Russia……… a country that has always fascinated us, but that we could neither could nor wanted to visit on our own. This nation, unfortunately, is still not ready for "do-it-yourself" trips: there are no equipped rest areas for campers, let alone campsites, there's still too much bureaucracy at the borders, you lose hours and hours, the signs are in Cyrillic and only rarely did we see anything written in English, the police can stop you for nothing and if you don't pay the bribe – sometimes a bottle of wine is enough – they make things very difficult for you with considerable loss of time, very few people speak English, and for now they aren't interested in tourism.
For this trip we had already signed up four years earlier with CC La Granda, which was one of the first camper clubs to organise trips to this destination; unfortunately at the last moment I realised my passport was about to expire and I didn't have time to renew it. This year, after many postponements, we made up our minds: we turned to the agency we had been with in Libya, Girocamper; the cost was fairly high at € 3,460, departure and arrival Tarvisio, duration 30 days. After sending the deposit and then the balance in June, 15 days before departure the agency informed us that, having not reached the minimum number of participants, the tour would not take place, but redirected us to the Russian correspondent (sanpietroburgo.it) which, gathering all the various fragments from other clubs or agencies, managed to complete the necessary number to make the trip.
Instead of Tarvisio, the departure will be at Terespol on the Polish/Belarusian border and the end will be Narva on the Russian/Estonian border; only on this stretch will we be followed and assisted by guides: an Italian speaking Russian and a Belarusian speaking Italian and Russian, all at the price of € 1,750, practically half. We accepted immediately; the itinerary before and after Russia we'll do on our own, visiting anyway the places listed in the Girocamper programme.
I have divided this trip by countries, the Slovakia, with Poland partly on the way out and Częstochowa on the way back, Belarus, Russia divided into Moscow, the Golden Ring, St Petersburg, the Residences, and finally Estonia
Departure at 8.30, I get back in line as second, nobody respected the rotation, Ugo after me got randomly onto various campers which then resumed their own numerical position without going through the queue, there were complaints from those who are always in the queue having to chase after the front-runners and those at the front who want to give up their position, then there are those without a CB who can't lead the convoy, who are the most favoured, Ugo does nothing to avoid this chaos and I go back to my place. Leaving Moscow we did some pointless loops, Ugo probably took the wrong road, he says he's done this route more than 20 times, I have my doubts. Lunch stop at Vladimir, parking the campers was problematic in a side street by a church, very steep, the city couldn't be visited given only a 1.30 h.
break, in this case we could have stopped at a service station without venturing into a city. Arrival in Suzdal at 16, half an hour break and then a visit to the city: very beautiful and interesting, at 17 dinner at the Trapezna restaurant, a characteristic place, food in few courses but good, the beer wasn't enough to satisfy the orders, it had run out and the waiters were very rude, they certainly didn't go to hotel school.
Smiling children in summer clothes in Suzdal, among greenery and shade
Departure at 8.30 Terrible road Stop at Kostroma in a parking lot in front of a government building Visit to the market opposite, similar to the one in Turkmenistan, where we found fruit and vegetables. After lunch while we were taking a nap we were woken by a policeman who, in a brusque manner, sent us away because we were in a place where parking was only allowed for government vehicles, Ugo wasn't there, so we moved beyond the square to a place where parking was prohibited, others who were still at the market when they came back had a moment of panic, finding themselves alone and abandoned, immediately alerted they joined us, finally Ugo arrives and we set off again.
On the way out of the city after the bridge over the river we stop to refuel, there are only four of us, Ugo is sure that the others stopped on the bridge to take photos and isn't worried about their absence, since they don't arrive he phones Alessia who was in the last camper: at a traffic light they went straight instead of turning right due to the lack of instructions he should have given from the lead camper, in the meantime they had asked a motorist for directions who had accompanied them back onto the right road, on reuniting there were grumbles and various complaints from all the participants about Ugo's poor or non-existent organisation.
We reach Yaroslavl along a long avenue, the lead camper suddenly turns right into a gateway, we enter an asphalted courtyard between two buildings used, one for government offices and the other for a Mitsubishi dealership, we are hooked up to electricity and water supply, shame that the water is yellow, the grey and clear water discharge is next to camper no. 2 to his great delight!!!!……..
Wooden market stalls in Kostroma, vendor among jars and bottles
At 9 departure to visit the city, Ugo arrives at 9.15, he announces that at noon we'll have to eat at a restaurant because the boat trip is booked for 13.30, complaints from quite a few participants who don't want to have lunch out and want to go back, it's decided that after the visits we'll take taxis (at our own expense for getting there and back to the boat) Program - - the Kremlin where from its tall bell tower there is an exceptional panoramic view. - The Cathedral of St.
Elijah At this point we should take taxis to get back to the campers: there are no taxis, on foot and running with my sore foot we go back, we eat in a hurry and wait for Alessia who should arrive with the taxis, which can't be found, we take the trolleybus, an experience to be had: dilapidated vehicles that you can't understand how they can still run, a gruff ticket lady with red, straight hair issues our tickets, an elderly white-haired driver takes us near the boat landing, where we arrive at the last minute, I can't run and a policeman urges me on, finally we get on the boat which probably departs off schedule, the river is beautiful but very dirty and a brownish colour, the banks alternate between scrubland and little beaches, where many people swim, at the terminus we head back, an insignificant trip, nothing to see, can be skipped.
The whole group goes back by trolleybus, the Russians very serious and sad look at us in wonder at our exuberance and cheerfulness. Ugo suggests dinner for the evening at a characteristic restaurant (12 € per person), seven crews accept the invitation, we among them, it's a lovely setting wallpapered with posters praising the old regime, a fish-based dinner, very good and well prepared, we get acquainted, through Ugo who acts as interpreter, with two women managers, one Ukrainian and the other Kazakh, who are meeting to close a deal, the Ukrainian, Irina, has already drunk 6 Martinis and is tipsy, she likes one of us and has no qualms about confessing it to Ugo, who plays along and invites him to the two women's table, after an exchange of more or less heavy compliments, Irina offers us Russian champagne, some vodka and a revolting concoction that we didn't like, Tina managed to exchange
a few words in English until the promise of a future meeting in Italy. Back at the parking lot, having said goodbye to our friends we went straight to bed for the night, shortly after there's a knock and we're told that Irina has arrived and wants to see us, to our great amazement she has come to bring us a gift, an ashtray and an egg in hard stone with a note written in Russian, moved we thank her and join the others to celebrate her with wine and other liqueurs, to the friend who wanted to win her over she brought some decorated plates and for everyone a ricotta cake.
Departure at 8.30, after 74 km. Rostov a lovely little town, a quick visit and off again to Santi Porece and Rybnoe, visit to an ancient kremlin, now in ruins, but very beautiful and imposing, second only to the one in Moscow. Arrival in Pereslavl, crammed into the courtyard of a hotel, the ugliest parking arrangement we've had so far, visit to the city on a bus about 40 years old, with some standing places. Program: - Goritski Monastery with icon museum, beautiful and interesting - Cathedral of the Transfiguration, I didn't see it, I'm starting to get tired of churches and the like - Nikolski Monastery, same as above
White churches with green onion domes at Rostov Kremlin
Day 515 Jul 2006
246/3725 - Sergei Posad - Klin - Campeggio - pioggia
Early in the morning, as Ugo had told us, hot-air balloons took off from the nearby lake, very beautiful and colourful. At 8.30 everyone ready to leave, Ugo tells us through Ana that departure has been postponed to 9.00, everyone had already disconnected the electric cables and some had already started their engines, this lack of respect towards us gets tempers frayed, words and insults fly, he gives no explanation and stays silent, off we go, 67 km later we arrive at Sergei Posad, seat of the Russian Vatican, imposing and very beautiful, to take photos you have to pay 100 rubles which also includes a CD of sacred music. We have lunch in the parking lot and set off again at 15 for Klin, an intermediate stop for St.
Petersburg, the road is fairly good, we arrive and stop at a campsite, if you can call it that, among very tall pines, many park on the grass, but, towards evening it starts to rain and quite a few, to avoid getting stuck, move off the grassy surface onto the asphalt.
Pereslavl-Zalessky, Transfiguration Cathedral, green and blue domes under grey clouds
Day 616 Jul 2006
Departure at 7.30, today we have to cover many km and refuel with diesel, it's a transfer day, the M10 Moscow-St. Petersburg motorway immediately turns out to be very bad and uneven, the good stretches are very few, it's Sunday, but, heavy vehicles are on the road anyway, here there's no traffic restriction, moreover the truck drivers are very undisciplined and arrogant, the police are vigilant and quick to fine those exceeding the limits of 60 kph in built-up areas and 90 on the motorway, no. 10 was stopped twice and the second time paid the fine for speeding, 100 rubles backhander, after the lunch stop we meet another group of campers from Venice whom we'll later find again at the same parking lot in the evening.
Today Ugo was strangely very good: this morning he showed up early for departure, at the diesel refuelling he made sure to get us bread, at lunch he had us stop not on the road, but, in a small village on the shore of a lake and invited us all to the Rimini fair with a fish-based dinner, yesterday's dressing-down served him well, in previous days too he proved to be a very intelligent and well-prepared young man, but, he must have absorbed the Russian mentality too much: couldn't-care-less attitude and lack of responsibility and in particular not being a camper himself he still hasn't understood what our needs are and how we travel. Now we're at a hotel parking lot, with electric hook-up and the possibility of water and discharge, unfortunately with the arrival of the other group we're a bit cramped.
Finally we managed to phone, in Italy, our neighbour who keeps an eye on our house, the garden and the vegetable patch: unfortunately he tells us that the irrigation system isn't working properly, it doesn't water at the set times but continues all day so he's forced to turn off the supply in the morning and turn it back on in the evening, extra work I wouldn't have wanted him to take on.
St Sergius Monastery in Sergiev Posad: blue starry domes and golden cupola
Day 717 Jul 2006
195/4337 - Sanpietroburgo - P. sanpietroburgo.it - pioggia/freddo
At 9.30 departure by bus Program: - Museum of wooden buildings: very beautiful and interesting, old wooden houses moved and rebuilt as in a village, as we set off Alessia counts us: we're all there, off we go, after a while the phone of no. 11 rings, no. 10 had been left behind, the bus turns around and picks up two people. - Visit to the Kremlin with the Cathedral of St. Sophia - Lunch in one of the towers converted into a characteristic and very beautiful restaurant, unfortunately the food wasn't up to scratch: water in opened bottles, the first course passable, the second a mix of meat stewed to death, a sign that it was made up of leftovers from the previous day. On returning to the parking lot after a short rest, departure at 15.00 for St.
Petersburg, again the M10 motorway, at times good but most of it in disrepair, diesel refuelling at Ukoil at a service station closed for maintenance, I was down to the reserve, no. 6 offers me a 5-litre can of diesel, Ugo has us continue the journey until the entrance to the city where we can finally refuel, entry into the city very chaotic also because of the G8 summit, already over but with the delegations leaving. We reach the agency's parking lot, a nice shaded spot but not very clean, water supply with a long hose but with my connector, electric hook-up and possibility of discharge, clear water onto the grass and grey water into a manhole. The agency offers us vodka and canapés with red caviar as a welcome, Ugo briefs us on the programme for the following days. At 11.30, it's still light, everyone off to bed.
CONTINUES on ST. PETERSBURG
Diners eating in an old brick restaurant hall with wrought-iron chandeliers
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