Irkutsk June 21-23, 2019
The train trip from Ulan Ude to Irkutsk is the shortest leg in our journey, and it’s all during the daytime (mid-morning to mid-afternoon), so we decided to go second-class as we wouldn’t be sleeping in the compartment. Our second-class compartment turned out to be identical to our previous first-class compartment, except that the padded headrests in 1st-class now swing down to form bunk beds, creating sleeping for 4. And we have a roomie! Only one, a rather reserved gentleman who nevertheless shows us many tricks for stowing luggage, hanging garbage bags, etc, that we rookies hadn’t figured out yet. Oh, and a meal is included in our ticket just like 1st-class, except instead of it being the indifferent meal we have come to expect, this one is downright vile. We yearn for a return to indifference… Looks like the noodle packs are going to get a workout today.
After about two hours, the landscape starts changing again, from Wyoming grasslands to deciduous forest, mostly birches with some balsam poplar, but there are also increasing amounts of larch. The forests are really striking as there is virtually nothing under the trees but knee-to-waist-high grasses and forbs. Clearly, there is a lot of low-intensity prescribed burning as the signs of burning are apparent, and it appears that there is no public land grazing like there is in BC, and probably the locals pick up deadwood for firewood as soon as it hits the ground. The result is a forest that looks like parkland, hour after hour as we move through it. Beautiful forest.
Then we come around a curve, and there is Lake Baikal, a beautiful, great lake surrounded by rolling hills (the locals call them mountains, the pathetic creatures). We are beside it for over an hour, which is something, as this is just the pointy end. This lake is over 600 kilometres long, 50 kilometres wide, over a mile deep. It holds over 20% of the planet’s fresh water, more than all of the Great Lakes combined. Big lake, lots of water, ’nuff said. We’ll be back in a few days and will blog about it then.
To view a photo full-size, left-click on the image.
Irkutsk is the capital of East Siberia (we left the Russian Far East somewhere between here and Ulan Ude), and is only 63 kilometres away from the UNESCO heritage site of Lake Baikal. The industries here range from manufacturing aircraft machinery and equipment to food, textiles, sewing, and generating electrical power, gas, and water. It is 5,042 kilometres to Moscow from here, and it’s 2, 887 kilometres back to Vladivostok. Big piece of ground! The coat of arms of Irkutsk is from drawings on Siberian stamps from the 17th century. The tiger stands for the strength and power of the region, while the sable symbolizes its riches and its beauty.
Irkutsk is a big city (620,000) on the Angara River, and is referred to locally as The Paris of Siberia. That’s like saying The Mount Everest of Saskatchewan, but I digress. The people here still display their connection to the East. There is a lot of Buryat, Tatar, and Mongolian blood in the locals, and the city is close enough to the Chinese northeast that a new Golden Horde is showing up with credit cards rather than bows and arrows.
There is a very large Chinese Market here, and Chinese tourists contribute over a billion dollars annually to the local economy.
As soon as we left the train station, we flashed up Yandex, and IT WORKED! So a very easy cab ride to our newest apartment. We finally figured out what the problem with the taxi app was; Steve had initially loaded the app onto Debbi’s phone whilst we were in Korea, and they use a different mapping base than Russia. So when we ordered a cab in Russia, the driver would go to our exact GPS location using the Korean map base, which was actually a couple of kilometers from where we really were. Frustrating for everyone concerned, to say the least. There may still be Russian taxi drivers roaming Khabarovsk looking for us… But I digress. Our new apartment is in a great location, close to a ton of things to see, and right beside the main transit routes. The nice apartment lady was sitting in her car waiting for us when we arrived. So, through the first massive metal door, up the crack-house stairwell to the second floor – and she keeps going. To the third floor. And the fourth floor. And the fifth floor. Our apartment is on the fifth floor, and there is no elevator. 78 stairs! I counted them each time we trudged up.
Who rented this place, Steve? On the bright side, it’s a really nice apartment, which is good as we’ll have a comfortable place to rest while waiting for the paramedics after climbing all those stairs with our suitcases…
The next morning, it’s time for a look at the river. The Russian rivers were the main highways that opened up the country, so it’s not surprising that the cities are all on rivers! In this case, it’s the Angara, which is the main outlet of Lake Baikal, so it is crystal clear and a beautiful river. The riverwalk is just 3 blocks from the apartment, and just a few blocks further along, there is a dockside promenade, with several little cafes/restaurants, and boat tours! So we’re definitely up for a one-hour river tour, which took us upstream as far as an extensive park complex located on an island in the river, and then a few kilometers downstream as far as Kirov Park. Definitely a nice interlude on a warm sunny day.
Beautiful riverside walkway adjacent to Kirov Park.
The island park from the tour boat.
Now that we knew there was a park down there, we definitely had to check it out. It’s only a few kilometers down the beautiful riverside walkway, so off we went. It turns out to actually be two islands, which are connected to the shore and each other with bridges. The first one is all forest with walkways and park benches, very relaxing, whilst the second one is a kids’ park, an adventure park, a Ferris Wheel (our real reason for coming as Debbi has developed an addiction), and various other amusements and eateries.
Adventure park for both little and big kids. The Safety Nazis in Canada would have an aneurism.
Muscle beach without the beach.
This gentleman played excellent chamber music.
Panoramic view of the city from the Ferris Wheel.
By now we have walked WAY too much concrete for one day, Debbi’s back is caving in and Steve’s feet are in open revolt, so it’s time to call up a trusty Yandex steed to carry us back to the apartment for a therapeutic glass of plonk. Gotta rest up, as tomorrow is a big day with a downtown walkabout in the morning plus a guided city walking tour in the evening!
We have the bus system figured out (!?!), so it’s time to hop on and head for the Tourist Information Center. The downtown is very nice, lots of pre-Revolution buildings that have been restored to their former glory. Eventually, we find the TIC, and after 15-20 minutes and a few aborted attempts, we actually find the front door, which leads us into a nice little center with very cheerful and helpful staff that load us up with an armful of interesting things to see and do. Bonus points: the TIC is co-located with some historic buildings, plus outside displays and exhibits.
Historic building at the tourist information center.
Map of Canada. Look left, see the top red flag?.. That’s Burns Lake/Smithers. Underneath is a blue flag, which is Kamloops. Wahoo, we are on the map in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia. If I could, I would toast with vodka.
Another map…I just wanted to make sure my 2 towns were represented!
Display of various wooden trim used on historic buildings.
Then it was time for a couple of hours of just wandering around downtown, as who really knows what’s around the next corner if they don’t go there and look?
Four monkeys in a little park full of playful bronze statues.
Monument to The Tourist. (That’s a real tourist on the right.)
(Feeling pretty proud of myself..I should be an actress..lol)
Many of the historic buildings in the downtown are being renovated and converted into shops and apartments.
Later that day we went on a walking tour with Arina Zaporozhtseva, a very nice young lady who was also a guide. Here are some of the things we saw:
Polish Catholic church, 1884. Now a days it’s an organ concert hall and still active church.
The house of the NKVD (NKVD – is The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs in Soviet times)
It later morphed into the KGB…
The arrival of the Cossacks in 1661. This is the Monument to the founders of Irkutsk.
The Epiphany Cathedral.
Spasskaya Church opened in 2011 for the 350th anniversary of the Irkutsk city.
Manor house, built at the end of 19th century. It is now an apartment house.
Siberian bear. Siberia was the place of exile of prisoners (political reasons, thieves and burglars, murders) in Russian Empire.
The first printing house and bookstore in Irkutsk. It was named by its owners, Makushin and Posohin. Today, it is a branch of the local history museum.
The original Hotel Metropol. It was a hotel from the end of the 19th century until the Revolution. Later, in the Soviet Union, it was used as an apartment house or dormitory.
The management complex of the East-Siberian Railway.
The main building of the local history museum, built at the end of XIX century.
The drama theater. 1894-1897.
The Russian-Asian bank (outside). It’s now an outpatient hospital.
Russian – Asian bank, built in 1910 by architect Kolyanovskiy.
Irkutsk has many many ‘sister’ cities. Victoria, BC is one These flags represent each country they are in. pretty impressive even if the photo doesn’t do it justice.
OK, now we’re back to the Seriously Sore Feet And Back Thing. But that’s OK, because tomorrow will be a boat tour of Lake Baikal, which should be very relaxing and comfortable, right? Stay tuned for the next blog and find out!