A long final day 23:08:05: Half the night the train rolled already by the Podmoskowye - the Moscow region. Against 3:15, we have imposed upon myself to get up. The train will roll on the scheduled 4:13 Yaroslavl train station and it looks like he would be on time. Actually, that is to be expected from the Russian railway. So the time passes so with washing, packing and food with us there.
Although we had time enough to think about how we want to get to the airport from the station, we are still undecided whether we take the Metro, or taxi. The Metro does not go to Moscow. They would have to still change to a bus. By taxi, we would again be very fast there, what could be the waiting time at the airport will be longer. The flight would indeed go until noon.
We accept his offer and finally to crush us with their luggage in his car.
While we were still in the dark out of the station, it dawned now. Still, it was damn early, and we approached our destination very quickly.
The waiting was short of sleep and in between in the struggle against BS and short walks airport. The waiting room was full.
We are undecided about on the station square and multiply it by private taxi drivers raised. One of them speaks to us a second time and stressed that he would drive us to the day rate, which is cheaper than the (still existing) rates at night. He probably thought we hesitate because of the price. We accept his offer and finally to crush us in their luggage his car. We
order: "Go to the airport Scherementewo." A city tour in the taxi we had after all had been on the journey. So we drove through the deserted city. While we were still in the dark out of the station, it dawned on now. Still, it was damn early, and we approached our destination very quickly.
We arrived at the airport along with the first rays of sun, paid the taxi driver and entered the airport. Since the global terrorism hysteria in Russia a few things have been strengthened (please post on outward journey - Kazan railway station). Therefore, you had been through a security check to enter the airport terminal at all to. Then we found a few seats in the waiting area prior to departure.
The waiting was short of sleep and in between in the struggle against BS and short walks airport. The waiting room was full. The hours passed slowly slowly. But at some point our flight was also released (Aeroflot to Berlin) on the table. We went soon after to bring check-in to the mandatory procedures in the departure area behind us and continue to doze.
These procedures were also long and was slow because the queue was very long. We also observed, as has been made at the check-in next door a flight to the U.S. where everything is still tighter expired. I think when we arrived in the departure area - after check-in, baggage check, passport control, security and baggage control - was gone for another hour.
The rest ran off in the usual way. In the departure area, there were even more shopping. Time passed quickly and it started boarding. With a small delay, it was in the air and after the relatively short flight we landed in Berlin ready. The friend, where we had parked our car took, and now and soon we were on the motorway in the direction of Bremen - well, it was now early evening. When we arrived we were really tired of that day.
The impressions of the trip, however, would us busy for a long time.
The last day on the train 
and John Matze with Manolis, they have put in hiking boots.
The timing of the Trans-Siberian train 339/340, as he put up in every carriage.
22:08:05: Nadja from the compartment of the guys got out in Yekaterinburg. Their place was occupied but the same again. On the night we rolled through the Ural mountains and crossed the Eurasian frontier. In other words, we went to bed and woke up in Asia in Europe. Perm, the first major city in the European part of Russia, we still slept. Then began our last day on the train.
Today Manolis kept us on our toes. Fortunately, he had many friends in different compartments, so that one could distribute its energy to more people.
The European part of Russia is to look different than the Siberian. There are more villages and to see urban settlements. The effect of traditional villages, urban settlements seem bleaker than in Siberia. There are more dilapidated or abandoned industrial sites. Exceptions are major cities that looked at which the marginal areas but also bleak, but in the city center to see more signs of prosperity and growth were.
The schedule of the train 339/340 illustrates quite well the most important stops. Next to the names of the stops (from Moscow to Chita) left the timetable for the direction of Moscow and Chita right timing for the direction of the Chita-Moscow amgezeigt. To that end, the duration of the maintenance, so you can also plan purchases on the platform. Of course, not every minor maintenance is shown on this plan. One can also see that there are close to large cities long runs without maintenance, as these areas are covered by the suburban railways (elektrichka).
Furthermore we also recognize that we will arrive in Moscow at the crack of dawn - around 4:13 clock. This is hard, especially since we have a long last day of travel ahead of us be. Good thing we can not miss our arrival, as the train ends so in Moscow. We tried but come early to bed to sleep with the night not to miss out.
Manolis and the monotony of Central Siberia Eastern Siberia 
the train number in a window of our cars.
Matthew and John look out the window of her compartment.
Omsk we arrived in the morning and rolled over the Irtysh.
21:08:05: The memory of this day is not really available - a drawback if you do not timely a diary. After so long a stereotypical day on the train remained in my memory almost. Well, that John has kept a diary and I have the opportunity to use his version of events to refresh.
Still can not really be the talk of events. Diary of John, I understand that he could not sleep and had therefore squashed out of the compartment in the corridor. Nadja (from his compartment), it apparently went well and she joined them himself. Despite the language problem, they sold with the time conversation. After midnight, the train rolled up in Novosibirsk, where he held a half hour. That they used to hold a night walk on the platform.
During the morning dawned, we rolled somewhere between Omsk and Novosibirsk through the Central Siberian plane.
I had to think of the old Sorbian forecast, according moved once the love God with his heavenly horse team and a huge plow the course of the Spree river through the landscape. But come to the Spreewald him lay in wait for the devil and allowed himself a bad joke, as he frightened the horses. These were afraid, and went through. Here, the plow was pulled back and forth through the Spreewald and with difficulty managed to God to calm the horses again, and slowly continued to lead the North. The innumerable furrows and ditches, however, who had left the plow, filled with the water of the river Spree and now form the canals of the Spreewald .
If God created a huge plow river beds, so he had here in western Siberia probably smoothed with a huge trowel the landscape hundreds of miles.
This monotony out of the window would come with us so the whole day.
Manolis
It was different inside the wagon. For as we held a small boy on the go. He traveled with his mother, I know not where. Manolis was the child of a Russian and a Greek-American. This was not with it. Manolis mother was alone with her little son on the road - visiting relatives in Russia. Now Manolis
was a bundle of energy was all in motion, with whom he had previously befriended, including our compartment and the compartment of John and Matze. Manolis was called by his mother Manole - so to speak, a Russian diminutive. Manolis kauderwelschte confused in Russian-English-Greek and was sometimes due to his never-ending urge to move too strenuous. At least he drove us to this day a lot of time. The landscape was monotonous
behind Omsk and Tyumen would stay up. There we would arrive late afternoon. Nadja from the compartment of the guys prepared even before to get out and packed up a lot. Your goal Ekaterinburg was on the east side of the Urals, which we Moscow time in the late evening, but errreichen after time until midnight would.
adé 
disclosed in the stretched curves through the taiga landscape when looking out the window the length of the train.
some point we crossed the Jennisej, the most abundant water power and they rolled into Siberian Krasnoyarsk.
A typical crossing, the value of a thoroughfare, such as the Trans-Siberian clear: Even the most God-leaving Crossing is limited and usually provided with a road barrier.
20:08:05: began after the first night on the train our second day of the train journey to Moscow. Still, the train rolled through the western foothills of the Sayan Mountains. It is the train 339-340 Chita Chita-Moscow. Despite its relatively high number (the higher the number, the lower the prestige), he has the charm of a typical remote Trans-Siberian train. There are enough sleep but the sleeper cars (Kupé) a first-class carriage (Ljuks) and a dining car. The uniform color of the car shows, "I am a schnuggeliger distance train." In the extended curves through the taiga landscape reveals itself when looking out the window the length of the train.
Otherwise, it's typical day on the train. There is not much to do except relax, watch scenery, relax, eat, relax.
John and Matt were playing cards with their compartment comrades Sergei and Nadja. Sergei was otherwise eat fish and drink beer deals. Nadia tried to communicate with the boys and John wrote even a dedication in his diary, which I hereby times as translate:
"I shall never the words Kartoschka (potato), Suslik (ground squirrel) and Burunduk (chipmunk) forgotten, such as thou uttered. "
The passengers came to our compartment with us well into the hotkey press!. The older Lady worked for the militia in Chita. The Gothic-Girl was from Chita and went to study in St. Petersburg.
some point we crossed the Jennisej, the most abundant water power and they rolled into Siberian Krasnoyarsk.
dealer it was not so many, but kiosks directly to the platform, where we bought some of course again.
Then it went on and became increasingly flat. We rolled slowly into the Central Siberian Plain. At the same time we rolled into the evening and the next night as the sun behind the horizon in the west of us hurried away and the landscape in the twilight blurred.
departure from Irkutsk 19:08:05 8:00 clock: Again we have spent a comfortable night. Today is our train to Moscow. He goes to Moscow time in the late morning, but we know that already. After time, this is of course in the afternoon. Nevertheless, we asked the hotel manager to explore this further. After a phone call to the station they confirmed this.
Small repairs to a sandal and a backpack for a few rubles in a Chinese cobbler.
The latest time for check-off for the hotel was clock 12:00. But we were already done - if only because the breakfast buffet closed. In the lobby were a lot of luggage. A tourist group had arrived from Hamburg, we were told. Even if we still had plenty of time, we decided to drive into town. The large backpacks, we would drag along somehow.
The tram was all no problem. As already mentioned, we paid five rubles apiece per pack - Peenuts. We climbed back to the Rynok with the intent to seek a place where you could sit in the shade and always someone to watch out the backpacks, some of the troops would be able to remove temporarily.
In search of a shady bank, we passed several street vendors, many of them Chinese. There were a cobbler here who offered their services directly on the sidewalk. Since we had the idea to have some things set in order, a torn strap sandals and a compression strap to one of the backpacks, which was about to completely uproot. The cobbler was done by the fast and reliable and required very little, I think the backpack for 5 rubles and 20 rubles for the sandal.
We got into the tram lines 1 and drove in front of station's building.
The waiting room was quite pleasant, though well attended.
The kiosks at the train station covered us with another to eat.
On the back of the large commercial building we found a bank that was halfway in the shadows and settled down. You sat there very good, only one was ever approached by beggars. The boys made their first on the Internet Cafe, where they stayed for a long time.
I realized that the beggar again returned to a specific time when they would make regular rounds. But after I had some what, I also noticed that they thank their repeated tours not responded, but only walked toward other people.
After the boys were back, and I made Regina a small round and took some classes of drinks and hot Tschebureki (dumplings with meat) with. They were really tasty and said to them all. Regina also bought nor any herb, which should be boiled as a tea soothing and healing.
some point we decided to go to the station and wait for the rest of the time there. We got into the tram lines 1 and drove in front of station's building. Although the sun had already passed the zenith, but the afternoon was only really become oppressive. So we first went in the shadow of the platform first But there we were kind of militia, but firmly asked to leave. The stay on the platforms is permitted only before the arrival of the train and during the maintenance. We have at the train station waiting rooms. So we went into such. Until the train departure, it was still about 2 hours.
The waiting room was quite pleasant, though well attended. One had only to run off and into another hall, to see if the platform our train was announced. These are usually announced in Russia just before entering or making the trains.
The kiosks at the train station covered us with another to eat. Actually, no compelling need, as you refresh yourself while driving can, in many ways. But when one should drink in the heat already have a supply.
Sometime's it so far. The train was announced and notified to the platform. The masses began to move. It was the train No. 339-340 Chita-Moscow. We were doubly excited - even whether they will accept on a train with such a high number (where foreign tourists ride much less often) our € Domino ticket without hesitation and secondly, how we are placed, as was stated on our tickets are no fixed seats ( see also contribution to the ticket-buying ).
But everything went smoothly, though here again our tickets, raised curiosity and questions, and between the Prowodnitsas were passed around. With the places we had the misfortune to be divided into two separate compartments, but what in hindsight turned out to be not so bad. We were with Regina in a compartment, where were already an old lady and a student in the Gothic look. John Matze and came in a compartment with a young blond girl and (businessman) an initially somewhat Brummelen Bisnesmen. One had the impression that he was hoping for a romantic evening alone with the blonde in the compartment. But he melted at some point too. In accordance with custom, we hardly notice as the train began to move, while we were busy trying to establish ourselves.
So we were rolling again in the evening and at some point in the night, this time the setting sun behind. We made ourselves comfortable and soon talked a little with our fellow passengers, while John and Matthias paced again to the dining car to get some beer: With a total of 35 doors that they had counted.
A day in Irkutsk Baikal 18:08:05 8:00 clock: was after the night in the hotel it is a typical hotel breakfast buffet. One felt that the hotel was relatively new and trying to establish themselves. Everyone was courteous and polite. The hotel manager, we patiently answered our questions: Where to exchange money, how to get on? best to the city center? ... and so on.
near the market (Rynok) we got out. The Irkutsk city was characterized by a mix of old Siberian wooden houses and modern buildings.
The rows of old wooden houses before the Rynok were in their diversity and number of very impressive, even though many a house in a pitiful state.
front of the steps to the viewing terrace on the Angara with a Russian Orthodox church in the background.
money we finally exchanged in the foreign trade center next door, where there was a bank branch. Then it went into the city, with the tram. The connection was perfect. Line 3 was their last stop directly outside the hotel and led to the city center from the central market. Impressive were the price, 5 rubles per person, equivalent for example 20 euro cents. A large backpack but was 5 rubles extra. But even more impressive were the penalties for fare: 25 rubles, that's not even a € - a joke.
near the market (Rynok) we got out. The Irkutsk city was characterized by a mix of old Siberian wooden houses and modern buildings. We strolled through the center
and tried something like to find the central square. The old wooden houses before the Rynok were in their diversity and number of very impressive, even though so many of them in a pitiful state. The district with the wooden houses was replaced behind the Rynok of a large department store complex. Behind began a pedestrian zone with colorful, bustling activity. There was also more expensive shops, cafes and restaurants and other retail stores. They were made of stone, but obviously restored historical structure and good.
began after the pedestrian zone even more representative buildings. Many of them were government or banks. An internet cafe we found here as well. Then came an extended space, de a forum extended to the banks of the Angara. Here were the urban and regional administrative centers. The place was broken by benches and green areas, but still alive and less sterile than the area of Rynok and pedestrian zone. However, I felt this after the turmoil earlier than beneficial. As the midday heat rose and was charging between the stone facades, we bought an ice cream and relaxed at the edge of a fountain.
We stayed up a little and watched from the terrace on the Angara, where we watched fishermen in their boat.
Finally, we ran past the churches back in the direction the business district.
We strolled through the pedestrian zone back to Rynok. Here we were met by even a walking hot dog in the background is advertising and the market building is seen.
Then we strolled to the Angara River, past some Russian Orthodox churches and the eternal flame to honor the fallen of the Great Patriotic War (as it is called in Russia the 2nd World War).
We stayed up a little and watched from the terrace on the Angara, where we watched fishermen in their boat.
Across the river, the more rural settlements, and was seen in the remote hills of the city limits.
Finally, we ran past the churches back in the direction of the business district. On the steps of a church were some poorly dressed people. There were beggars who hoped in the vicinity of the Church of increased charity of passers-by. I made some small change. Then we ran.
In fiscal quarter we settled down finally in a street cafe and ordered Shashlyk and Beck's beer. This was our lunch - very relaxed, almost Bavarian beer tent standard under large umbrellas. We stayed there a long time until the boys began to urge that we must so again in the Internet cafe.
So we walked the path in the direction Rynok and spent a further hour (or more?) In Internet Cafe. Also this was (as in Severobaikalsk) is not a cafe, but rather a terminal hall - but also extremely cheap. Here one could also get a feel for how many foreign backpackers running around but in Irkutsk Sun
This was also already afternoon and we strolled through the pedestrian zone back to Rynok. Here we were met by even a walking hot dog commercial. Overall, it might be thought of varied and prosperous small businesses.
Eventually we went with the tram back to the hotel where we could end the day. The next day we would leave the city, though not until late afternoon. Again, we peppered the hotel manager with a variety of issues and also pay equal to the hotel bill.
Epilogue: Baikal-Irkutsk 17:08:05 13:00 clock: After the boat is to einglaufen Maloye Morje should, it took almost two hours until it would create at the southern end of the hundred-kilometer-long island. Now, the focus was on the coast of Baikal port side - a steppe landscape of the rugged, rocky coast. At the same time we left something on the West Coast with their partially wooded mountain slopes.
The west coast at the northern end of the Maloye Morje (small sea) - west of Baikal.
A small number of bizarre rock islands to the west coast were in front.
A peculiar landing on Baikal - an old, due to compound barge, where Helmut and his companions went ashore.
In contrast to the North Baikal was here already "something more" going on. One from him and to other boats and in spite of the abundance of wild landscapes populated parts seemed to be more frequent. We passed several small rocky islands bizarre that the coastal upstream in the West were.
We slipped on the steppe Olkhon meaning to the southern end of a strange dock came into view. It was an old cargo ship, which was set on the banks of reason. The old hull was quickly transformed into a pier, which is now headed for the Kometa. That was the objective for Helmut and his new companions. They wanted to spend some days on Baikal, before they would be on your way to go about Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, the Trans-Mongolian railway to China.
where they went ashore, after we said goodbye warmly of each other. You stand after a few days ago on Olkhon contemplative still a huge world tour before. Helmut has its Olkhon stay , but also the whole tour in his blog described Eurasia and especially abundantly illustrated.
Soon it went on and the Kometa shot through the narrowest point between the southern end of Baikal and the West Coast, where a car ferry connects the island to the mainland. Then we went back out into the open Baikal. The next goal would be Port Baikal. As we learn in the meantime, we would then transfer to a smaller hydrofoil need. For whatever reason the big Kometa did not go directly to Irkutsk.
the pier in Port Baikal. Here we went to a smaller hydrofoil to Irkutsk.
The shaman stone (in the water before the big building) is difficult to see. According to legend, the father threw rocks behind Baikal that his daughter Angara, as they left him for the knights Yenisei.
The two hydrofoils delivered to a race and vanished in the background of the Baikal.
Sometime Listwianka came into view and you could see the Angara outflow. Then we arrived in Port Baikal, where it said: Get out. To proceed immediately stood two small hydrofoils prepared in which the passengers boarded the Kometa, but also some day-trippers from Port Baikal. Then it went off, past Listwianka in the course of the Angara into it. On Schamananstein that you could barely make out, drove some smaller boats. Then it went in quick trip to Irkutsk, which gave the two hydrofoils a race with changing leadership.
arrived in Irkutsk we very soon - at the passenger port above the Angarastaumauer. Oliver and Frank were picked up from their hotel shuttle service. We did not have as comfortable and looked for a route taxi to the city center.
Via the Internet (the Internet cafe in Severobaikalsk) I had for our remaining four people booked a hostel which was near the station. We also found it fairly quickly and rang the door. No reaction. We pushed around a solid hour before the house, rang the bell again and again and interviewed residents, if anyone knew anything. All nil, no one could say, no one knew anything. Finally, we summed up that the hostel there is probably no more and this Nocht not on the website Hostelworld was known and so we walked to the taxi stand down at the station. There we boarded a taxi with the order to go to another hostel address (the Angara Hostel).
The passenger port of Irkutsk is in sight. He is above the Angara-dam.
Once there, saw it again right from suspicious and I asked the taxi driver to wait. It was getting dark and we were restless. But here we were told that the hostel does not exist here anymore. Now I gave the taxi driver the order to drive us to a hotel - best not to expensive and not too cheap.
He suggested "Profsojusnaja Hotel (hotel trade unions). The advantage is that in the vicinity are other hotels to dodge yet. So we went there.
It was near the airport. There we were disappointed. All booked up. So I turned to the next house on the square. gave addition to a swanky conference center with hotel it is a hotel "Solnyshonik" (Little sun, or Sönnchen). This hotel was located on the top floor of an office building and to recognize only a small entrance with an insignificant sign. There we were lucky.
I paid the taxi driver and dismissed him. Then we checked. The rooms were a kind of apartments with two double bedrooms, a hall, bathroom and toilet. The room went back out and had a view of a workshop area in the airport. After the accommodation was secured, the guys went out again a round (at a newspaper stand, because they had seen) and Regina and I showered and then watched a bit of a German TV channel we had discovered while zapping.
