....Moscow to Moscow......

[woodruff]

Thanks for the updates

Its amazing who you bump into on a tour. Two Germans could have been doing worse than just farting.....

[bigfatcat]

All I remember of my German at school was "fahrt" meant "go", and so you did.
Keep the posts coming, we're all following your progress.

[bth2bth2]

good luck in russia mate. have been enjoying reading your "blog" ,having been on hols, sounds a great trip shame about the weather so far.weve just been to bulgaria and its been mid 30's every day.seems your having typical 350 running problems , good luck with those. keep up the reports.
all the best.

brian

[pupster]

…..Crossed the border into Russia on Sunday morning…. ...was more straightforward than we’d imagined….first we had to go to the other end of town to buy a 1 euro toll ticket for the bridge…..then declare the bikes as a temporary import into Russia……Because my insurance isn’t valid there, I then had to fork out for a Russian Insurance Certificate for the duration of my stay….only 15 euros!....Then we drove to St Petersburg over the worst roads I’ve ever ridden on…(worse than Sarah's track after a bad winter!!)..…We got lost when we arrived and spent ages looking for a hotel….(in the rain again!..seems to be the standard weather for the trip)…..we all got a bit stressed but we’re in a hotel at last…….group dynamics are at a bit of a low.. ...Tomorrow We’ll have a good look round St Petersburg on foot!....and get some much needed exercise at last……



.....Tried a new Harley in St Petersburg!.....nowhere to put the panniers though!....



.......Driving over No Mans Land between Estonia & Russia.......




...Worse than the worst Glastonbury Toilet ever!......and there were condoms in it!!......

[Derrick]

Very pleased to hear you have made it into Russia, must be a good feeling to know that's the border crossings out of the way. You will make it to Moscow, one way or another.

[pupster]

….I looked in the mirror today and realised I’m starting to look a bit of a`knob…….I’m riding with an open faced helmet and goggles and when it’s raining or cold I put a sort of balaclava on….but it leaves my nose exposed so the end of my nose is suntanned when nowhere else is!......Things started off much happier today and we took the underground into the centre of St Petersburg……Then we had a huge explore on foot taking in the Hermitage (sadly closed on Mondays), Peter & Paul’s Fortress, The magnificent Saviour of the Blood Cathedral, The Alexander Column, The monument for The Soldiers of The Revolution, The Russian Warship Aurora and lots lots more…..It’s a pretty impressive city but quite fast & furious….Got round to washing my pants & socks in the hotel bathroom today so clean underwear beckons…..Realised I left my towel in Estonia…….Maybe that means the extortionate rates in the hotel here allow you to take the towels away!.......Ate lunch on the Island but sadly will have to continue the lifting of my boycott on MacDonalds for dinner in order to use their free wi-fi to update my blog……Setting off in the morning to Moscow…….It’s over 500 miles of rough roads so we’re going to do it over 2 days…….

[bth2bth2]

youll be pleased to know that the next 5 day forecast for moscow (russia) is low 30,s.....and NO RAIN

take care on them roads

brian

[pupster]

……Great day on the road today……Rode 278 miles towards Moscow from St Petersburg……more than halfway there……We’re shacked up in a hotel in Vyshniy Volochek!!!......which is a run-down shanty town that has a great façade suggesting it was wealthy once upon a time……Getting out of St Petersburg was hard in rush-hour traffic…..The roads were filthy and bumpy and the drivers suicidal….The lorries were the most polluting I’ve ever seen and I was glad to get my mask on….Drizzled a bit but then warmed up…….I’ve never ridden in an Enduro but the first 100 miles felt like one…..Driving a two lane highway at a steady 56mph avoiding potholes at speed!......The best part of the day was getting off the highway for about 30 miles and taking a parallel road through rural Russian villages…..met a guy with the smokiest bike & sidecar ever……He rode with us for a few miles upto a local beauty spot…….Tomorrow it’s onto Moscow…….We’ve got a rendezvous with our contact Maxim at IKEA on the outskirts of Moscow!!!......

[Thumper]

Looks quite an adventure...

Didn't realise the locals didn't wear helmets?

Was this a one-off or are they generally not worn?

[Daj]

What an adventure! Fingers crossed for the remainder of the voyage.

All the best

Daj