substantial queue for tickets. Checked on the automatic tellers & the queues seemed better. Go for it. The downside was that it was just entry - no tower tickets. By the time we would've got to the front of the other queue they would be sold out anyway - or that's what I told myself. Back of mind was the worry that my card would be inoperable (email warning from the morning) At least we had cash. Then the machine started chewing up money. Ahh! Worried over nothing - tickets sorted - now where to go. Followed signs to unsurprisingly another massive queue. Sulked & pondered giving up. The voice of reason (Liz) ensured not. Moved fairly quick & we were in to the Kremlin. Russian police love their whistles - there were specific places you could go & cross - any deviation, no matter how small, got a whistle. Made our way to Cathedral Square - 5 cathedrals surrounding a small square & queues to get in all 5. Explored the site & Kremlin gardens. Apart from the numerous Chinese tour parties elbowing their way around, it was a very peaceful place, which belied its history. Headed out the exit to find people entering - surely they'll be turned back. No - could've entered via the exit - makes complete sense.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    When the rain comes...

    10 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    When the rain comes we run & hide our heads or so the lyrical genius of John Lennon goes. Peaked out the window a little hungover & barely even contemplated going out to have to hide my head. It was chucking it down. The thought of getting soaked again didn't really appeal. Plenty of recovering & diary (should the recovery happen) Thankfully there was ample food in to tide us over so another reason for going out was avoided. The slight issue however was something of a quart in a pint pot situation - if no boxes are ticked today then loads needs to be done on our final day. Tried in vain to find indoor attractions that didn't involve art or likely Russian explanation (museums) Post lunch the rain seemed to have eased so a mild soaking was deemed acceptable & the queue for St Basil's could possibly be bearable. Decided to chance it. Got into town to find the police & army out in force - Red square was cordoned off & checks were in place - there was a big political protest & they weren't getting into Red Square. It was a battle for anyone to get in. Elsewhere the govt had been getting people to arrange festivals for the weekend to distract the youth from political dissent. All very sneeky. Anyway got into St Basils easily enough. From the outside it looks like the cathedral in St Petersburg. Internally it is completely different - a warren of little chapels, corridors and narrow staircases. A choir struck up while we were in there - added to the atmosphere - the sales pitch in a range of laguages less so. Headed to the other side of the Kremlin to try and find Gagarin's grave. Nothing doing but watched the changing of the guard at the memorial to the unknown soldier. Liked the way they insisted on respect at the memorial. Any sitting or leaning on it anywhere got a good whistle from the chief guard.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Metro Madness

    9 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    By now, following a day of space museums, Liz was feeling a little worse for wear. The thought of more out & about - let alone to the pub to watch Liverpool didn't agree. So a solo excursion - take in a few of the more impressive metro stops & if the pub could be found take in the match. Dry & warm clothing on & rain having stopped headed to the local metro & began a metro odysey. I wasn't the only freak either. Admittedly the two tour groups were Japanese, who take photos of anything. Anyway some very impressive stops. Spent a couple of hours hopping on & off trains. By the time I was done there was a mere 30 mins to kick off. It'd be rude not to. Liverpool shirts outside directed in the appropriate direction. Ordered a beer & a sarnie & local noticed the jersey - conversation started & the beer was on the house. This could get messy. Great atmosphere & great result - nice to talk to some locals even if largely it was about the mighty reds.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Cosmic Boulevard

    9 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    A wet and dreary morning revealed a more realistic climate for a city on a similar latitude to the dreary city of Manchester. Such weather required an indoor plan. Perfect for the Museum of Cosmonautics at the VDNKh park - a sort of Russia / Communism theme park throw back to the 70's that still seemingly engenders a sense of pride in the locals. Managed to get to the metro relatively dryly - almost certainly got a few strange looks because of the shorts - or maybe just the habitual Moscow sour face. Indoors is all well and good but getting to the indoors involves the outdoors. Got a bit damp getting to the museum - not looking good for the rest of the site. The museum proved to be interesting but not quite as informative as it could have been - inconsistent English. Again what was strange was some bits equal billing, others clearly very abbreviated & others none existent. Annoying but understandable I guess. Photos outside were hampered by wind, rain, wonky eyes & the threat of falling slabs of granite. It would seem that such a prestigious monument is not getting the care it requires. Such a shame. Pushed onto the Space Pavillion in the main site, which has a Soyuz rocket outside but by now hunger was an issue, as well as shelter. All food options seemed to be stalls outside - not good. Outside - bad, inside - good. Found a soviet style canteen, which was interesting - no clues at all. Couldn't go wrong with kebabs & had some rice & veg which had a cursory warm in the microwave. Feet by now were soaking but made it to the space pavillion & had the bonus of free entry - god knows why - sympathy because of the bad weather or distracting the youth from protests - who knows. Spectacularly organised & presented artefacts. Loads of stuff about the moon missions, planetary missions & other assorted trivia. Better English options meant a lengthy stay - by the end Liz's patience was being tested. Back the way we came via some photo ops with the rocket. Very wet by time we got to the hotel.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Majestic Metro

    8 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Found a park to eat our sarnies & try & recover. Decided to head to the famous Gorky Park - a stretch of the Moskva River where there isn't a busy road. Admittedly there was the suggestion of a theme park but some of it should be a bit calmer. Wandered to the next metro stop - guide suggested that this was one of stops not to be missed. Of the stops so far it was certainly ornate & I wasn't the only nutter taking photos. Headed for the sculpture park where a number of communist statues have been rehoused. Plenty of shade helped & eventually being able to get a drink also helped cool off. By accident the statue of Peter the Great was found. From that point forward it couldn't be missed. Apparently it was a statue rejected by the Yanks which doesn't endear it to the locals, it is a bit bizarre looking & the siting of it is a little questionable since he apparently detested Moscow. Talking of detesting - onwards towards the theme park, except it was nowhere to be seen, just more parkland the other side of the bridge. Good news.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    The shittiness of the human kind.

    8 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Having a little house keeping to do, it felt rash committing to doing too much so a day of bits & pieces was agreed upon. The first of which was having a look inside St Basil's Cathedral. Topped up the metro card with loads of remaining shrapnel & we were away. Except on arrival it became apparent there were 2 big pulls in Red Square today - Lenins Mausoleum & St Basil's - not sure which was the bigger but we weren't spending hours in either queue. Pushed onto the Bolshoi which unfortunately wasn't conducting tours until Sept. Nice enough building - no tour groups - even better. Onwards to the darker side of the day - the Gulag History Museum. Came highly recommended - still, wasn't going to be a laugh a minute. The idea was to get a better understanding of what life was like at that time. The initial intro talked a lot about doors & their significance & proceded to tell 15 stories attached to 15 doors. The traumatic stories just kept coming. A very grim time & one I knew very little of. The darkness of the museum perfectly fitted the sombre subject matter. Like to think that the open window looking out onto a park at the end is showing there us cause for hope. Even so looking at the oldies that lived through that & some of the constructions created during that time & you wonder...Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Mellow Moscow

    7 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Once rested, hunger needed dealing with - a couple of biccies for lunch does not cut it. Decided to head towards Red Square stopping at a supermarket on the way. Handily enough - picnic sorted, we found a nice little park & enjoyed what little sunshine we could. Onwards & in the distance could be seen the tips of St Basils Cathedral - probably the most iconic sight in Russia. Little bit excited. Unfortunately, as everywhere else, there were road works, so a detour had to be made. For the best though - ended up walking through Alexandrovsky Park, along the Kremlin to Red Square - far more peaceful than the main road. Disappointment at Red Sq. though - vast swathes of temp stands for a miltary tattoo on the 15th. The square was swamped with stalls & food hawkers - some dumb yank seemed to think it reminiscent of Glastonbury - on what planet? At least the cathedral was not shrouded in scaffolding. Was closed mind. Headed back picking up tea & breakie stuff.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Traffic lies.

    7 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Silly o'clock start as the bargain taxi firm said traffic could be bad. So bad that the taxi was early or in fact there was no traffic & got here with time to spare. Said our thanks & within 5 mins we were at the station - unsurprisingly no change was offered. We were at the station before the taxi had been booked for & were just under 2 hours early. Oops. Settled down for a long wait, well sort of - went for an explore. Tried to establish what platform the train was leaving on. Google helped a little & found that she didn't know - wait 40 mins. Once that was sorted battled through the tour parties to the platform & waited some more. Unsure where our carriage would be - agonised for a bit & stayed put. As it happened we were right & made it to the carefully chosen seats - by the baggage rack & plug - forward facing. Settled in for the 4 hour journey. Plenty of leg room helped & free wifi with films also helped - well for one of us. Good job because the dominant feature outside was trees - lots of them. Picked out when we crossed the Volga & that was about it. Into Moscow & it was noticeably warmer. Down to the metro & a very helpful lady battled with her English to get us the right ticket. Not too busy & our first sight of the famous lavish Moscow metro. Short walk to the hotel & relax.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Culture overload.

    6 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Since Liz was keen to see the Faberge egg at the Hermitage it seemed that to rectify that omission a visit to the Faberge museum might help. Once rested & a station bound cheap taxi booked for the morning, a pleasant walk through the park got us to a quieter end of town. A little ticket confusion at the entrance & then straight into the eggs. As a museum they kind of shot their bolt though because everything seemed a little tame by comparison - a decorated cigarette box?? Not sure I'll be able to cope with another gallery but the eggs were quite nice - was that what Faberge was aiming for as a response from the Tsars. Ambled back via a recommended Georgian restaurant and the bizarrely named Fields of Mars (a memorial to fallen soldiers)Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Bring on the revolution.

    6 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    A visit to St Petersburg without visiting the Hermitage is supposedly sacrilege. On a rare sunny day spending it indoors seemed equally like sacrilege but the culture won out. The plan was to get there early to mitigate against the worst of the queues. On approach that seemed a forlorn hope, a mammoth queue snaking out of the front. Thankfully that was the tour parties. Took a punt on the machines - didn't seem too bad, though there was little movement. Transpired the automatic machines didn't start till the manned terminals. Bizarrely, just as we were getting close the family in front seemed to opt for the long manual version. Better for us. Made it in by 11 - 30 min wait - not bad. Maze like structure of the place meant mapwork was essential. Spent a bit of time awestruck by the oppulence of the place - completely understood why there was a revolution - the riches seemed obscene but also impressively ornate. Managed to take in the Peacock clock & the Da Vinci room but by now the tour parties were taking on the persona of the devil. If I got out of here without inflicting pain on someone it would be a major achievement. Blocking corridors, barging in front of you, taking vast amounts of unnecessary photos... Retired to the rammed cafe, with nowhere near enough seating, for a sarnie - floor would have to suffice. Liz was keen to see some impressionistic stuff so up & down we traipsed through the French & Dutch sections. Turns out it was in the Workers Quarters - a separate museum. Tried to find the Golden room - turns out that was a guided tour that had to be booked separately. To top it off the Feberge egg that was supposed to be in room 302 was nowhere to be seen. Time to go. Back to the hotel to cool down.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Midnight madness

    6 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    A little investigation prompted by a memory of seeing something about multiple drawbridge movements at midnight. Revealed that indeed the 2 local bridges were due to go up at 1.10 & 1.20. Branded as utter lunacy by Liz. Suggested by mulriple websites that viewing both is very challenging - bring it on - alarm set. Skulked out as quietly as possible & dashed down to the river front. The first to draw was the Palace bridge - further away. Lots of people perched on the river wall suggested something was happening. The advent of piped classical music confirmed this & the bridge began to open. Once done loads of boats flooded through, prompting a dash to our local bridge. Made it with a minute or so to spare. Happy days. No classical music this time - just traffic chaos - St Petersburg now separated by the river. Back to bed - a bit warm.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    More general naughtiness on view.

    5 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Sarnies consumed, it was off for a walk, primarily to see the lighthouses on the other side of the river but also in an effort to get away from the endless traffic & enjoy the bizarre feeling of sunshine. Crossing the bridge to the lighthouses proved about the busiest stretch of the walk but offered views of the Hermitage & the bustling river traffic - mostly pleasure cruisers with the odd hydrofoil shuttle to Peterhof - each time I tried to get a photo of them mid foil they either throttled down or they were gone too quick - camera shy. The lighthouses were surprisingly big & rather like Finland, it seemed like all maintenance work is carried out en-masse in the summer 2 of the 3 cathedrals & the lighthouses were having work done. Walking back through the fortress - traffic free but not crowd free. Nice walk along the beach & got into a little political talk with former history lecturer - sales pitch for tours but interesting nonetheless. Couldn't quite square his take that Trump was a bit mad but Obama was a liar & warmonger. I guess when Putin owns the press... Back to the hotel & settled in my perch. Intrigued by some comings & goings outside our hotel. Eventually sussed that a car had blocked in a couple of people. They were not happy. Eventually managed to manoeuvre their way out. By way of a thank you they deflated not 1 but 2 of the cars tyres & all 3 spat on it. The Russian way... Couldn't wait see the response since the car was know parked in the middle of the road with 2 flat / soft tyres. All through cooking & eating tea we kept checking. Got distracted by planning getting to the station for the Moscow leg - looked out & it had gone. No beatings, guns or going after the tourists who saw what had happened & did nothing. Ah well off to the bizarre hidden maze of a supermarket to replenish stocks.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Cathedral bagging

    5 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Early morning run showed up how much busier the roads were on weekdays. Equally a lot of business types were hurrying to work - not keen on having an unfit plodder getting in their way. The challenge today was to avoid queues - some hope but you never know. Didn't get to the first cathedral quite as early as hoped but the surrounding area did seem a little quieter - could it be that with the Hermitage being closed tour groups would be less keen / less booked. Nope. Though the queues did seem shorter. On entering it became apparent that they were all inside or so it seemed. Not the most peaceful of places but certainly one of the most ornate and decorative. Every wall was covered in colourful mosaics - must take some maintaining. The ticket claimed to be a museum but that was stretching it a little - a few placards & everything else relied upon the audio guide - 200 rubles extra. Stopped in at Kazan Cathedral on the way to St Isaac's. Amazed to find a place of worship where there was some worshiping going on & there was no charge. What really took your breath away was the smell of incense. By now I was a bit churched out & the hope was that we could go up to the collonade at St Isaac's without having to pay to go in the church as well. Again queues weren't too bad & the ticket agent complied so just the views without the god squad stuff - also meant earlier lunch which got Liz's vote. Views of the river, the Hermitage & the distant stadium were very good.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Gangster goings on(ish)

    4 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Very late finish meant a late start, to the point where we were dashing around just to make the midday gun salute. The idea being to take in the walk along the fortress walls at the time of the firing, thus getting a different view. A little fazed by the lack of traffic outside & saw people running at the end of the road - the St Petersburg Half Marathon. Dodged the runners getting to the bridge & dodged sone more tour parties on the way to the wall. Good spot - still jumped at midday & the cathedral still had massive queues. Walked round to the beach for some nice views of the city. Took a walk along the river to the warship Aurora, which kicked off the revolution in 1917 and it kind of kicked off while we there. A couple of guys with fighting birds were hanging round. Most Russian guys look like bouncers or gangsters - these were no different except they acted that way as well. Got into an argument with some women & promptly chucked her holdall in the river & then promptly ran off [not very gangster that] The family were shaken, bemused & shouted a lot. God knows what the argument was about but best get out of the way. Off to Subway for an easy sarnie. Energy restored - took in St Isaac's Cathedral - massive queue (as there was at the Aurora) found the Bronze Horseman (featured in a book of Liz's) Walked along the river past the Hermitage (epic queue) & ridiculous number of coaches - going to be fun that one. Back in time to watch the mighty reds, handily enough on Russian tv. Decent game - city were lucky. Cooked a Caucasian pasta dish - very spicy. Nice.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Footie Ruski style

    3 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    While Liz was resting I scouted out the metro. Had a somewhat fraught discussion with the only person on duty with any degree of English - he was most apologetic. Established what we needed to get to the match - he was most envious. He couldn't get his head round why I didn't get the tokens there & then. I on the other couldn't establish whether they would expire. Equally I couldn't remember how to say thank you & that stressed him out. 1 hour later we were buying our tokens & getting squashed into the metro, Tokyo style. There were other Zenit fans so we had someone to follow at the other end - unless they were heading for a punch up. Stadium & metro line all very new courtesy of FIFA. Once out of the train it was a very convoluted route to the stadium. Bit confused about where to go & even more confused when the steward tried to explain. Extreme warnings on the tickets - no flares, poison, knives etc, were matched with extreme security - airport style. Thankfully got through & had to tackle vast flights of stairs - so much so there were benches half way up. Escalators up to the 2nd tier & a great view of the match, the stadium but also the surrounding area - including the tallest building in Europe - Gazprom's head office from the Gazprom Arena. Makes you think - dodgy dealings maybe. The Zenit fans made a pretty good noise - their team not so much. Conceded a comical own goal. They got very excited when their new signing came on - not that he did too much. Got a last minute equaliser just after we left - had to beat the traffic. Stadium looked spot on at night - as per design, just like a UFO. No wonder it's the most expensive stadium in the world.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Damn tour groups

    3 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    And so to the serious stuff - exploring St Petersburg and bizarre Russian cereal finished, we headed to the Petropavlosk Fortress - suposedly the only place to begin a St Petersburg odysey (so the guidebook says) Stepped out to discover things were a little fresh - thankful long trousers were chosen. Getting to the fortress involved a short walk, punctuated by exasperated chunnering along the way as we were barged out of the way - some just rude, most tour groups just getting in the way. Once on Hare Island, there were constant reminders of the Island's naming - hares everywhere (not real) & hoardes waiting for photo ops - gratuitous posing & lots of pouting. As we approached the cathedral, noticed a number of groups heading in a different direction & remembered the midday gun fire. Got there just in time for a bit of pomp & then to almost shit ourselves when the gun went off. Off to the museum of space exploration. Some good exhibits - particularly from Alexi Leonov but let down in 2 ways both of which understandable. Very hit & miss with the English translations - obscure stuff got them, soyuz & sputnik stuff didn't. Also it was very big on the minutia of rocket engines, which got a little boring even for me. The Gagarin stuff was very good though. Liz particularly liked sitting down & resting her aching limbs. By now hunger was a thing - no huge Finnish breakfasts. Nothing around the fortress & no snacks in of note. Decided to have a big lunch & if needed get something at the footie. Opted for the highly rated Brisket BBQ just around the corner - a slice of the states in the USSR. Probably didn't have anything this American in the whole time we were there. Very nice brisket & beef cheeks. Headed back stuffed & to prepare for a match Ruski style. Not sure what to expect.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffFinland & Baltic RussiaJohn Bickerstaff

    Back in the USSR - for the first time.

    2 августа 2019 г., Россия ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    What a manic day. Sleep only arrived at 1am when the taste free zone that was the retro disco subsided & then the rowdy drunks rolled in afterwards. Other than the noise, the cabin was surprisingly comfortable & it was at 7.30 that we surfaced to discover not ocean views but dockside views of presumably St Petersburg. Much earlier than expected & much sunnier. Back for picnic breakfast & a little hurried repacking to hear a garbled announcement indicating that only VIPs would be disembarking at 9 - the Ps would commence at 9.30 hmmm - how would the transfer view that? In fairness I had told the hotel that passport control would take a while & there was no point the transfer being there at 9. How true that would prove. 9.30 came and went & there was no movement nor announcement. Finally at 9.45 we were off but everyone had to funnel into 1 staircase off the boat - that took a while. Then we had to guess which queue was the non-Russian immigration option - the one that wasn't moving & proceded to not move for ages. It was a minor victory just to get in the building. 10.45 came & we were no closer or so it seemed. Once within sight of the passport posts, we thankfully made a correct choice & were through in 90 mins. Transfer located - relief but by now the clouds were rolling in. Not for him though. He had to contend with St Petersburg traffic on an army day. Cars with flags flying around & google telling him all roads are red. Eventually wound up at the hotel over 3 hours after the boat docked. Not good & to top it off the price quoted had almost doubled because he had to wait so long - I said not to wait! Still it was a far less stressful way to get to the hotel & I would have my revenge... Settled in, thankfully having early access to the room. Wanted to take in a game at St Petersburg's stadium - supposedly the most expensive in the world, so sought advice from the receptionist. She suggested we could go through the process online together. Happy days. Both my cards got spat out. Worrying days. She said the alternative was to have them delivered - no extra cost. She'd phone, check & get back to me. She came up later - not happening. She offered to pay on her card & we could repay her. Way to go the extra mile. Concerned by the card issue so first port of call on exploring was a cashpoint. Google showed up 3 nearby. None seemed to exist on inspection. Even more worrying. Decided to wander a little more & hope one turned up. Thankfully a Dutch bank did & the card worked. Cue much relief. Off to the shop - megre pickings but sorted breakie. Back for a chill before a little more exploration - Hermitage & a recommended eaterie. The Hermitage was impressive & ludicrously busy as were the roads - still (car park like) Food, thankfully, proved a little cheaper & English was indicated & understood. Went back via the Church of the saviour of spilt blood - snappy title. Unfortunately the main spire was shrouded in scaffolding & raindrops were beginning to fall - might be giving the fireworks a miss.Читать далее

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