There is 1700km from Moscow to Yekaterinburg. I predicted it will take me three days. But things again went better than expected. At first I got picked up by Sergey with small russian truck GAZ. He was returning back to Nizhny Novgorod. He told me about his previous job working in a factory that was producing special boxes for transport of windshields. The owner of company was a guy from Austria. But then the European sanctions came, cars in Russia stopped selling and the company bankrupt. Now he works what he finds. And his story is just one of many in Russia nowadays. We made a stop at the reststation and he brotherly shared his lunch with me :)
In Novgorod I got picked up by Sasha from Kirov. He was even more interesting. The most pessimistic man on earth :) At first he asks me how do I like Russia. Of course I won't say, I don't like it. "You like this?" and shows on demolished road. "But this road is a good one. Where I come from we don't have such. In Russia all money goes to Moscow and from there directly to Putin's dacha." Dacha - summer house.
About Putin's popularity I've met only two kinds of people until now. Those who love him and others who hate him. Those in between don't exist :)
However Sasha droped me of at reststation not far from Cheboksary. Because it was dark already I decided to stay overnight at the cafe. There I meet young trucker Iliya, which took me to Yelabuga the day after. He seemed a nice guy, but we didn't speak too much, because he had radio volume to the maximum :)
On the road we cross Volga river. Photo below doesn't show actual greatness of it, because it's just too wide to be able to get it into frame.
But the map shows we were passing it not even close to it's maximum width...
When we arrived to Yelabuga I already started to feel hunger in my stomach, so I decided to make myself something to eat. But I haven't finished eating, when another truck stops. It was Kolya from Belarus. Funny guy. All the time he was complaining over Tatars. When I told him I'm from Slovenia he just wobble his head: "And what are you doing here then? Such mountains as you have in Slovenia, you'll never find here. " :) The plan was to take me to Perm, but just a couple of kilometers before the city he had to make a stop. He parked the truck on the restarea next to some other truck. Imediatelly I saw the driver was just preparing to leave. I knock on the window: "You probably don't pass Yekaterinburg, right?" Driver looks at me and smiles: "Yes I do." In five minutes I was already back to the road, this time with Sasha from Yaroslavl, and he took me all the way to Yekaterinburg - my next destination.
There is something more I can mention. Sasha was all the time in contact with some other trucker who was driving the same road a bit before of us. However, that other guy got caught by speed trap. He was driving 90km/h where the speed limit was 50. The fine was 500 rubels or 250 rubels if he pays at that moment. 250 rubels is less than 4€. When I mention that for the same offense in Slovenia he would need to pay 500€, I had a feeling he doesn't belive me.
Yekaterinburg is a capital of Ural. A city on the border between Europe and Asia but already on the asian side :) It used to be one of main industrial centres of Russia, and I was expecting it to be not-so-intersting :) However, I was surprised. Especially the way how modern and historic architecture are mixed together.
In the middle of May the spring on Ural is just starting. Trees are barely becoming green and nice temperatures (around 20˚C) brought all people to the streets.
The tower behind is not a chimney but a television tower :) You can see it from anywhere in the city and it's a good point for orientation.
Tourist sector found out that city is not interesting enough for tourists. That in mind they try to somehow "artifically" develop some attractions. One of such tries is monument to QUERTY keyboard :) If you type your wish and jump on Enter it should come true :) But I don't want to know what happens with your life if you step on Ctrl + Al t+ Del :) Or even worse - Esc :)
There used to be also a monument to credit card. Anyway, at that spot you can now find only three holes where it was fixed. Probably someone stole and wanted to used it :)
Next try is tourist path marked on the grounds. It should lead tourists around all major attractions. I followed it just a bit and then choose my own way. But It's blood red colour and you really can not miss it :)
In the middle of the city there is also an abandoned hospital. You can climb to the top of it, the view is nice. But it carries quite a sad story. It's not long ago when they closed it for reconstruction. But during repair works a fire broke out. After that, repairing would be to expensive and now it just decays from year to year even more.
I'm trying, but can not really hide I'm a foreigner. And being a foreigner in Russia is like being from Mars. You seems intersting to everyone, but children show it the most. Some of them even start to pose when I take out my camera :)
Talking about kids. I don't remember when I saw anyone laying on a bench in the park reading a book in Slovenia. And the real book, made out of paper... :)
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