Travel Russia Today

I had the pleasure of traveling on the Golden Eagle train on the Trans-Siberian Express Railway in September. I joined the trip in the town of Irkutsk. After arriving from Moscow at 5:00 in the morning to freezing temperatures, I had a few hours to freshen up (and bundle up), before the train arrived.

Irkutsk is known as the “Paris of Siberia”. Today, this is clearly an overstatement, but in the late 19th century, after the Decembrist revolt, the city became a forced home to the many exiled intellectuals and prominent figures and grew into a cultural center of Siberia.

We started our day by visiting a few of the local churches there as well as the Gagarin Embankment. After lunch we visited the Alexander III monument commemorating the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway and explored some of the wooden houses and architecture around Irkutsk. We were given some time to wander around the market hall before ending our day at the mansion of Decembrist Prince Volkonsky which concluded with a private concert there. It was a nice way to end the first day of this amazing journey.

I must say though, of all the cities and towns that I visited on the trek back to Moscow, Irkutsk was my least favorite. I’m glad I went because I can now say “I’ve been to Irkutsk” but it’s a place that’s not high on my places to return list.