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Katherine Ananyeva
A car-trip through 3 countries: from Ulyanovsk to Magdeburg [1] - 23.01.2025
Modern world has given us quite a lot but probably nothing could replace a family trip. After entering the University in Magdeburg there raised the question of getting there. My family decided to go too so as to see where my next 3 years will take place. All in all this trip took 3,5 days.Naturally, the first thing in car trip is careful planning. Here the best helper is “АвтоТрансИнфо” site. One can easily find any destination, choose cities to go through and even the length of a trip.
Foto: Katherine Ananyeva © bordersoff
Our first city to stay in was Moscow. Although it`s quite away from Ulyanovsk it is possible to get there in 12 hours. Certainly, one would become hungry and for that purposes there is very good village in Mordovia. Meat in it is as tasteful as in any restaurant (or at least not the worst one). As for me, the steak was very good.
In Moscow we arrived at about midnight. And that is the best time for arrival, must I say. There are no traffic jams on MKAD or in any part of the capital. However, that is not the best time for hotel searching. In Russian capital we were to stay for 2 days and since it was the first time there for my brother we spent free time sightseeing. But I won`t describe the Red Squire or Bolshoi Theatre as it is too well-known and not interesting.
The next stop on the road was to be somewhere in White Russia. But before that there was a lunch near Smolensk. Actually, there are not many good places to eat on the road as all of them are for long distance lorry drivers.
White Russia welcomed us with every kilometer fee (21 roubles) and complete lack of motels or places to eat on the road. Positive thing – M1 is worth driving on it. Any Russian road is a village road compared to White Russian M1. However, one cannot enjoy it knowing that it`s nowhere to sleep or eat. All we could have done is searching on forums for any advice and, hopefully, we found one. The nearest motel along the whole White Russia is in Ivacevichi or in Brest. Since there was about midnight Ivacevichi were the only exit, plus this town is not far from M1. Town hotel there is in best Soviet Union traditions: cold, without shower. It was like comeback to my childhood and it was the only good thing about this hotel if it could be any, must I say. As early in the morning as it was possible we were on the road to Brest. Finding a place to have breakfast at 7 a.m. on Saturday was close to mission impossible, but luckily Inturist was opened and not far from customs.
Customs, or, to be honest, waiting in a queue on customs are worth of the whole story. One can stay in a queue for about 2 hours and that will be only a queue to get to customs, then it is long process getting through. That is only White Russian side and ahead is a Polish one with waiting before customs and a long process of getting through. Nevertheless I`ve expected something more from customs officers. Supposed, they would open every bag I had but that wasn`t the case. They just opened boot and nothing more. If I had known, certainly I would have taken my beloved CD and DVD collection.
Foto: Katherine Ananyeva © bordersoff
Poland, and EU, welcomes guests with a nice village and one cannot help wondering how small and pleasant it is, especially after Russian and white Russian trees and fields alongside the road. However, after the third village you get completely tired of watching the same houses, hall churches and lady Mary`s statues on entering and leaving a village. Plus there is, certainly a speed limit of about 30-40 k/h. That makes a trip through Poland even longer than it really is. Polish police officers are very nice indeed. On one of the stops on autobahn (which is very short because its main part is still in construction ) we were stopped for documents checking and a female-officer was very friendly, but refused to take bonbons. Talking about Maria` s statues, that was what made me wonder every time on entering and leaving every village. I cannot imagine any Russian village to have a crucifix. I think that is all because of Papa Johann Paul II, but who knows.
Foto: Katherine Ananyeva © bordersoff
In Poland like in any EU country there is a rest place for drivers any (don`t know which exactly, but quite often) kilometer. There are very comfortable and have a playground for children too. Eating is easy to find too: any petrol station got it. But one should remember that meals there are awful. I`ve eaten meat and it was tasteless. We haven`t visited Warsaw, but it has the same MKAD (which is still in construction) as Moscow has and it was difficult to drive away from Polish capital. But there is no problem with finding a motel, there is an amount of them. We stayed in one near to Polish-German border. During the breakfast it was very nice to meet 2 guys from white Russia and to talk Russian with them. Talking about linguistic side of the trip: there is no such thing as language barrier in White Russia, yet Polish provides Russian speaker with lots of opportunities to play “guess what I`m talking about”. For example, my dad had to show act as a cow in order to ask which meat the steak was made from (it turned to be pork). What is also essential to know about Poland is cuisine. As for me, it seemed very different. As an omelet – lover I found this meal very different and tasteless in Poland.
The last day was devoted to Germany only. There is no customs office or police station, it`s just direction signs on German and not Polish anymore, and, of course, radio stations which are German too. Autobahn after countless little Polish villages is like heaven. The whole road from border to Magdeburg took only 3 hours. But, what a pity, it was Sunday and all malls were closed as well as supermarkets. For me, that is one of the weirdest things about Germany.
Church in Magdeburg . Foto: Katherine Ananyeva © bordersoff
Although we came at the very beginning of October there was also no Oktoberfest, but, may be, that is because Oktoberfest is such a big holiday in Bayern and not in Eastern Germany, ex-DDR.
In Magdeburg. Foto: Katherine Ananyeva © bordersoff
The end of this trip brought relief in all its meanings, especially for the trunk.
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