One a Week Wednesdays: Country # 1

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 So! After talking to Matt, I have decided to reveal some details about our big trip one country at a time. Every Wednesday I will publish an entry with details and an itinerary for one country, in order of our trip. Because we are traveling to a LOT of different countries, this is going to take some time!

So up first, straight from Korea, is..... RUSSIA.

Yes, the "motherland". The largest country in the world. If you got any hints from my recent post about how we are taking "the long way home", maybe you came to this conclusion. We will be traveling across the ENTIRETY of Russia by TRAIN, on the famous Trans-Siberian railway. 

At the end of February, after packing up, shipping our valuables home and saying one last goodbye to Daejeon, we will head to Donghae, a port city on the eastern coast of Korea. From there we will board the Eastern Dream, a ferry/small cruise ship that will take us on a 24 hour journey to Vladivostok, Russia. After getting our bearings in Vladivostok (re: adjusting to the FREEZING temperatures of March in Siberia), we will board a train for a 3.5 day journey to Lake Baikal. Yes, you read correctly. Three and a half DAYS. While many people couldn't imagine spending this much time on a train (let alone an old, creaky, Russian train, where almost no one speaks English), we are beyond excited. What is more romantic than spending 4 days whisking through the thick Siberian snow-covered forests in March, while sipping tea and snuggling in the warmth of your sleeping bag? Nothing. Not in my book anyways :)

Once we reach Lake Baikal, we will get off the train and enjoy (re: freeze) a few days doing an assortment of things. Most likely this will include DOG SLEDDING, enjoying the Russian Banya (some of the hottest saunas in the world), and sharing vodka with strangers along the banks of the world's oldest and deepest fresh water lake. 

After that, we will board another train to continue our journey to Moscow. This will take another 3.5 days. As you can imagine, the break at the lake is necessary, unless being on a train for a week straight is something you fancy. 

Once we arrive in Moscow, we will do some sightseeing. The Red Square comes to mind. 

After Moscow, if we have time, we will head to St. Petersburg for more sightseeing. Most likely though, we will bid Russia farewell and head to our next destination. 

Traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway has been a goal of mine for quite some time. Matt got on board (haha...wow) with the idea right off the bat, and we've been planning for this part of the trip for awhile. For a lot of people, Russia might not be a place you'd put at the top of your list, but we couldn't say no. We're so close, and traveling one of the longest railways in the world was something we just couldn't pass up. People we have spoken to that have been to Russia have all said that they were pleasantly surprised with how much they enjoyed it. We hope to do the same!

Pull out a map and try to figure out where we're off to next...