Overland with Kids

(Photos not previously loaded for last 3 posts - have now been updated)

Anne says:

“Alright mush” (the word for husband is pronounced mush - love it!)

AJ says:

“How many more days till my birthday?” (AJ will be 6 years old in a few days time)

Jessica says

“We’ve become experts at wee’ing by the road side”

Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan - Roads

After the hustle and heat of Moscow where tarmac along the bridges had melted and stuck to our shoes as well as the vehicle tyres - we had arrived to the peace and tranquility of Nizhny Novgorod sitting very peacefully on the huge swathes of the Volga River (longest river in Europe). Driving long before, toward the city, we would get strong horrible whiffs and smells of very strong manure every so often. It was the same leaving en-route to Kazan, another 400+km away and roughly the same distance we had just driven.

We had only spent one day from early morning in Nizhny Novgorod where we had a nice relaxing day, catching up with homework, baking in the very hot sun, visiting the oldest Kremlin, playing, watching the world and the boats along the two rivers (Volga and Oka where they join) go by. It was hard work in the heat so there were plenty of breaks in the shade of the cafes for rest and refreshments. We’d slept rough the night before so were taking it very easy before heading off again later that day to sleep rough again en-route to Kazan.

Heading for Kazan along the M7 / E22, much of it single lane either side, the condition of the motorway changed from a mixture of some very good to very bad surfaces - all sealed but an interchange of huge ruts, lumps and bumps over a long distance which then became smooth again - a pattern that continued all the way through. Some of the ruts felt like being in a boat in rough sea as we would get rocked from side to side and thrown about,especially when a windsock was created from a stream of lorries whizzing past the other way - we were glad not to be towing anything behind us any longer. Traffic although calmer and more orderly was still fast moving. It was late in the day/early evening and Jessica became desparate for the loo - she’d had a slight bout of the runs that morning. We needed to eat and stopped at a roadside cafe, successfully ordering drinks, two Borsch soups, half a slice a bread between all of us (mistake on our part - we assumed a basket of bread - not just one single half slice) and two potato and spinach pies topped with cheese. The woman behind the counter had shown us the pies following our bad struggle in Russian to order something reasonable. We ate everything and enjoyed it. The toilets were in such a bad condition though that Jessica wouldn’t use - taking about an hour to work up the courage - pure and essential need eventually forcing her in the end). The loo wouldn’t flush properly, instead the water rising - Jessica could be seen doing a runner from the vicinity back to the safety of our table. She made an oath to herself never to use a roadside cafe loo again.

Driving late into the night, the weather cooled, mosquitos came out to play and we eventually stopped in a motel car park not far outside of Kazan. We had to pay a small fee of 50 rubles (about 1.25 Euros) to be allowed to park and stay - not much - but it was noisy with people milling to and from the motel cafe and the motorway. Although safe enough in the small hours, some people would come over now and again, to have a look at the vehicle and us adults on display trying to sleep in the front seats (we’d covered the children’s windows earlier for privacy and to block the light).

This was the first time we had slept rough with the children for two nights running. We’d spoken with Jessica and AJ a few times before entering Russia to prepare them - about the drive times being much tougher than Europe due to the sheer size of the country, the distance we would have to cover and the differing environments and possibly more limited freedoms to just get out and play. So far, both have coped brilliantly and our concerns had been largely unfounded but the two road stay with all of us in one car was uncomfotable. The children needed somewhere to lie down and sleep properly and all of us were sweaty, sticky and in desparate need of showers.We were starting to look like tramps.

Early next morning, we ordered coffees from the motel cafe where we’d parked for the night (children still sleeping) and were surprised to find it in immaculate condition and that one of the cafe staff - a young Turkish looking lad - could speak English. We grabbed the opportunity to find out how the motel system works i.e. approx 1800 rubles (50 Euros) including shower for all of us for one night, excluding breakfast and checkout time 24-hours following arrival. We would use motels as a marker from now on in the absence of anything else. We also made a note to use the roadside cafes more, especially in the absence of a decent supermarket as always heaps cheaper than the expensive city areas.

When the children woke, we made them Weetabix cereal with long-life milk and sugar from our own supplies - they had been missing since our entry to Russia. Some homework and we washed our bowls and spoons in front of all and sundry in the lorry park. AJ played on the kerb with his little stash of soldiers by the parked lorries to have his much needed ‘toy fix’ and we were off back on the road again.

As oppossed to the huge cuddly toys for sale that we’d been on the sidings (stall holders) between St Petersburg and Moscow road, the route between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod was instead now filled with saucy towels, inflatable paddling pools, fresh tomatoes, pears and cucumbers. From Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan this changed again - this time to melons, large bags of dried snacks that looked like giant bags of Wotsits and flying kites for sale.

Kazan

Crossing the bridge into Kazan with it’s breath-taking lakes and riverside landscapes, there was a security border with personnel checking each vehicle and the face credibility of every occupant (Kazan is part of it’s own Tartasan muncipality). We arrived to 3 lanes of very calm traffic, excellent roads, plenty of signage and another blisteringly hot (37 degrees) day. We noticed the night-time mists had also disappeared at night.

We thought Nizhny Novgorod would be pretty had to beat in terms of it’s romantic river setting but arriving to Kazan although different, was equally scenic and breath-taking. On arrival, houses similar to Moldova and Ukraine line the roads among a mixture of both old and new blocks of flats. The roads on the way through are lined with tall thin white barked trees which then turn to dark brown trunks - the woodland enveloping the motorway is stunning. The further to the centre we got, we began to see Kazan’s fantastic UNESCO inscribed whitewashed Kremlin walls and it’s contents including it’s enormous blue mosque and light blue onion domed sparkling Orthodox Cathedral - it is like looking at something out of Disneyland - but this was real. Traffic was very orderly and slow compared to what we’d been used to. We had arrived into a fusion of Turkic, Muslim and Orthodox communities and buildings sitting and all living harmoniously, tolerant and relaxed of one another. It was a very nice cultural city to see.

Moving on from the more well-known end of Russia before Kazan, we had wondered what life would be like driving deeper into Russia - the language barrier, what to expect, what would happen - would it be more predictable of the typical Russia we’d grown up thinking it was i.e.authoritarian and stiff. We hadn’t expected our experiences so far and had now arrived to the delights of Kazan’s richness and diversity, it’s culture, good living, beautiful buildings, rivers, fountains and sheer lovliness.

We pre-reseacrhed accommodation before arriving and settled on Hotel Fatima at 60 Euros per night for all of us including breakfast. We decide to stay for two nights. Our Russian still very bad we described our needs from our phrasebbok and habitual stick pencil drawing and mime habit to the Russian receptionist. We could probably have got a cheaper room while there as we noticed shared shower facilites but we happily opted for one with our bathroom included. Rooms were very basic but clean and comfortable and there was safe parking (1.50 Euros per day). The best part for us was that the hotel sat right across the road from the Kremlin (our fourth visit to a Gremlin) - it was a perfect location. We discovered later on during our stay, an English receptionist at the hotel, working part-time.

Booked in and paid, we headed straight out for food - taking much more care with our budget and found an information centre for a map and small guidebook. Looking at the guide book of Kazan’s surrounding area, we realised we had missed the opportunity to visit an interesting island on our route in. Never mind - we couldn’t do everything. We took it easy, did a quick reccy of the main Bauma Street and ate. Showers and rest were then our next priority until evening when we wandered out again to brave the heat for a stroll around the city.

Beginning at the Kazan Kremlin early next morning, our day lasted till late night taking in all the sights we could possibly manage in one day by foot - weather was meltingly hot at 37 degrees. Children squealed with delight playing in a foam fountain they’d found and anything with water they could then find for the remainder of the day.

We visited the Black Lake, had a look at St Peter & Paul’s very beautiful wooden cathedral, shopped for new shoes for AJ in the shopping centre (he’d battered his last pair to death - now on his 4th pair since the start of our trip), found a great, cheap Russian bistro on the backstreets called Amber (we think). We ended late evening crossing the bridge to the large river beach - AJ was desparate for a paddle - but it was full of mosquitos, bottles, cans, broken glass and debris - we didn’t stay long but the views of the Kremlin from here were spectacular as the evening drew in. As dark fell, we stumbled on a Russian Irish Pub where we met a lovely girl called Ksema living in Kazan who could speak English, sitting on the next table to us with her friends. Ksema helped us translate our drinks order for us, made us feel very welcome and brought pens for the children so they could write a message each on the already graffitti’d tables and walls. Ksema wrote us a special note before we left to wish us a great and enjoyable trip which she hoped the children would remember. It was so touching for us that she took the time to do this and Ksema’s note sits with us in a special place. Ksema - if your reading this blog update - thank you for your help and for making us feel so welcome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diary (Blog)