Best Eastern Atrium Palace Yekaterinburg

... It's a massive church built on the site of the Ipateyev House where the Tsar an his family were shot and bayoneted to death (apparently the bullets ricochetted off the Tsarina at first because she was protected by the diamonds sown into her corset so they bayonetted her instead) on the orders of a Bolshevik called Sverldov. I'm no monarchist but that's a little bit harsh. They chucked their pet dogs down a mineshaft too.<br ...

... with a stint beside the City Pond, we (Kate) decided it was high time for a run. Yekaterinburg's main drag perhaps not the best place to venture out to in your gym kit. With shocked stares coming from every direction, (we're not sure if it was because of our shorts, the bouncing money belts protruding from our bellies, or whether it was just the fact that we were partaking in physical exercise) the run was certainly memorable-and a little more taxing than it should've been ...

... Piece of cake. <br><br>Ekaterinburg<br><br>The next day I arrived in Ekaterinburg. The city is well planned with wide roads and well-groomed gardens. The city is also known for being one of the more friendly cities and is the third largest city in Russia (1.5 million). The city was built in honor of Catherine I. Unfortunately, the Germans in World War II destroyed much of the buildings. But despite, all the buildings have been restored.

... into a truck to be burned and disposed of. There are few Imperial-era buildings left in the immediate vicinity, but there are some, including a huge mansion. THEY looked out onto those, THEY saw them as they tried to pass the time as they were tormented and humiliated. This is the place where they, frightened, ordinary human beings, were locked in a room and executed in the most horrendous manner imaginable. There really are no words for it.<br>

... and generous to us that we didn't want to leave :P Versione italiana Un altra sorpresa di questo paese e' che i treni in tutta la Russia viaggiano con l'orario di Mosca che in totale ha ben 9 fusorari! Dunque questa mattina pensando di arrivare ad un orario un po' piu' decente ci siamo ritrovate in questa citta' alle 4 di mattina!! Un altra cosa che ho notato e' che nella maggior parte delle abitazioni, a quell'ora, c'era gia' la luce accesa ...

... pick up, as we never would have found our way otherwise. When we got there (almost 1:30am by this time) Andrei put on some music, brought out a candle and made us a cup of green tea to make us feel at home. We woke up to a BIG bowl of porridge with bananas (decoratively placed around the edge of the bowl) for breakfast. After breakfast Andrei took us to the ticket office to help us book our train ticket (he explained that he is an Art Manager so he has flexibility at work). We found ...

... saints and are viewed as martyrs for the church. Ekateringburg is quite a nice compact city, with a large pond in the centre which was nice to stroll beside and the many bars made the perfect pitstops on the hot afternoons. From Ekateringburg it is a short trip also to the Europe Asia border, which is marked beside the main highway. Of course the photo was obligatory!

... ho proprio la sensazione di essere in Asia qui: Yekaterinburg sembra nient'altro che una classica citta' sovietica, per quanto enorme, con i soliti palazzi di cemento identici tra loro. Una tappa tutto sommato evitabile. Un'altra cosa che mi sarebbe piaciuto vedere e' il museo ferroviario, ma purtroppo era chiuso. Per altro mi sono documentato a tal punto che ormai non ho piu' bisogno nemmeno del museo per sapere qualcosa sulla Transiberiana. Visto che ho un po' di ...

... a relaxing tea in the luxurious GUM shopping centre, Inger and I continued walking the interesting walking tour around the old part of Moscow. This tour ended near the Moscow River, so we took a boat tour along the Moscow River towards the Kievskaya train station. From here we took a subway to Gorky Park, which we didn't enjoy much, because it really was a rundown fairground. From here we walked back to the Red Square via the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour - which was beautifully lit ...

... local Jaguar dealer to change the oil and filter and effect a replacement for the worn out front suspension bushes. This is not straightforward as I am led on a 35 km route round town visiting four dealers before finally the Ford / Mitsubiushi garage does the work. Full oil cahnge, grease suspension, weld tie rod bracket and change suspesnion bushes less than GBP 75. Back in time for dinner too!