It’s nice that you found time to visit Kaliningrad. It’s one of those ‘misunderstood’ places.
Your story was fun too, which I linked to in my blog. It has since been picked up by Global Voices and Backpackers.com.
The border at Kaliningrad is absurd. I have crossed by car and train as well . . . and it always takes forever.
Good luck with your journey. I shall follow it with interest.
]]>We were at the Eberspacher’s yesterday and noticed the map problem using Internet Explorer. Other problems too! Forgot what they were. Tried IE at home today and had same map problem. So your fix does not seem to work at all times.
Therefore my advice to others would be to use MOZILLA. Never had problems with this browser.
Dad
]]>Also, thanks for identifying the map issue as likely a browser issue. I am using Firefox on XP, so also haven’t seen the issue here. I took a look at the plugin software I was using and they described a similar problem and a likely fix. I made the fix so hopefully things work better now.
]]>The full-size pictures are not loading for me although an applet is busy doing nothing. I verified that the Netherlands pictures are still working. Could the permissions be set differently between them? Or wait, is this some secret cold-war leftover that blocks the internet!
]]>Dave, you are the second one who reports problems with the map link on the web page. I am not quite certain what problem is coming since it has worked on my machine and I’m not sure what else to try on settings.
]]>http://www.bicycle.kgd.ru/en/team.php
Sergey Mezenov, 1981
Status: founder of a team
Activity: 90%
Trips amount: 135
First trip: V0001, 3.09.2000
Fido: 2:478/67, e-mail: , ICQ: 62109645.
sergey_mezenov@mail.ru
Greetings, Bert, Netherlands
]]>Cheers and best wishes….I hope that the school in St Petersburg now realizes, to user THEIR phrase, “which plane you are coming in on”.
]]>Good going on your trip…if you “prorate by your planned countries per month”, you seem to be on schedule!
Ok, now that you have entered part of actual Russia, I think you need a theme song. How about
The Volga Burlak’s Song (maybe known as Volga Boatmen).
Here is YouTube Nelson Eddy (Russian heritage from mother’s side)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WufB-eeSPB4
or more stripped down for Real player (Red Star Army Chorus)
http://richka.com/volga.ram
Here is appropriate painting:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/liberal_arts/foreign/russian/art/repin-boatmen.html
Ok, well, don’t overdo….oh
(Traditional)
Refrain
Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho!
Once more, once again, still once more
Verse 1
Now we fell the stout birch tree,
Now we pull hard: one, two, three.
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Now we fell the stout birch tree
Yo, heave ho!
Hey, hey, let’s heave a-long the way
to the sun we sing our song
Verse 2
As the barges float along,
To the sun we sing our song.
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
To the sun we sing our song.
Hey, hey, let’s heave a-long the way
to the sun we sing our song
Verse 3
Volga, Volga our pride,
Mighty stream so deep and wide.
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Mighty stream so deep and wide.
Volga, Volga you’re our pride.
Lyrics in Russian:
Ðй, ухнем!
Ðй, ухнем!
Ещё разик, ещё раз!
Разовьем мы берёзу,
Разовьем мы кудрÑву!
Ðй-да, да ай-да, ай-да, да ай-да,
Разовьем мы кудрÑву.
Мы по бережку идем,
ПеÑню Ñолнышку поём.
Ðй-да, да ай-да, ай-да, да ай-да,
ПеÑню Ñолнышку поём.
Ðй, Ñй, Ñ‚Ñни канат Ñильней!
ПеÑню Ñолнышку поём.
Ðй, ухнем!
Ðй, ухнем!
Ещё разик, ещё раз!
ÐÑ… ты, Волга, мать-река,
Широка и глубока,
Ðй-да, да ай-да, ай-да, да ай-да,
Волга, Волга, мать-река,
Ðй, ухнем!
Ðй, ухнем!
Еще разик, еще раз!
Ðй, ухнем!
Ðй, ухнем!
]]>