SIBERIA-RUSSIA, JUNE 2002 - Four days non-stop on a train, from the far east in Siberia , near the Mongolian border, to the the high north of St-Petersburg. It is truly the experience of a lifetime. A fellow traveller on the train told me “you cannot photograph or film it, you cannot write about it, … and at home, the stories you tell about it , people just don’t believe you… you have to experience it yourself !”. And I can only agree with that.
The following are some snapshots and some notes… to give you a glimpse of the real thing.
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| Angarsk, one of the many stations. I had the intent to photograph them all, but there were just too many… and I have read back home that you are not supposed to photograph stations or bridges… |
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| One of the biggest stations in Siberia, Krasnoyarsk. This is a city of almost 1 million inhabitants. The train stops 20 minutes and you can stroll to the other platforms via a foot bridge. |
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| The capital of Siberia, Novosibirsk, is where you can find this monumental station. Also know for Akademgorodok, the scientists’ city. |
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| Tsjumen, this used to be one of the big gateway places for convicts in Tsarist times. During WW II , Lenin’s corps was moved to this place. Now it is big for its oil pipelines. |
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| Industry, many factories have been relocated to these places during WW II. Many of them were not on any map until recently. Now many are being dismantled. |
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| The huge Ob river bridge. Other important rivers and their bridges are the Yenisei and the Volga. |
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| Landscapes vary from dense pine forest… |
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| … to more open landscapes with birch trees and meadows with wild flowers. |