Russia > Entering Vladivostok

We thought we had agreed last night to have breakfast at nine o’clock. When we walk into the dining room, everyone looks up in surprise. There is some discussion about what they can serve us. “Do you want plov?” Not exactly for breakfast. We point to bread, sausage, and coffee. The coffee arrives, but after half an hour of waiting, nothing else comes. It turns out nothing else will be served. “Breakfast njet,” comes from the kitchen. This causes some irritation among us. The girls neither flinch nor blush. They giggle, but it doesn’t result in any food. We drive a bit further to the shops and buy something from a store. The breakfast problem is solved again. Traffic on the way to Vladivostok becomes heavier and heavier.

Russia - The bronze statue of a soldier with a flag on the central square is illuminated

Fortunately, the road also improves. The last stretch is even four lanes. We drive into the city via a long bridge. Vladivostok is much larger than I had imagined. In the center, we park the vehicles. We are probably on a taxi parking spot, but we can’t find anything better for the moment. We go looking for coffee with an internet connection, because we have a little issue with the hotel. Hotels in Vladivostok are limited or relatively expensive. We had booked a hotel in advance, but it is located in the province of Vladivostok, still 180 kilometers outside the city. A mistake. Strange, because we thought from the description that all the attractions were nearby. Probably it was a different hotel. From the café, we try to find a better alternative. Since that doesn’t really work, we decide to drive to a hotel nearby. This hotel, Sunrise Apartments, is a fine place for the next two nights. Just after five o’clock, Youri comes to the hotel. He helps us with the boarding procedures. Tomorrow he will pick us up at nine for all customs formalities. The car and motorcycles will then remain at the port. On Wednesday, we need to be at the port around noon. The ferry departs at two o’clock. When Youri sees the vehicles, he says they need to be cleaned. Dirty vehicles may be refused. Youri drives us to a car wash. Along the way, we lose sight of the motorcyclists. We send them the coordinates of the car wash by SMS, but they didn’t bring the navigation system. Then that’s it. Our car is washed nicely. We had forgotten just how yellow the color really is. The gray layer washes off. Brutus is ready for the crossing. Even in the evening, Vladivostok is a lively city. The bronze statue of a soldier holding a flag in the central square is illuminated. There are lots of neon signs all around. Along the quay, naval ships are moored. Just next to the large Russky Bridge, in a small park, there is an old submarine. During the day, the boat can be visited as a museum.