Russia!!

Planned an earlyish start, 0630 all ready to go and couldn't get out of the apartamentai!!  The girl on nights has her own wee room to crash out in and doesn't start until 0700.  If I'd known where to find her I'd have been knocking at her door!  However, it was around 0720 when I got to the border and discovered that Russia, well this bit anyway, is only an hour ahead of the UK so it was really 0620.

Sounds like a battle royal going on in the park, I hadn't realised that 9th May is Victory Day in Russia, I'd wondered why everyone was wearing a black and orange ribbon and lots of flags were on display.  That's the fireworks over and the local dogs are settling down again.

I had a fair push to do today, right through to Kaliningrad City!  My kilometre counter clocked up 118.8. 

For the first fifty or so kilometres into Russia it was a fairly quiet road with trees on each side!  Occasionally there were glimpses of dunes through the trees but I kept my head down and pressed on.  A change of scenery when I got to Zelenogradsk; I seemed to be making good time and the traffic was not too bad so rather than faf about trying to sort out a train as the guide book suggests I pressed on. 

A main road presented its self and seemed to be going in the right direction.  A main road I figured had to be going to the big city.  A very good cycle trail took me a good way along my route but stopped at a bus stop at the edge of a village.  Oh well, back to the edge of the road, then I realised that the bit I was riding on was about the width of a motorway hard shoulder!  Also the permitted speed limit had gone up to 110 kph. 

I hadn't spotted any 'No Bike' signs and drivers didn't seem too bothered so it was press on and hope for the best.  About twenty kilometres was enough of dodging broken glass and hoping no one needed the hard shoulder as much as I did.  A junction was coming up along with a sort of monolith and what I'd recognised as the Cyrillic script for Kaliningrad; right, a photo stop and jacket off.

While I was sorting myself out another rider turned up, a local guy who had stopped to wait for his pal.  It was another one of those - he was speaking Russian with the occasional word of English and I was speaking English and doing a lot of guessing.  I had a small and indistinct bit of Google Map with my hotel location and the address written down.  The map was turned around several times, there was some furrowed brow and Aah's and even a yes before his mate turned up, a brief conversation in Russian and out came the smart phone, compare it with the map and we were away.  You follow; so I followed.  Sure enough we came right to the door.

Not only was I led to the door but presented with a military sports badge and Victory Ribbon!

I figured the least I could do was get the beers in!

There was a vague arrangement to meet up later but my fault, navigation and tired, I arrived late; but here are a couple of sights on the way

The Kaliningrad Eye

The Wrangel Tower with the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ The Saviour peeking over the trees.

The Wrangel Tower

Cathedral, front and side..

Back to the hotel for food and bed

I had absolutely no idea what I was ordering!  My starter was rosti with a creamy mushroom sauce.

The main was beautifully tender pork in a garlic sauce.

Pud was a torte of some description and very nice it was too.

Now to sleep it off!!