SIBERIA

St.Petersburg

St.Petersburg

Its one year ago that I started with these Blog and it need it all this time till it made since to wrote again.

First Post described a inner struggle which brings me in different way forward, forward into the east…

And now in September 2014 after living in Poland and Estonia I’m in Siberia.

How more far East can you go?

Between these Post is one year of study Master in Chemnitz. It was a interesting year. In the beginning I had nothing, was unsure about my future, so I was hiking the summer and thought about steps in the past and future steps .

Then Chemnitz: Studies were really amazing for me, I had a lot of interesting Lectures and met interesting people. I lived first in a Hostel, which was still in a socialistic 1975 style. I dont know why, but when I look back I really liked to live their, it was living like in a Museum :-)

I was focused on studies and traveling in Saxonia and happy with that. The 2nd Semester changed a lot, I changed in the Student-Dormitory, get Part of the Buddy-Program for ERASMUS Students and cared about two estonian Girls. One of these Girls became soon my Girlfriend and so the focus in Life changed in these Semester a lot.

So these time was the first time that I was going abroad, but I had a unclear feeling about and not the need to change something in Life. And thanks to Ukraine-crise I had absolute fears to go in a authorian State which have a  (how to call it???) offensive Minority Protection, which we used in Germany in the 30s too ;). We know where it can end.

St.Petersburg and me

typical Tomsk

So but now about my Stay… Yes anyway I was going and I was starting pretty interesting going by Bus to Saint Petersburg, stay there with my Girlfriend two day and then flying to Novosibirsk and then with Bus to Tomsk, my Place of Study for the next Months. It was very impressive, Saint Petersburg is still baltic  and fits in a collection of Capitals like Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, its european and its very touristic too. I had a first impression of uniforms everywhere and state which is still so big like to socialistic times. For example sits a woman on the endless long electric Stairs in Metro the whole day in a little box and watch, everywhere is security and in Petersburg I have seen a lot of soldiers, but it seems more their were their for fun or representative duties. Nevertheless Petersburg is really beautiful, with many Rivers and beautiful Architecture and its very heterogene too. I was with Maria in a orthodox church, but also in german protestant, roman-catholic, roman-orthodox and even a Synagogue and a estonian Church we found. Specially Synagogue was very bright and beautiful. But of course it was then also a time of Goodbye and a start in new.

So I stepped into a plane at 9 in the evening and after 3 hours time change and 4 hours fly I’m in Siberia. Novosibirsk was a clear contrast of what I have seen in Petersburg. I stepped out and it was noisy and dirty, I had 30 Kilos on my back but I havent find any

Marshrutka to Tomsk

one of few highlights in Novosibirsk

Locker. Soon I find the Busstop but it was just the Stop for city buses. So I went back to the centre and sit in cafe searched for the right place to go in internet again. The City seemed to be 95 % in socialistic style+ a crazy traffic, with a lot of trucks and old ladas. In these moment I expected the worst for my stay. i saw that it dont made sence to wait and running arround, so I were just going to the Busstop and was surrender to the next marshrutka, so a small bus with mysterous persons inside. I was quite unsure if I will ever reach Tomsk, because I was waiting one Hour before the Bus was full and it was starting...5 Hours jumping on siberian Streets I was in Tomsk(its no fun if you have to go to Toilet!! :-P). It was unbelievable contrast between the Town and the Nature….Birches everywhere and lakes, Beauty everywhere, just few Villages with wooden style houses, but behind these big black socialistic hole. Tomsk in the End was a positive surprise. Its a nice combination of a big wild river in the middle, a lot of trees and the Buildings are mixed, but they have a lot of wooden houses in different  styles. The size is not to big , not to small how I like it before also in Bremen, Tallinn,Wroclaw, Chemnitz, all quite same size…
About Tomsk more in the next Posts.

Link wiki Synagogue Petersburg