Boarding the Trans Siberian

I love this shot of a Russian family on the railway platform. It shows how elegant they are despite the bitter conditions and often drab environment.

I won't write much tonight. We are in Irkutsk and pleased to find the bathrooms have been updated since our last visit. Our room overlooks the park with beautiful illuminated ice sculptures. Unfortunately at the moment it also seems to be a night out for the local hoons drag racing around the park. Quite entertaining to watch from our window - one is sliding all over the icy road.....

Tomorrow we are going to Olkhon Island in Lake Baikal, a couple of hundred km drive north. The last 8 km we drive across the frozen lake to the island. We are there for 2 nights in "best available accommodation which means no running water but very nice people". I gather that also means no Internet, so will be back blipping on our return.