Uzbekistan (the bumper issue!)

After a good sleep and a very long shower we were ready to tackle whatever awaited us in Tashkent but we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in a beautiful, green, clean and friendly city with nothing to do but enjoy the sunshine.

We met some lovely locals and had a beer with some other travellers who were doing almost the same thing as us in the opposite direction (moving from Australia to the UK and taking the scenic route to get there!).

Next we headed to Samarkand – another beautiful, clean and friendly city. We visited the Registan and some amazing old mausoleums with incredible blue tiling.

Then it was on to Bukhara, not quite as green but still very beautiful and interesting – although the Old Town square resembled a bomb site with all the restoration work going on.

We had a very relaxing time walking around the dusty lanes and the lush parks and looking at the many beautiful medressas (which all started to look the same!!).

The train ride to Uzbekistan

On our last evening in Moscow, we boarded a train for a three day journey through Russia and Kazakhstan and into Uzbekistan - the longest stretch of the whole trip home. We had the 4 berth cabin all to ourselves (yippee!...well, we just had to share with all the loot that was being smuggled across the border by the conductors!!), so we were able to fully relax and make ourselves at home.

There was still snow everywhere on the first day but the sun was out and the scenery was beautiful. The huge frozen lakes and rivers looked amazing.

We crossed the boarder into Kazakhstan early on the second day and then watched the snow and ice gradually get more and more patchy and try to find a way to escape the very flat landscape as it melted.

By the third day the snow was gone and it was actually feeling warm! Add in the huge open spaces and sparse vegetation and we were starting to feel much closer to home. Another boarder crossing into Uzbekistan in the evening and we finally arrived in Tashkent.

Russia

After a slightly scary border crossing (goodbye ease and convenience of the EU!), we made it safely to St Petersburg. Thanks to the very kind Nadya and her darling daughter Kate, we had a brief but comprehensive guided tour from the comfort of a car, to help us get our bearings.

Winter seems to be following us but even with the cold and snow we enjoyed taking in the scale and grandeur of the place and the sun did come out a couple of times.

Then it was on to Moscow, where it was still freezing but at least not snowing. We had a great time sliding along the icy promenade and walking around the Red Square and the Kremlin.

Latvia

At the last minute, we decided to take a slight detour and visit Jhenka's hometown of Daugavpils. We were the only people to get off the train there! Thanks to our trusty compass and google maps we were eventually able to naviguess our way to the hotel (which seemed to be on the wrong side of the tracks!) in the dark of night.

The next day after breakfast we headed into town, saw the sights and then enjoyed a feast at the surprisingly gourmet Tex Mex (in the middle of the local ten pin bowling alley), complete with complimentary crème brulee, courtesy of Tatiana and connections.

In the evening, we took in the cold, snowy Latvian countryside from the comfort of the train to Riga.

In Riga we spent our time strolling around the very beautiful old town and relaxing in the last nice hotel we are likely to stay in until Beijing (due to budgetary constraints).

On our last day before heading into Russia, we witnessed some very poor driving skills and discovered how street signs get bent (no prizes for guessing if it was a male or female driver!) - for those interested, there wasn't a scratch on the Lexus!

After the free entertainment, Simo sampled the best hot chocolate in the world – quite literally liquid chocolate! - and Deb, not wanting to miss out, added a teaspoonful into her cup of hot milk and thought hers was the best!!

We boarded the train at sunset and continued on our journey...

Lithuania

Our first day in Vilnius was grey and dark and the place seemed deserted (no one seems to rise before 11am!) but the sun and the people came out the next day and showed us how nice the place is. We walked around and took in some great views of the city from Geronimo's* tower. Then we had a very educational visit (and an insight to what we might expect in Russia!)...at the KGB Museum.

* May not be the correct spelling.

Poland

After an early wake up call (on the train) and an enchanting walk at dawn, we dumped our packs at the hotel in Krakow and headed out to Auschwitz for a sombre reminder of how good we've got it.

That evening and the next day we explored the very beautiful old town of Krakow. The market square and the castle were just gorgeous.

We then stopped in at Warsaw for dinner and a short walk, en route to the next country...

Hungary

The cold, grey, drizzly weather did it's best to spoil Budapest for us but it was still very grand and beautiful and a pleasure to explore - especially the enchanting underground Labyrinth of Buda Castle!

When it was time to move on we caught an overnight train through Slovakia and the Czech Republic and into Poland. Now that we're back in the Schengen Area, we thankfully got to sleep through it all!