2006 Eastern tour, going to Russia. 3rd step: Russian Federation - The Golden Ring

Russia ... ... ... a country that has always fascinated us, but we could not and we did not want to go alone this nation, this is unfortunately not yet ready for travel "do tea", there is no stopping areas equipped for camper and even camping, there is still too much bureaucracy on the borders, you lose hours and hours, the signs are in Cyrillic few times we have seen written in English, the police can stop you for nothing and if you do not pay the bribe, sometimes you just need a bottle of wine, it makes you very afflicted with considerable loss of time, very few people speak English, to them, for now, tourism is not interested.
For this trip was already enrolled four years ago at CC La Granda, who was one of the first clubs to campers to organize trips for this destination, unfortunately I found at that my passport had expired and I did not have the time to renew it.
This year after many postponements, we decided: we turned to the agency with which we were in Libya, the Girocamper, spending was fairly high share of € 3460, departure and arrival Tarvisio, duration 30 days.
After sending the reservation and the balance in June, 15 days before departure the agency warns us that not having reached the minimum number of participants, the tour will not be, but hijacking in the corresponding Russian (sanpietroburgo.it) that gathered all the various pieces of other clubs or agencies can complete the required number to make the trip.
Tarvisio Instead, the departure will be at the border Terespol Polish / Byelorussian and will end at the border Narva Russian / Estonian, only in this part we followed and assisted by guides: one Italian and one Russian speaking Belarusian, Russian and Italian speaking, all the price of € 1750, almost half have been accepted, the route before and after the Russia we will do it by yourself by visiting the same sites mentioned in the program Girocamper.

This trip I have broken down by nations, Slovakia, Poland and the outward Czestochowa return to Belarus, Russia divided in Moscow, the Golden Ring, Sanpietroburgo, Residences and finally Estonia

 

222/3037 - Suzdal - guarded parking - sun / heat

Departure 8:30 am, I call as the second in a row, none complied with the rotation, Ugo after me has risen to the case on several campers who have taken up their position without passing numbers tail, there have been complaints of those who always queued needs to catch up the first lie ahead and those who try to leave that position, then there are those without a CB who can not take the leadership, who are the favorites, Ugo does nothing to avoid this chaos and I return to my place.
Leaving Moscow we made turns vicious, Ugo probably in the wrong way, says he did this tour more than 20 times, I have my doubts.
Lunch stop at Vladimir, the accommodation problem of camper in a side street to a church, very steep, the city has not been able to visit with only 1:30 h. intervals, in this case you could not stop un'autogrill to submit to a city.
Arrival to Suzdal to 16, half hour break and then visit the city: very beautiful and interesting, with 17 dinner at the restaurant Trapezna, local characteristic, food brought in a few but good, the beer is not enough to satisfy the orders, was exhausted and the waiters very rude, not sure whether the hotel school.

278/3315 - Yaroslavi - Parking Mitsubishi courtyard - beautiful / sun

Departure at 8.30
Road bruttissima
Stop in Kostroma in a parking lot in front of a government building
Visiting the market front, similar to that in Turkmenistan, where we found fruit and vegetables.
After lunch, while it was a nap, we were awakened by a policeman in a sudden sent us away because we were in a place where the parking was permitted only to government media, Ugo was not present, then we moved over to the square in a the place where there was no parking, others that were still in the market when I returned had a moment of panic, being alone and abandoned, we have been warned achieved, Ugo finally arrives and leaves again.
At the city after the bridge over the river you stop to refuel, we are only four, Ugo is confident that the others were stopped on the bridge to take photos and do not care about their absence, since it does not come to call Alessia who was the last camper, for a traffic light went right instead of right turn for lack of orders that he had to give the campers head, in the meantime they had requested information about a car that had accompanied them on the right path, the mugugni reunification and various representations of all the participants for little or no organization of Ugo.
Yaroslavi arrive on a long avenue of the campers head suddenly turning right into a door, we enter into a courtyard between two asphalted road blocks used, one to the other government offices to a dealer Mitsubishi, we are connected to the current and water supply, pity that the water is yellow, the discharge is clear and gray next to the camper No. 2 with his supreme pleasure! ... ... ..

0 / 3315 - Yaroslavi - Parking Mitsubishi - beautiful / sunny / hot

9am departure sightseeing, Ugo arrives at 9.15, we announced that at noon you will eat at a restaurant because the cruise is booked for 13.30, representations of several participants who do not want to dine out and want to return, you decide that after the visits will take the taxi (at our expense for the return and the return to embark)
Program --
- The Kremlin, where its tall bell tower is an exceptional panoramic view.
- The Cathedral of S. Elijah
At this point you should take the taxi to return to the camper: taxis there are, walking and running with the foot is sore back, eat and travel is expected Alessia which should arrive by taxi, which is not found, take the trolley bus, an experience to try: ruined vehicles that do not understand how they travel, a surly red-haired conductor, straight and makes us the tickets, un'attempata white-haired driver takes us near dell'imbarcadero, where we arrive at the last minute, I can not run a police officer and I am back, finally going up on the boat that leaves probably not in time, the river is very beautiful but is a dirty brown color, the coast alternated by scrub or beaches , where many people do the bathroom, you are returned to the terminal, walk insignificant, nothing to see, you can avoid.
The whole group is part of trolleybuses, the Russians are serious and very sad we look with wonder at our exuberance and joy.
Ugo proposed for the evening dinner at a typical restaurant (€ 12 each), seven crews accepted the invitation, including us, is a beautiful paved inneggianti posters from the old regime, a dinner of fish, very good and well prepared, you know, via Ugo that acts as interpreter, with two women managers kasaka one Ukrainian and one should be found to conclude un'affare, the Ukraine, Irina, has already drunk 6 Martini and it is on speed , like the one of us and has no restraint in Ugo to confess, which lends itself to the game and invited him to the table of two women, after an exchange of compliments, more or less heavy, Irina offers Russian champagne, and the vokda a beverone disgusting to us is not like, Tina English has managed to exchange a few words up to the promise of a 'meet Italy in the future. Returning to the parking lot, greeted the friends we soon went to bed for the night, shortly after knocking us and tell us that Irina is here, and wants to see us, to our amazement, came to bring us a gift, an ashtray and a hard stone egg with a ticket written in Russian, thank you and moved us to join others to make them party with wine and other spirits, the friend who wanted to win has brought dishes with decorations and a cake for all of the ricotta.

164/3479 - Pereslavi - hotel parking - beautiful / sun

Departure at 8.30, after 74 km. Rostov beautiful town, fast access and to restart Saints Porec and Rybnoe, visit to an ancient Kremlin, now in ruins, but very beautiful and impressive it is second only to Moscow.
Arriving in Pereslavi, assiepati in the courtyard of un'albergo, the most so far have bad accommodation, city tour with a bus of about 40 years, with some standing places.
Program:
- Monastery Museum Goritski with icons, beautiful and interesting
- Cathedral of transfigurazione not I saw, I begin to be tired of churches and the like
- Monastery Nikolski, same as above

246/3725 - Sergei Posad - Klin - Campsite - rain

In the early morning, as we pointed out Ugo, were lifted in the air from the nearby Lake areostati balloons, very beautiful and colorful.
8:30 am all ready to go, Ugo Ana communicates through the test was postponed to 9.00, all had already disconnected the electrical cables and someone was already in motion, this lack of respect towards us is nervous souls, words and insults out there, he will not be silent, and no explanation, it is part, 67 km after you arrive at Sergei Posad Russian headquarters of the Vatican, impressive and very beautiful, to photograph must pay 100 rubles, which also includes a CD of sacred music.
Lunch in the parking lot and again to 15 per Klin, an intermediate step for St. Petersburg, road good enough, you arrive and we will stop at camp, if I may call, in the midst of tall pines, many park in the grass, but the evening starts to rain and a lot to avoid getting bogged are removed from the turf and bring sull'asfalto.

Departure at 7.30, now we have to do many km and supply of diesel, is a day of transfer, the M10 motorway Moscow-Sanpietroburgo is now very bad and bumpy, beautiful pieces are very few, is Sunday, but heavy vehicles travel, however, here there is no restriction of trade, moreover, the truck drivers are very undisciplined and overbearing, the police are vigilant and ready to fine those who exceed the limits of 60 hours in towns and 90 on the n ° 10 was stopped twice and the latter has paid the fine for speeding, 100 rubles short-hand, after the lunch break crossed another group of campers in Venice and then back to the same parking lot in the evening.
Today strangely Ugo was very good this morning it was submitted in advance at the start, the supply of diesel was keen to give us bread, for lunch we did not stop on the road, but in a small village on the banks of a lake and invited us all to Rimini with dinner based on fish, strigliata yesterday to serve, even in recent days was a very intelligent boy and prepared, but must be treated too Russian mentality: menefreghismo and lack of accountability and especially not a camper does not have understood what our needs and our way of traveling.
We are now parking un'albergo, with electricity and the possibility of water discharge and, unfortunately, with the arrival of the group we are a little 'tight.
Finally we managed to call, in Italy, our neighbor who takes a look at our home, garden and all'orto: sadly informed us that the irrigation system is not working properly, do not bathe at specified but all day so it is forced to interrupt the delivery in the morning and restore it in the evening, a job more than I would have wanted you to do.

195/4337 - Sanpietroburgo - P. sanpietroburgo.it - rain / cold

9.30 Departure by bus
Program:
- Museum of timber construction: very beautiful and interesting, old wooden houses reconstructed and transferred as in a village, the departure has Alessia us: we all start, after a while 'the phone rings at n ° 11, 10 remained on the ground, reversing the bus and recovery of two people.
- Visit to the Kremlin with the Cathedral of Santa Sofia
- Lunch in one of the towers turned into a charming and very nice restaurant, unfortunately the food was not up to the water in open bottles, the first passably, the second a mixture of meat stew stracotto, a sign that was made up scrap the previous day.
After returning to the parking lot after a brief rest restart at 15.00 at a time of Sanpietroburgo, again the M10 motorway, sometimes beautiful but most shattered, Ukoil to supply diesel at a petrol station closed for maintenance, I was at the limit of reserve, the No. 6 gives me a tank of 5 lt. diesel, Ugo fà continue the journey until the city finally can refuel, entering the city also very chaotic because of the G8 summit, but already finished with the delegations from the start.
We reach the parking lot of a nice shady place but little clean water supply with a long tube, but with my attack, connect the power and possibilities of discharge, the water clear and gray lawn in a manhole.
The agency offers vokda and canapés with red caviar as welcome, Ugo us information on the following day.
11.30, is still unclear, all to bed.

CONTINUE on SANPIETROBURGO