So, who's heading east next year?

Paul G (BHT) said:
Which one is the Kolya story?

And welcome back too :thumb2 sorry it took so long to sort out :o
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No worries, thanks for having me here :beerjug:


Bald has just stopped his hire car in the Chernobyl forest when an old guy basically just jumps in and won't get out, demands to be taken home !
He's in his 70s living in a shack with no water or power and is a fantastic character...you really have to watch it for yourself :thumb2

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA4PD-4NA-eY0sSel3Zq46cxdZ4AgRYrs
 
mspenz said:
Bald has just stopped his hire car in the Chernobyl forest when an old guy basically just jumps in and won't get out, demands to be taken home !
He's in his 70s living in a shack with no water or power and is a fantastic character...you really have to watch it for yourself :thumb2
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In the 80’s a former and somewhat innocent colleague of mine moved to Balham from rural Dorset. Arriving in his car in the early evening dark, he had just parked and turned off the engine when a lady (of a sort) jumped in and announced “It’s a tenner, in the back, love”.
 
Wapping said:
In the 80’s a former and somewhat innocent colleague of mine moved to Balham from rural Dorset. Arriving in his car in the early evening dark, he had just parked and turned off the engine when a lady (of a sort) jumped in and announced “It’s a tenner, in the back, love”.
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Did he take the tenner :)
 
In anticipation of riding to the Baltic states next month from Le Mans (24h race), I looked at ViaMichelin for a recommended route.

Attached is the route. Please bear in mind that, at least on the way out, I am mainly interested in a Swift smooth transit (by land). I appreciate I am therefore missing out on the many coastal gems that Wapping described.

Given all that, and comments on the attached and any pitfalls in it? I’ll be leaving Le Mans on Sunday 12 June (along with a trillion other people).

Cheers

Simón
 

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Interesting or not, you are very roughly following the routes taken by the British forces (west to east) and those of the Russians (east to west) through mid-1944 to the fall of Berlin in 1945.

The Russians, so I have been reading, assembled one and half million men to finally storm and take the city. By contrast, you’ll be on your own and warmly welcomed.

Looks like a great trip.
 
simondippenhall said:
comments on the attached
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If you’re taking the northern option I’d highly recommend stopping in Berlin, assuming you haven’t been. Well worth a day of your time.
That said the area around Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund is very industrial & very busy. Personally I’d favour the southern option….
 
Thanks Richard and Jochen.

I hope it will be an enjoyable bimble around the Baltic states (and possibly Finland). I have spent some (very enjoyable) time in Berlin, Jochen, including watching Bavarian tractors being assembled in Spandau, so will probably by pass that.

Your comment about the southern route is interesting, as avoiding traffic is a consideration.
 
I wouldn’t worry too much about traffic. Just get past the Rhine / Ruhr area on the motorways and away you go eastwards.
 
If you are heading to Berlin, you might want to head a bit south to Halbe. It is the site of a WW2 graveyard holding I believe up to 30,000 German soldiers (the remains of an entire army group), civilians and labourers, all attempting to break out westwards from the Russian encirclement in April 1945. It is one of the largest in Germany.

The slaughter was immense, comparable to that of WW1, with bodies still being found today.

https://www.brandenburg-tourism.com...man-history/halbe-forest-cemetery/?no_cache=1
 
It's not looking promising for Russia and neighbours next year. Even going into Georgia and Kazakhstan just now could be tricky I suspect, there are a lot of Russians there now and a lone Western vehicle will stand out and might not be welcomed by all. I've a Russian friend, now in Almaty, he is updating me (in vague terms, not being too specific about anything).

So, in terms of a decent trip next year, that was to have been this year, I'm now thinking Turkey in some depth and eastern Europe on the way. In Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic recently we did see quite a lot of Russians but all was good. A lot more wouldn't have been great.

If things do settle enough Georgia would be great, Azerbaijan and ferry over the Caspian and Kazakhstan a real bonus. I think Mongolia unlikely. But I won't complain about having to go to Turkey.
 
Northern jock said:
It's not looking promising for Russia and neighbours next year. Even going into Georgia and Kazakhstan just now could be tricky I suspect, there are a lot of Russians there now and a lone Western vehicle will stand out and might not be welcomed by all. I've a Russian friend, now in Almaty, he is updating me (in vague terms, not being too specific about anything).

So, in terms of a decent trip next year, that was to have been this year, I'm now thinking Turkey in some depth and eastern Europe on the way. In Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic recently we did see quite a lot of Russians but all was good. A lot more wouldn't have been great.

If things do settle enough Georgia would be great, Azerbaijan and ferry over the Caspian and Kazakhstan a real bonus. I think Mongolia unlikely. But I won't complain about having to go to Turkey.
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I'll look after Portsoy for you if you're missing :D:thumb

:beerjug:
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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