Hopefully you can see these videos. They are short clips I took on my trip out of town. They would make great openers to a horror film in Siberia.














Vyborg. We were meant to go to Novgorod, but transport proved too difficult to figure out. Even to Vyborg, we had to go to 3 places before we could even find how to get tickets. Using a varitey of sources, I have ascertained how to get to Novgorod, and will journey there this weekend. As I can find no central source of information. I plan to copy all the names of destinations from the board in the train station. Then maybe I'll just draw a name out of a hat on my next day off.




I want to take this down and put it in my house. How chic would I be?




This is the most daunting "Cloak Chamber" I've ever seen.

Getcher hair did and a brew at the "Hairdressing Saloon"



If you click on the photo to see the large version, you see that the sign says, "Exit to the city". This just amused me. Like there's some sort of Willy Wonka door, and when you enter it, its a land of pure imagination!



Vyborg!


"AHHHHH, get this bear off my leg!"


Again, clicking on the photo for the large size, you see this is a giant pile of scrap metal from Kazakhstan. Or maybe its scrap metal destined for Kazakhstan. Maybe that's what they build their houses out of. Old metal from the great white north of Russia.















I just love the lady on the side of the building. Close up below.




An Orthodox church:














So as we're walking, we see this girl walking with an owl on her arm. Then as we're desperately searching for a restaurant, we find one called "Sava", or Owl. It was this or a place called Kamelot. I often believe too much in signs. This was one of those times. While the place was really cute, the food was nothing to speak of; except I just did. Anyway, it did provide this great photo op!













I have a thing for frozen water. Especially when it occurs in less than comfortable places. What does that even mean? It's early. Anyway, I like the way these gutters just hang off the side of the building. I mean, in summer, does rain just shoot on the passers-by? And when it just starts to warm up do icicles shoot off the side? Ok, maybe I'm being too imaginative, but its a funny image.


















So one of the videos above is a man with a giant "Screw". It took me a bit to figure out why the train was full of men with giant screws. They're ice fishermen! While I didn't get to go fishing with them that day, its on my list of things to do....well photograph anyway. I don't fish.







St. Cog. Patron saint of "The Machine"...and I don't mean Jordan....








This building reminds me of Sweden. But then Vyborg was inhabited by Swedes I think, so I imagine they left their mark.



This is great. Finish the outside first. Make sure you get the sign up in nice gold letters. We'll worry about the inside structure later. Just make sure people know its going to be great...one day.