Russia (Kaliningrad) -Baltic countries- Russia (North)

                       Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave of only 15,000 square klms on the Baltic. Its recent history dates back to the 13^th century when German Teutonic knights ruled the Baltic coast. Russian expansion in the 1700s took control but commerce was still run by German merchants. Lost after WWI but regained by Russia in 1945. To us it looked like a forgotten land since the Soviet fall in 91 but we were assured that things have vastly improved in recent years and the Oblast now holds referential economic status.  The photo is of the Fishing Village, a café precinct;

                     The Curonian Spit, a unique stretch of sand that runs off the coast between Kaliningrad and Lithuania with a border post in the middle; 

  The Baltic Coast and in particular Yantarny, Kaliningrad is known for its amber. Picking a genuine piece from the numerous markets is the challenge;

                     Vilnius the capital of Lithuania and Gediminas’ Tower. Gediminas in alliance with Poland defeated the German Teutonic Knights in 1410 and ruled until the 18^th cent when Lithuania was carved up between Russia, Prussia and Austria. At the end of WWI Lithuania seized the opportunity and declared its independence in 1918, followed by a pact of sovereign recognition by Russia in 1920 only to have within months, Vilnius occupied by Poland until German defeat of Poland at the beginning of WWII. The 1940 Molotov Ribbentrop Pact then assigned the Baltics from Germany to Russia. During the next 12 months around 40,000 Lithuanians were purged by execution or deportation until Germany once again invaded Russian held territory on the 22^nd June 1941. Bitter fighting and huge loss of life followed until Germany once again occupied the area from 1941 until 1944. Again the population suffered with around 300,000 who died in concentration camps. In 1945 the Soviets reoccupied and the following years saw an estimated 250,000 murdered or deported to the gulags. The last Soviet troops left Lithuania in 1993. Like all the Baltic States, what a turbulent and horrific recent past. No wonder they were keen to join NATO…..  Incidentally it was from Gediminas’ Tower in 1989 a human chain was formed all the way to Tallin in protest over Soviet occupation; 

  

                       The Hill of Crosses began in the 14^th century in northern Lithuania as a devotional and memorial place. Bulldozed by the Soviets it didn’t rejuvenate until the 90s and now contains hundreds of thousands of crosses; 

             Rundale Palace and its gardens, best known for its architect Italian Bartolomeo Rastrelli who also designed the Winter Palace in St Petersburg is a real wow factor! It was commissioned in 1736 by Empress Anna Joanova for her favourite boyfriend the Duke of Courland. Lucky him! It also reflects Russian influence in the area which started in the early 1700s;

                    Riga the capital of Latvia still has a strong Germanic feel, a carryover from German influence dating back to the 13^th century. We visited the Dome Cathedral with the biggest pipe organ in the world when installed in 1884 and still ranks the 4^th biggest. Also very good museum to the Years of Occupation 1940-41 – for those interested in the history, well worth a visit;

                       Salaspils, near Riga, now a memorial area to those who suffered and died in the Nazi transit and work camp;

                       Rumbulla, the area outside Riga where 27,000 Jews were executed between 30^th November and the 8^th December 1941;

                       Tallin the capital of Estonia like the other Baltic States retains a strong German history but at the same time has a more distinct Scandinavian/European feel. With Russia’s withdrawal from WWI the 1918 Treaty of Brest, Litovsk ceded all Russian Baltic Territory to Germany which of course was soon followed by German defeat and loss of territories. Russian control was again asserted until after a war of independence the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed in 1920. Twenty years later in 1940 the Russians were back following the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact and in the first year over 10,000 people were killed or deported. The German invasion of Russian Territories in June 1941 was at first seen as the liberation with 40,000 Estonians joining the German Army. This quickly turned sour with some 5,500 dying in concentration camps. The Soviets reconquered in 1945 and annexed Estonia and another 60,000 were killed or deported. How bad can it get!……

                      A strong German feeling remains

                       A tortured history aside, Estonia is a beautiful country with some fantastic national parks. We visited Soomaa NP and were very impressed. Here Marina is viewing old beaver damaged trees;

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                        We were lucky enough to see some deer albeit very quick to disappear;

  

   With almost limitless forests in so much of this part of the world timber is a major resource; 

     Now that’s cute for an eco house

                      First, register the vehicle and all driver’s details, cost two euro, then after an hours wait in the parking lot to leave Estonia (and the EU) our rego number 561RLL was called. We then paid another three euro and were issued with our ticket to proceed to the border! ….. can’t see the point as we had to register all details again at the border…… no wonder they can’t decide what to do with Greece  

1                     He’s the man here! Holds what appears to be overwhelming support. While Russia still has a long hard haul to where it should be with its economic resources it has come a long way in the last decade in transition from government driven to a market driven economy. While we don’t agree with many of its foreign policies it’s a complicated and difficult subject with fault on both sides of the fence;

                      While religion was certainly suppressed during the Soviet times there is now a resurgence and acceptance of its place in Russian life;

1                     Into St Petersburg for a five day visit and stay with old school friends of Marina’s. Three from the class of 81 get together for the first time in 30 years!

1                     Coffee with Lilia across the Neva River from the Hermitage;

                      A visit to St Petersburg isn’t complete without a visit to the Hermitage which is mainly set in the Winter Palace (same architect who designed the Rundale Palace in Lithuania). A truly magnificent collection of art and treasures that well live up to its reputation;

                    Another St Petersburg thing to do is to witness the nightly event of the opening of the bridges to allow shipping to pass up and down the Neva River. With all the lights it was spectacular but….., at two o’clock in the morning!

                        Deemed to be the most famous street in Russia, Nevsky Prospect is a straight drag with four lanes of traffic breaking the speed limit whenever possible. It does have some interesting historic buildings though; 

                       Dinner with a great view over the very centre of St Petersburg, Vosstaniya Place;

                      Of all cathedrals, St Isaacs is certainly worth a visit and a climb to the colonnade at the top of the dome; 

                       Another wow factor in SPB is the Peterhoff or Summer Palace built from 1710-1714 for Peter the Great and set amongst very pleasant gardens, walks and fountains;

                      The metro stations apparently like those in Moscow were built to a grand design during Soviet times. More like the inside of an opera house than railway station;

                      I never knew that StPb is the Venice of the north with a great complex of water ways and canals. A boat ride is a great way to see the centre of the city. In view is the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Apparently located on the spot where Alexander II was assassinated;

                       Russians like to do it in style. Stretch limos are a common sight. We were even surprised when we were off the highway on a rough road some 220klms south from Murmansk and had stopped to do a toilet dump when a limo stopped to ask us for directions. After hurriedly replacing the toilet cassette it was soon apparent that we were not the ones to ask for directions. Not sure who got the greatest surprise, him seeing an Australian truck or us seeing a limo in that part of the world; 

                      Easy to find water in Russia as many small villages either don’t have or have very limited reticulated water. These such water points provide beautiful underground water;

                       Another Russian convenience. Service ramps are often to be found along the road providing a means for motorists to complete a service on the go…… or is it to do running repairs on the old Ladas that used to ply the roads. Anyway they were very handy at Roadie’s service time;

                      The northern latitudes are pleasantly covered in vast tracts of forest, regularly interspersed with lakes; just great for camping….. you just have to put up with the mosquitoes;

                      A one hour boat ride from Petrazavodsk to Kizi Island to visit a very unique monastery built on a remote island in the White Sea…..

….and this is it! All built of timber and started in the 18^th century; it comprises two churches and a bell tower. The spectacular part are the of 33 cupolas  

                       Something I had wanted to see, the Belomorkanel or White Sea canal. In an effort to shorten the sea journey from the Baltic to the White Sea (a major supply point for northern Russia), Stalin ordered work to proceed in 1931 and digging by hand 37 km were completed in 21 months. Along with 19 locks and lakes a shipping lane of 227 km was opened up. Tragically it was achieved with forced labour using principally Kulaks from Ukraine. Depending on which reports you read some 127,000 to 280,000 prisoners worked on the project with around 25,000 who died in the process;

                      Near the northern end of the canal at Belomorsk is the Saundarmoh Memorial Sight. In 1998, 230 mass grave sites were brought to light where around 7,000 political prisoners and workers from the Canal met their fate;

                       Memorial posts planted through the forest since 1998 now mark the spot where family and friends were executed;

                     Also near Belomorsk is a more palatable part of history. Over 3,000 petroglyphs have been found dating back to past civilizations who lived in the area around 4-3,000 BC;

                      The rugged transition from centralized authoritarian government to todays…. free enterprise economy has left many old Soviet villages in ruins. Their existence no longer meets the needs of a market driven economy and as such many villages are rapidly becoming ghost towns with mostly the elderly left behind;

1                     An old church slowly dying;

                      From Kem, another two hour boat ride out to the Solovetsky Islands to see the old monastery dating back to 1600. Interestingly the island became an infamous gulag site where it not only supplied political prisoners for the White Sea Canal but also was where Aleksander Solzhenitsyn served time and based his novel Gulag Archipelago on his experiences;  

                       At last on the 13^th June our first crossing of the Arctic Circle, the most southern latitude where the sun at its summer solstice remains above the horizon for 24 hours. N66 degrees, 33 minutes, 458”;

                      Our camp site on the Kola Peninsula looking south over the White Sea;

                        Another exciting experience! At 11pm just before going to bed I heard strange calls coming from the inlet of the White Sea next to which we were camped. There in the midnight sun was a small pod of beluga whales!

  

                      On to Kirovsk in the middle of the Kola Peninsula. An area rich in apatite which is used to produce agricultural phosphate fertilizer. The town and mines are located in a mountainous area of the Kola Peninsula and while the mines are still operating the general impression is that things are in decline;

   The best part of Kirovsk for us were the beautiful mountains with the highest peak of the area being 1191m. It was mid-summer but snow still remains and the temperature didn’t get over 4 degrees all day; 

                      Another highlight of the area at Lovozero was the huskie and reindeer farm run by a local couple. Alexey was in his element with his dogs and the environment;

                       Each of Alexey’s 27 huskies who we were introduced too, had their own personality. Half a day spent with him, his huskies and reindeer was something special;

                      His huskies and reindeer provide sledding tours for tourists during the winter. Something we would love to come back and do;

   As we get to around 67 degrees north the forests and wet bog give way to the tundra, a new experience;

                     The flora is very delicate and of course slow growing. It makes you feel hesitant to walk on it and hear it crunching underfoot;

                       Like any short season plants, with the first signs of spring and the winter thaw there is a rush of miniature blooms;

                         On the 21^st of June we reach the small settlement of Teriberka on the Barents Sea to the east of Murmansk. This was a bustling settlement for military and fishing purposes with a population of 5,000 during Soviet times. Now like so many sad towns whose need has disappeared its population has dwindled to 1,000 of whom only half are working. Incidentally Teriberka was the location for a recent movie, Leviaphan, released in January 2015 and to be nominated for an Oscar

                           Feeling like an achievement has been made we stand at N69 degrees, on the coastline of the Barents Sea, the beginning of the Arctic Ocean and…

                          .. on that day the 21^st June was the summer solstice. This is 12 o’clock midnight with the sun over due north and still high in the sky;

                         

                            After Teriberka we head west to Murmansk, Russia’s most northerly city and home to the Northern Fleet;

 Three days spent in Murmansk doing a full service to Roadie, a visit to a nuclear powered ice breaker and two of the world’s largest tall sailing ships which happened to be in port. Then it’s further west and across the border into Norway on the 27^th June.