Russia 2008 (part 2)

A not quite everyday's journey: to Russia by motorcycle in July 2008

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The outskirts of Smolensk are reached (where Anja knows some folks which then showed us the city).

The cathedral of Smolensk.

A car with labels from many countries.

In the park opposite of ...

... and inside in the concert hall.

The origin of these locks at the bridge balustrade ...

... clarifies itself ...

... few moments later.

The avenue of the Russian hero cities at the Smolensk town wall.

Polish war cemetery ...

... at the memorial site Katyn.

Not far away (but a bit off the main street) the German war cemetery is located.

On the road with our (mainly Anja's) local friends.

The skyline of Smolensk.

The streetcar ...

... on freshly(?) reconstructed tracks.

The complex "Ciao Italia" accommodates not only an Italian restaurant ...

... but as well a German beer cellar (and in addition an exclusive nightclub).

A look onto a cyrillic-and-latin computer keyboard.

Leaving Smolensk, the itinerary continues towards Moscow - here at a rather well-equipped intersection: neither the central guard rail nor the separate left-turn lane are habitual everywhere (often one finds merely a short interruption of the center line also on undivided four-lane highways).

This double X rider (left) from Moscow went in opposite direction and returned a kilometer especially to say us Hello. Furthermore in this picture there is the F800 rider from Smolensk who had accompanied us up to this rest house.

Entering Moscow, the first attempt to ask at a gas station for a detailed town map resp. hotel was not really successful - but during that already two local motorcyclists had discovered us: "Of course, we have a recommendation for you - but before we go there, we first take you to the motorcycle meeting place."

This Muscovite motorcycle meeting place is located above the Moskwa river bank in proximity of the Lomonossow university.

Moscow at night.

The license plates are frequently designed in, erm, creative shape, among which a valid foreign plate does not really stand out.

Hotels with less than five stars are rare in Moscow.

On the Kutusow avenue ...

... and in the Moscow city centre with the Kremlin.

Oh, what had I had been declared (both from my fellow riders and before departure from unconcerned) as mad and lifeweary that I intended to ride not only into, but even "deliberately" within the Moscow traffic. But hey, it is dry and not excessively hot - if I'm now exceptionally here by motorcycle (and have enjoyed a "typical" guided tourist program already at an earlier opportunity), then I won't simply sit into the Metro, but divert myself with investigations of the Moscow road system (particularly after in spring I already had taken some "training" in Paris). Here we are on the Garden Ring, an inner-city ring road.

Naturally in a multi-million city the traffic is dense (and sometimes a bit hectic resp. somewhat difficult), and the signs are written mostly in cyrillic only (beyond the cyrillic writing as such it is an advantage to know the terms for leftbound and rightbound, inbound and outbound, and the compass directions). And about reckless driving: well, that exists, but as a whole the behavior is amazingly disciplined. Especially by motorcycle one can take the liberty in practice the one or other riding maneuver (not only tolerated, but sometimes even actively supported by the four-wheelers) that's normally known from France only. Here now we approach the so-called third ring, which in length and location and finish is almost identical to the Périphérique in Paris.

Let's suppose that someone drives to Munich without plan (and possibly without real German language knowledge). When this Someone reaches the Donnersberger bridge and the signs don't show much more than Center, Mittlerer Ring north and Mittlerer Ring south - then this Someone starts to disorientate as well (and writes into its travel guidebook that driving in Munich is heavily recommended to be avoided).

Here we are now directly at the third ring.

Enough talked, next is the motorway ring road -

that one with the designation MKAD, at 130 km extent and with continuous five lanes (but also here merging lanes hardly exist, so that at interchanges it's effectively one lane less).