Trans-Siberian Railway

This morning we set off on foot to visit the Railway Station. It is just a few streets north of the apartment where Les and Debbie live. On the way we had to go by several parks and let Misha and Sydney play on the swings and other attractions. I can't help but think that Novosibirsk in much like Bogota. The buildings are constructed in brick or concrete and they tend to be dull in their colours. There is evidence of progress with construction all over the city. The streets are all lined with beautiful trees. The sidewalks are rough and uneven.

The Railway Station stands behind a big open square. It is painted green and white. This is the biggest station on the Trans-Siberian railway. It goes all the way from Valdivostock to Moscow and on into Western Europe. The inside of the railway Station is even more spectacular with big open cavernous waiting rooms of stations that were built in the Victorian era.

The city of Novisibirsk was founded well over 100 years ago at the point where the Trans-Siberian railway crossed the Obb River. It is an important transport link between the east and the west. Novosibirsk means "New Siberia". It is a city of about one and a half million. The image of the shortages of commodities after the fall of the Iron Curtain is shattered by going into a Supermarket. Everything is available from other parts of the world as well as all the basic products of Russia.

We're not used to all this walking. After lunch we came home to rest before the next outing - walking once again! That brings back memories of life in Colombia. As a consequence of all the walking you don't see overweight people here.