MIR Corporation's Travel Log:
Trans-Siberian Railway trip aboard the Tsar's Gold
Private Train between Irkutsk and Moscow
In the fall of 2008, MIR Sales Specialist Charity Shaller took a ride on a portion of our Trans-Siberian Express Between Beijing & Moscow aboard the Tsar's Gold private train. Follow along as she describes her adventurous journey from Irkutsk, Siberia, to Moscow.
Day 4: Irkutsk, Listvyanka
September 30, 2008
Arrived in Irkutsk around 8 AM. My driver was waiting patiently with MIR sign. Irkutsk airport is under construction, so the baggage claim was a mess. I had to show my luggage ticket to claim my bag. All in all it took about an hour to claim my bag and make our way to the hotel, Baikal-Hotel (formerly known as Baikal Intourist Hotel).
My hotel room was on the 9th floor and I thought it was nicely furnished; it had amazing views of the Angara river. The décor was dated, the bathroom is in great need of a renovation, and there was no hot water on the morning that I arrived; despite all this I was very pleasantly surprised with the accommodations. The lobby and the restaurant hall were large and welcoming.
At about 10:30 AM I went down to the lobby to find that part of my group had arrived. The other part of the group started their morning with the city tour of the old town. I boarded a bus with other English-speaking travelers. We had a brief city tour by bus and then went to the Decembrist House Museum for a tour and concert. The group all seemed to enjoy the concert and of course the champagne!
Following the concert we had a 45-minute drive to Listvyanka to have lunch with local families. I was very excited about this part of the program! We were split up into three groups and invited into the flats of three women that hosted tourists for lunch, dinners or tea-time. The meal was excellent! It was a nice home cooked meal and the host was very eager to please the group. At the end of meal we had tea from the samovar. What a treat!
Following lunch we traveled to Listvyanka village and toured St. Nicholas Church, which I think is the most serene church I have ever seen. After visiting the village we went to explore the Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture. Half of the group didn't want to go on this excursion because they were tired and cold, so they decided to go back to the hotel. It started to snow on our way to the museum, which was very picturesque! It was very cold so we only toured the museum for about an hour. Then we drove back to the hotel. After settling in, we the got back on the bus to go to dinner. We were all very tired after dinner so we went to bed around 10:30 PM.
Photos from this leg of the tour:
Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture in Listvyanka
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Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture in Listvyanka
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Wooden architecture
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Vintage mailbox
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Helpful signage
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Siberian woods near Wooden Architecture Museum (beautiful birch trees)
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