Lake Baikal

June 23, Sunday. We spent today at Lake Baikal, the largest fresh water reservoir in the world. In the morning we enjoyed a stop at a place where we could simply stroll through the countryside and/or swim in the frigid lake (Five passengers actually did that!)  

Here is our train parked at Lake Baikal, along with Judy and Bob, two of the five brave souls who went swimming in the very chilly lake.  They swore it wasn't bad, but they were glad to wrap up and accept a glass of champagne as soon as they got out. Legend has it that swimming in the lake will add at least ten years to your life.

A view of the lake from under the train

This old steam engine was parked on a siding nearby.  Click to enlarge if you want to see John smiling.

The steam engine.  We are supposed to be pulled into the Moscow station by one of these on the last day of our trip.

The train in its bridge taken from the pedestrian bridge

I took a zillion pictures of the local wildflowers as well as shots of the lovely local scenery. What a treat!  

This field of flowers is typical of many we have seen from the train as we travel through Siberia

Walking across the bridge, we saw a small village.  We think these are dachas, the small summer homes Russians go to on weekends to tend their gardens.  The Soviet state gave small plots of land to anyone who would agree to plant vegetables on them.  For many years, the dachas were a favorite part of Russian life.  One of our guides told us they are less popular now that food shortages are uncommon

We walked down a set of stairs to reach this beautiful meadow with a path
that lead through the flowers into the taiga forest beyond.

Another view of the village

Lake Baikal is full of fish, so a boat is probably an important piece of equipment here

Under the bridge...

...along the path...

...through the meadow...

...looking through the fence...

...into the woods.

So pretty!

John is walking back along the path toward the train
because I'm spending too much time taking pictures of flowers.

Last view of the train

Here is a slideshow made from some of my flower pictures. I have no idea why it is going so fast.  It is almost TOO slow on my computer.  At least you won't have to waste much time on it this way.  LOL.

We were given a special treat for the train buffs as we left our stop on the shores of Lake Baikal.  We were allowed to ride on the narrow platform that runs around the outside of the diesel engine.  I think John was the first person to sign up!  In the end, there were three groups of riders with about 20 people per group--the vast majority of the passengers on board.

Here is John 

And here is me with two new friends from the train  

We are about to enter a tunnel 

On the other side, Lake Baikal reappears

The train and the lake from the engine

Yes, there are always wildflowers

Dachas on the lakeshore.  The nearest little building is the outhouse.

Dachas are usually small and primitive

This one is quite large and nicely finished compared to most

When things break, there isn't a good way to dispose of them, so they become yard ornaments

We ate lunch on the train and then boarded a boat that took us across the lake to Port Baikal where our busses were waiting. We visited the Open Air Wooden Architectural Museum where many authentic old Russian wooden structures have been reassembled, including a fort, a church, several Siberian farmers homes, a church school, and many smaller structures we didn't have time to see.  

Another boat on Lake Baikal

Farm buildings at the Wooden Architectural Museum

Corners.  For many centuries, all structures in Siberia were made of wood because it was readily available

The home of a well-to-do early 20th century farmer

This plastered stove was an indication that he was wealthy

Some of the small buildings in the complex

The fortress

They do wonderful things with shingles in Russia

A watchtower

At this time of year, nearly everyone decorates their doors and windows
with sprigs cut from birch trees to celebrate the coming of summer

Hmmm.  What is this in the wall of the fortress?

AhHah!  Be careful.  Are you friend or foe?

A typical schoolhouse.  Not every child was able to go to school in the early days.

Behind the classroom are the rooms where the teacher lived.

Today's children riding in a farm carriage

We were entertained by a singer who played an instrument that looked a little bit like
an enlarged and very complicated guitar.  So many strings!

 We returned to Port Baikal where the boat was docked and then taken to an interesting museum and research center specializing in the marine life and geology of the lake.

This is the Baikal seal, a very rare freshwater seal that lives only in Lake Baikal.  I wish I had
been quick enough to get a picture of his adorable face!

This is the omul fish, also unique to Lake Baikal.  It is caught, smoked, and eaten by everyone here. 

 Back to the boat, onto the train, and on to a very nice outdoor pavilion where our train staff served us another Russian family style meal in the great outdoors. The highlight was the local omul fish that was smoked to perfection. John and I both cheated on our vegan diets enough to try a couple of bites of fish (yum!) and also a bite of barbecued pork, equally delicious!  But a bite or two of each was plenty.

You don't see much graffiti in Siberia. I don't know if this counts, but  it was
spray-painted on rocks alongside the track.  I think it is fabulous!

The cooks from the train grilling our dinner.  We don't usually get to see them.
It looks like the guy in the dark shirt is pouring water on the coals to make the fire more smoky.

They cooked pork and chicken this way

In another location, they smoked omul in this metal cooker.
It tasted fabulous!

When we arrived, the tables were set with colorful and delicious appetizers

We enjoyed our casual pavilion barbecue!

So many of today's activities would have been spoiled by rain, and the morning didn't seem promising at all.  We were so lucky to have had what turned into lovely weather today! This was a day of very special events, most in a tranquil setting.