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WITH MY MOTORCYCLE (AND SPOUSE)
Gail and Eric Haws for INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURERS
@http://www.rio.com/~tynda
Editors note: This was the first completed trip into Russia by two individuals on a motorcycle that is known. Since this trip was taken in 1990, some of the information contained herein may be out-dated.
Russia by motorcycle would be our summer adventure, not just some group tour. Since the two of us had spent the last two summers canoeing wild rivers alone in the Alaskan Arctic, my spouse suggested that we go where there were no mosquitoes. Bicycling in Finland was suggested. That was not greeted with much enthusiasm. Then motorcycling in the Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia was proposed. This idea was not rejected so the trip was on.
First, we had to find a motorcycle as we did not want to ship our 1973 BMW 90/6. We either could buy one and sell it in Europe or ship it home at the end of the trip. Since we had no idea of how beat up it would be, when our journery was completed, our decision was to use a rental. It was not easy to find a rental but we finally located one with Bob Beach, who has his headquarters near Munich, meaning we would start from there. After picking up the bike we planned to drive east through Austria, into Hungary to the border at Chop, near Uzgorod which is in the Ukraine. From there we would head north until we reached the Baltic. Then Leningrad and Finland. As an aside, Bob never asked us where we were going to take his motorcycle. Later, we learned , he never made that mistake again.
Second, now that we had arranged transportation we needed information on availability of food, gas, maps, road conditions, as well as numerous details which are good to know when traveling in a foreign country. Unfortunately, we found no one who could help. Although we feared we might be traveling on wet, muddy roads, siphoning gas from passing trucks, eating when and what we could, we decided to go anyway. Once there, among other people, we knew that we could make it based upon past experiences. One helpful source was an article by Charles Gable describing motorcycle touring in Eastern Europe. Although he did not enter the USSR, there were many similarities between our experiences.
To enter the USSR it is necessary to secure a visa from Intourist but they will not directly deal with individuals. Flights and other arrangements must be made through a travel agency which is approved by them. We located one in Seattle. It took several telexes before we obtained permission to enter the USSR but not with a motorcycle.
If we wanted to take an auto or travel with some approved group, always accompanied by Intourist tour guide, there was no problem but alone on a motorcycle—Nyet, Nyet, Nyet. And, we were not to enter Lithuania under any circumstances as it was under a blockade.
At this point it appeared that the trip was over before it started. However, one of our team of two is a hard-headed person who does not take "Nyet" for an answer. We would try to get into the USSR with a motorcycle. If the authorities turned us away at the border then we would go to Czechoslovakia, Poland, and north into the Scandinavian countries. We left Oregon on the third of July arriving in Munich on the fourth. We had been to Europe before, but only to Frankfurt and south into Italy, Spain, and France. Never north. Czecho- slovakia had just declared that visas were no longer necessary to enter their country and East Germany was opened up by unification with West Germany. All unexplored territories, at least by us. We would have a motorcycle adventure even if it did not include the USSR and there would be no mosquitoes.
Munich To Salzburg
The next morning, our Fourth of July, but in Germany it was the fifth. We had rented a 1987 BMW K75C and it was not like our 1973 boxer. Bob Beach was invaluable in helping. He had provided excellentdirections on how to get from the airport to his center of operations at the hotel. He is an expert at what he does, having directed tours for 18 years with up to four per year and logging over 100,000 miles on alpine tours. We spoke to several people who thought highly of these tours. It almost made us want to go along but, we decided to stick to our original plans. Off we went. Bob and another rider accompanied us for the first few miles until we had a feel for the bike. Then we were really on our own. At first, we continued on the backroads but these soon ended and we entered the autobahn. This was our first experience driving along at our usual comfortable 55 mph, and being passed by other motorcycles and autos going 125 to 150.
The first day was short as we had started late. After a few hours we arrived in Salzburg, Austria where we spent the night. It had rained frequently, during that day, a pattern which would continue throughout the entire trip.
Salzburg To South Of Vienna
After not leaving as early as anticipated, we followed the autobahn for a few miles. Along the way it rained steadily. We left the autobahn and took more backroads. For lunch we stopped in the small town, Steyr, where we found a nice little restaurant which served a wonderful goulash. It felt good to get out of the rain and we were still feeling a bit of jet lag. Perhaps, not many tourists come this way. When we left, the manager who did not speak English and we speak no German, gave us a pen as a souvenir. A nice gesture which showed that Americans were welcome guests. He took a moment to point out a castle across the river called "Kris Kringle" as nearly as we understood.
We then entered the autobahn once again when the backroad ended. After some miles, the speedy autobahn became slower and dwindled to one lane as the others were closed. We thought perhaps there had been an accident. The rain was now more just a mist so we decided to stop at a reststop and wait for the traffic to clear. An hour later the traffic was still scarcely moving. We pulled out to find that all but one lane was closed due to road construction. There were no workers to be seen though. Soon it was back to three lanes and fast traffic. It became evident to us what a good highway motorcycle the K75 was. We left the autobahn again and south of Vienna found a nice hotel, Helenenstuberl, in a low mountainous area. However, at dinner we ordered chicken which when served was cooked only one-fourth through, still cold. We sent it back to the kitchen. When reserved it was one-half cooked,slightly warm. The third time it proved edible, but the appetite was gone.
To Sopron And Gyongyos, Hungary
A beautiful day, cool, crisp with just a bit of breeze. Tension started to mount because we would be leaving the West and entering the East. Hungary would be our first Eastern country. The backroads we were taking merged with more well traveled roads until we were on a major highway a few miles from the Hungarian border. During a picture taking stop our small 35mm camera malfunctioned. Of all times this was almost next to the worst but, still being in Austria we stopped in Eisenstadt and found a camera shop. No, they could not fix it, though they did try, but we could travel 30 miles out of our way to Vienna for repairs.
We decided that we could not waste the time and bought another to replace the five year old Olympus which had caused problems before. Now, back to the highway and on to Hungary.
Even though we had a visa for Hungary they were quite surprised to see Americans, on a motorcycle, entering their country. After a few minutes of checking our documents they waved us through. Now, we were worried! If they were surprised to see us in Hungary and we had the proper documents, what would happen when we got to the USSR?
We drove through the Hungarian countryside noting the differences between Austria which had been such a clean, tidy country and Hungary which had a tired, overused appearance. We drove to and through Budapest and since this was already the seventh we could not linger as we had to be at the Russian border the next day. We drove until evening, reaching Gyongyos, northeast of Budapest. At the hotel they had a room but no private parking. We asked what we could do as it was a Saturday night and our BMW had attracted a lot of attention. To our surprise the young woman said we could park our motorcycle in the hallway to their kitchen. So up the curb and step, through a narrow door we drove the BMW, finding it a very tight fit. Getting a K75 turned around in a narrow kitchen hallway is not easy but we had no choice as there was a high cement step back up. In the morning we started the motorcycle up in the hall and drove up the step onto the sidewalk and off the curb. Loading up, or getting gas, always seemed to attract crowds as the BMW was unique. One item alone, the fact that it had no kick-starter, was enough to bring smiles of amazement to their faces. This morning was no exception as they followed the bike out to the street, discussed its merits, and watched as we took videos and waved goodbye.
Hortobagy To Uzhgorod
July Eighth. This was finally the day. We both felt pressured as we came closer to the border. We were quiet, each wondering if we would be allowed to enter since our request had been denied in the States. All of the horror stories came to mind. Would they confiscate our motorcycle? Would they lock us up, pull our passports or merely refuse our request to enter? We still had a few miles along Hungarian backroads yet but felt the need to take a break as we came to a community where a fair was in progress. Hand made goods were being sold and there was a museum dedicated to the herdsmen of the old days. From there we traveled to Lake Kiskore, the middle of which was bridged over. As we entered a small town we encountered a detour on the main road that took us into town and then out. We then saw that the detour was due to an accident. Several bodies were lying covered on the ground, while the ambulances loaded survivors. We assumed the ones on the ground were dead. Quite sobering.
And then, the Hungarian-USSR border was only a few hundred yards away. We stopped to put on raingear as the rains began and to be sure our documents were close at hand. Then up to the border where the guards inspected our documents. Well, something was wrong. They did not want us to leave. This was ironic. We thought that we would have trouble getting into the USSR but now we were having difficulty leaving Hungary. The guards spoke no English. But they were pleasant and friendly to us and enjoyed looking over the motorcycle. They took our documents into a building and we waited for about 20 minutes. When they came back it was to say we could go on. We never found out what they wanted but probably some customs document concerning the motorcycle that had never been issued when we entered. But they also took our visas so we could not re-enter.
Now forward to the USSR. We drove across the long bridge over the Tisza River which separatesthe two countries and into a huge flat area where there was a large building with ten or so cars waiting for the customs check. Like good Americans we drove to the end of the line to wait for our turn. In a few minutes a small motorcycle with USSR plates came from behind us and waved for us to follow them to the front of the line. A guard and a uniformed woman were on duty. At first the guards seemed to think we were with the other motorcyclist but a quick look at our documents indicatedotherwise. The other motorcyclist was motioned through. The woman in uniform spoke English and after reviewing our documents said that we were lacking permission from the Soviet Counsel to bring in a vehicle. We asked how we could get such permission and she told us to park our bike and go into customs.
We entered the build ing to look for a customs agent. We looked but never found one. After walking around for a while a man approached us who was obviously not just any Russian. He was, in fact, an Intourist guide. He lead us to an out-of-the-way office upstairs and coordinated our entrance with the Intourist officials, who basically just wanted to see our documents and license plate number. We learned later that they never realized, because the office was two floors up, was that we had a BMW motorcycle, not a BMW auto. So, by sheer luck we met the right person who was only there once in a great while to escort important tour groups into the USSR. And by keeping our mouths shut we obtained written permission to enter.
We also purchased gas coupons for tourists and gathered as much practical information as possible. One thing was soon clear; they had no maps. This would become a problem . In Hungary our map bag had blown open and while we found all of the maps, except one, it was one of the USSR. We still had a back-up map but it was not as detailed. Only major roads and high ways were shown. We then returned to customs downstairs. None of our luggage was searched but we had to declare the small camera, video camera, wedding ring, and the amount of money we had. We also had to sign a form promising that we would take the vehicle out of the USSR. Now, with all bureaucratic paperwork in order, we were free to enter. So back onto the BMW and a speedy ride out of the customs area into the USSR before anyone could change their minds.
We did nottake pictures at the border as it was not very photographic and we did not want to push our luck. We did not want to bring any undue attention to ourselves as it would only have taken one person to say "Nyet" and out of the USSR we would be. The Sony camcorder seemed to be as rare as our BMW and often attracted as much attention. We had really not taken much video until that point and later we learned that somehow we had accidentally erased all that we had taken anyway. As we left the customs area and rode down the road we saw the long, long lines of cars and trucks waiting to go through customs and to leave the Soviet Union. We later learned that this was about a 10 hour wait. From the Hungarian side it had taken us about an hour.
We drove on slowly to the first town where we were to stay the night, Uzhgorod. Quickly locating the major hotel we found they had a secured parking. But, as we unloaded the gear in front of the hotel, before going to the parking area, a large crowd gathered. Even at a large hotel such as this they had not seen persons such as us and never such a bike. However, it was clear that they did not know where we were from as we had no visible identification. At first they thought we were German since we wore black Hein Gericke motorcycle jackets but when we spoke English they thought that we were from England. Only a few noticed that we had New York license plates since the BMW was registered by Bob Beach in that state. They had many questions about our BMW while we unloaded which was true throughout the trip. Always very politely. Even though one of us always stayed with the gear we never experienced fear of mugging or theft. Once in our room it was like any other hotel. We could have been in any foreign country. After washing up we went to the restaurant to struggle with the Russian menu.
Uzgorod To Lvov
We had a leisurely breakfast and left Uzgorod about 9:00 A.M. for Lvov which was some 218 kilometers north and slightly east. This route was in the Carpathian mountains which, to a Westerners like us, are just low hills somewhat like the Appalachians. It was one of the most scenic days of the journey. The surrounding mountains are less than 1700 hundred meters high, the pass which we went through being 840 meters high. Finding a church in this rural area of the Ukraine was one of the interesting events in the first part of our trip. We spotted the church off the main road and we drove up over a hill along a muddy path arriving at the entrance of the churchyard.
Although not Sunday, several people were outside putting in a walkway using a horse and cart. These Ukrainians were very friendly and pleased to send for the keys so as to give us a tour when we asked if it was possible. They were very proud of their church. It was a pleasant visit after which we left to go on to Lvov. We arrived early enoughto relax, walk in a park and later go for dinner in the hotel's restaurant.
Lvov To Lutsk
We determined that it was best to start early in the morning even if it meant going without breakfast. We were to drive to Brest for a two day stay instead of the one day stays we had been doing. It was some 500 kilometers away so we left at 6:00 A.M. The journey seemed long and slow. We did not seem to make especially good time. It appeared that every Russian who owned a large truck and trailer was taking this two lane road. The road is anything but a direct line between Lvov and Brest which is more or less due north. The road first goes north-east, along the main Hungarian-to-Kiev route, then doubles back west to Lutsk and then north west to Brest.
While there is no straight road between Lvov and Brest there are a couple of short cuts. We decided to try one about 175 miles from Lvov but when we arrived at the cutoff we found a permanent police station which was one of the few we had seen and certainly the first where we were stopped. They checked our documents but denied us passage onwards. We kept asking why and they kept saying "Da" this was the road to Lutsk and Brest but we could not go this way but must continue east, to Rovno. So, not having a choice and never having been to Rovno, much less having heard of it, we went the approved way. It wouldn't have mattered but 500 kilometers is a long way on Russian roads full of Russian trucks.
So, on to Rovno where we proceeded to get lost as we took a wrong turn. After some scenic back roads we were again at Rovno heading west to Lutsk intending to go on to Brest. A few miles northwest of Rovno it began to rain and from the appearance of the sky we could tell that it might last for days. There was no reason for us to drive forever in the rain and when we got to Lutsk, which was three-fourths of the distance of our proposed drive for that day, we chose to look for a hotel. We did not know if there was an Intourist hotel in Lutsk, but after passing it three times we finally noticed the small sign. We stopped and asked if they had a room. Well, of course they did, and they were most happy to have us even if we did not have reservations. There were a couple of problems. The room was $65.00 American dollars and we had a $100 travelers check. They only had one American S20 and one American S5 and could not make change but we worked it out. Secondly, there was no secured parking for the motorcycle. We asked if we could park our BMW in the lobby. Yes, of course, they had no objections. After un-nailing a double door we drove up a flight of stairs and parked in the main lobby where it became the center of attention.
Lutsk is a small town. After dinner there was time to walk about and examine some ruins. By stopping in Lutsk we learned that not only can the Intourist staff be helpful, for these were, but also one can deviate from the planned itinerary.
Now On To Brest!
Brest was only 120 kilometers away; it rained for about the first hour and a half. On our way we passed from the Ukraine into Belorussia where there was a very large sign between the borders but no guards; just the sign. We also stopped to talk with a Russian who had a Jawa with a sidecar. He and his friend were very interested in our motorcycle and told us that if he took off the sidecar it would go 100. We were uncertain if he meant kilometers or miles per hour, probably the first. Then he offered to trade motorcycles, we declined. Bob would have been very angry if we had returned with a Jawa instead of a BBW even if the Jawa had a side car.
We arrived in Brest early, near noon. Brest is quite close to the Polish border. We visited the famous memorial fortress which fell during World War II to the Germans. We spent the remainder of the day sightseeing, on foot.
Brest To Minsk
Minsk is located on the route between Moscow and Warsaw. The road is a major highway and is in fact their autobahn. It has four lanes for part of the way. There was very little traffic and slowly our speed increased from our usual 55 mph to 80. Shortly, the police flagged us over to say that some way back we had sped through a town, but what he meant was bus stop because there are few towns along this way. In fact, he was waiting for us along the side of the highway with his sidecar when he waved us over. Our conclusion was that they have radar.
Minsk was the largest city we were in except for Leningrad. We found a hotel without hot water. At this time, as the sign in the lobby explained, repairs were underway and would be so for another week. This was the first time we did not have hot water. Having traveled in South America it was not a real hardship, the weather was mild and the distance on the road was not very far that day. After unpacking we walked downtown . After not being able to find a restaurant we returned to our hotel for dinner. The hot water problem had been resolved. It is customary in some European countries for strangers to be seated at the same table and in fact a young man and his fiancee were seated with us. While she was Russian, he was from Lebanon and spoke English. The hardship in his own country had forced many members of his family to leave, some for the United States and others for Germany. He had gone to the Soviet Union as he had been granted a scholarship. He offered to show us around the next day saying that he wanted to practice his English.
Sightseeing In Minsk
This was the first time we had stayed in the same town for two days and so it was to be a day of sightseeing. We met our new friend, Moya, at the hotel and spent the day with him. Quite frankly, the problem in this part of Russia is that most of the cities were completely destroyed during World War II. Most of Minsk was post-war concrete buildings that did not offer much variety. In other words, the old European atmosphere was missing. In defense of such, one has to understand that after the war it was a major undertaking to house millions of citizens and the fastest way to do so was mass housing and commercial buildings.
Minsk To Riga
It was time to leave Minsk. Our itinerary called for us to travel north east to Vitseky for a two-day stay. However, no one could tell us any thing interesting about this city other than an important battle was fought there during World War II, (which probably meant it had also been destroyed), so we decided that we would rather by-pass it. Knowing this we asked that the itinerary be changed; we would delete Vitseky all together and spend four days in Riga. We arranged this through Intourist who telexed ahead and obtained permission for our route deviation.
The next morning we were given detailed instructions on how to go north to avoid Lithuania. Going to the three Baltic Republics had been one of the two main goals of our trip. We wanted to go the Baltic because of their history. Being part of old Europe we were certain that there would be many castles, museums, and old towns that we could tour without crowds of tourists as few know about this area.
The Baltics are divided into three small countries that have not been independent for hundreds of years except between World War I and World War II. Lithuania is Catholic, while Latvia and Estonia are Protestant. The former was once part of the Polish empire and still retains many contacts, while the latter two fell under the influence of Danes, Swedes, Germans and then Russians until World War I. However, all three have kept their distinct languages and culture and still want to be independent, free from any foreign influence. Lithuania is about the size of West Virginia with a population of about three million. Their language is one of the oldest in Europe with its people being fair-skinned and fair haired Aryans. Latvia is also about the same size with a slightly smaller population of originally Nordic people who have since mixed with other Baltic people. However, the people of Estonia, a country of about half the size of the other two and with about half the population, speaks a language closely related to that of Finland. They are tall and fair-haired and have a culture distinct from their neighbors.
These three republics, now part of the USSR, would be interesting to travel to if we could get there. We had permission to go into Latvia and Estonia but not Lithuania because of the blockade. We did not want to press our luck by entering Lithuania where security might be much tighter.
At first we could not find the northern road to Riga and after about 20 miles found ourselves going northeast which would take us to Vitseky. We had not wanted to go there in the first place and it didn't make sense to go there now. Accord ing to our crude map the next road we identified would take us north to Latvia. This was a rural backroad and we doubted if Americans had ever been on it and probably never on a motorcycle. We asked several people if this was the way to Riga. We were told many times that "Da", this was the road to Riga.
Then it began to rain again. Two motorcyclists passed waving to us to pull over so they could look at our bike. As it turned out they were from Kalingrad and were traveling to Minsk but had turned to follow until they could catch us. To verify our location we showed them where we were going. They pointed out that we were much further west than we thought. In fact, we were now very close to the Lithuania border. There was no other road to take except to go back. Well, the bull-headed one of us refused to go back over the same road. We would chance it after all. Our new friends realized that while our map was adequate for major roads it was not suitable for the rural roads we were now traveling and gave us a 120 page atlas showing, in detail, backroads, locations of service stations, and other useful tour information.
We fueled up to drive to the forbidden land, blockaded Lithuania. At the rural service station they did not want our gas coupons insisting upon rubles. They always asked, in these self-service gas stations, how much gas we wanted. This time we asked for 10 rubles worth, but it proved to be a bad guess. It was too much and rather than "waste" it we gave the remainder to the next person.
When we had arrived at the station service trucks were filling the storage tanks. This was the longest we had waited , about 15 minutes. During that time we spoke with several people. The man to whom we gave the extra gas stated that he was going our way when we asked for directions to the border. He would guide us. After a few miles, at a junction, he indicated that he had to go left and we were to go right. He gave us a map of the city of Riga, the first city map we had seen. From there it was to the border and the unknown. We were told there were no guards at any border between any of the republics but even if this applied to Lithuania we knew there would still be police check points and what they might do was an uncertainty.
At the border, no guards, nothing except a small sign stating that we had arrived. A few miles further was the capital, Vilnius. Now, we had to fInd a hotel and the city map we had been given did not give hotel locations. We drove around the city finally stopping to ask two military men for a hotel, but they did not understand what we were saying. Just then two men drove up asking if we were from the United States. With the answer "yes" they immediately asked if we wanted to buy some black market items. We said that we might be interested but we wanted a hotel room fIrst and could they lead us to a hotel? This they did.
We went into the hotel not knowing what would happen since Vilnius was not on our visas. Inquiring for a room was simple; they asked for passports and visas. After examining them, they said, of course there was a room and we were welcome, but they would have to hold our visas and passports until our departure. They also had private parking for our BMW. That settled, we then went to the Intourist desk and inquired about restaurants other than in the hotel since we were by now tired of hotel food. They had a list of restaurants and even made reservations. As it was about noon and we had had nothing to eat that day, we found it very enjoyable. The rest of the day we spent sightseeing on our own in the old town. This was one of the first cities that we had been in that had not been destroyed by the war.
In Vilnius
For the first time on our journey we wanted to retain a guide to take us through the old city. Intourist arranged for one to meet us the next morning. The guide costs $40.00, paid at the desk, for a three hour tour. We learned that the guide only received a small portion. We took the remainder of her time that day, unofficially, and paid the equivalent of $1.50/hour, which with the tip was only $10.00. It was worth every cent. The guide took us to places that we had not visited on the first afternoon and would have missed. She told us that due to the blockade, she had not worked for two months. When Intourist asked her if she wanted the booking, she asked where we were from. They stated that they had no idea (because the front desk had our passports and visas) but, we spoke English.
Vilnius proved to be an interesting town. We noticed that they even had maps for sale in little kiosks on the streets, but since the Lithuanians had changed the street names from Russian back to Lithuanian the maps were very difficult to follow and were out-dated.
Vilnius To Rlga
We decided to leave for Riga, Latvia especially since we were two days late in arriving. We did not know if they might be looking for us or not. Our guide had told us about a small town twenty miles west of Vilnius where there was an exceptional castle. We did not start early as it was raining and had a leisurely breakfast waiting for the rain to stop, which it never did. We took the detour west to visit Traikau. The old castle was quite large and had been partially restored. We completed the tour just about noon and decided to return to Vilnius to take the road north to Riga. As we started the BMW a gentleman pulled in behind us and said that he had noticed our license plate, would we please come to his house for tea so that he could speak with us. It was still raining quite heavily and we had been out in the rain for some two hours. We were quite happy to say yes. We spent about three hours in his home meeting his family, including a daughter who had recently been in New York, and drying out.
Finally, we had to say good-bye, and returned to Vilnius about 4:00. Now, we began the worst driving part of our trip as it continued to rain and the wind was quite strong. There was really no place to shelter. We could not delay if we wanted to reach Riga before night. The wind blew so hard and the road was so slick that it was a very uncomfortable journey. If anyone has ever driven a motorcycle on ice, then they know the feeling of the rear tire slipping out six to eight inches before regaining control. It happened frequently that afternoon. Fortunately there was little traffic as we understood that there are no replacement windshield wipers available in the USSR. When it rains the drivers simply pull over until it lets up. This may be true since we had the road almost to ourselves on wet days.
After a few hours, which seemed much longer, we reached Riga. This is a port town and we assumed that like many port towns there might be many unsavory characters about so we asked again if we could park the BMW inside the lobby, which they allowed, although they were concerned about gas fumes. We told them we would place the motorcycle cover on the bike and this seemed to please them. We had very little fuel remaining at that point anyway.
Sightseeing In Riga
In part of Riga there is still some of the old town left. We met a young woman from the United States who had made arrangements for a guide so we agreed to share him. Even though it was basically a walking tour the use of a taxi was included to take us to the starting point. We soon learned that 80% of the cost went for the auto and it was not really necessary, to reach the old city, as it was just two blocks away, only if we wanted to see the commercial section and monuments. Later, we used this information to save part of the cost for these guided tours. We also learned that no one seemed to know nor care that we had been two days late arriving in Riga so the old security system seemed to be falling apart.
Riga To Tallin
We were supposed to leave and go north to Tallin, Estonia. But, of course, we didn't do that exactly. We went east on a side road looking for two castles we had heard about. After driving some thirty miles we finally found what we thought was the entrance to the castle. But we had stumbled upon the national headquarters for the Latvian park system. They were surprised to see us. Not only because few, if any, persons visited both castles but never Americans. Anyway, they were quite happy to show us around and the head ranger gave us a personal tour. He did not speak any English so he called upon his daughter who leads tours when not working at the huge center. After visiting the first castle, which was in ruins, they then drove us to the second castle and an old estate which is now a sanatorium for very ill children. Our guides would not take the typical fee so we asked them out for lunch. One thing we did learn was that we could have spent days wandering around their large national park and did wish we had more time. But we had to stay on some sort of schedule and so left for Tallin.
We again turned north but not on the main road but a scenic backroad, and after a couple of hours we passed from Latvia to Estonia. We knew exactly when we crossed the border. While there were no signs the pavement ended and it was 25 miles of dirt road into Estonia. Our initial impression was that Estonia was very rural. By the time we hit the major highway (two lanes), going north to Tallin, we came to a place where two girls had set up a roadside barbecue. It had been a long, somewhat bumpy ride. We needed a break and since it had not rained for awhile we pulled off the rain gear. It was probably one of the better meals we had in Russia. Within a few more miles we reached Tallin where we soon found the hotel about 9:00 pm.
Sightseeing In Tallin
Tallin is an old walled European city with a large port. This was also, we had been told, the town where many Finns came to drink and have fun since it has less restrictive drinking laws. It is true that the larger hotels seem to cater to Finnish tourists and we met several, especially one night at a floor show in the hotel. But Tallin was not as wild as we expected, it was not exactly a Las Vegas. We wanted to extend an extra night here and made the arrangements. The first day we explored on our own and the next hired a guide. We knew the old town was only a block away and told Intourist we wanted a guide without a car so the guide services only cost $15.00 or $7.50 each which we thought was a bargain. We explained to the guide where we had been the, first day. She took us to places we had missed or wanted to see because we needed more details.
Tallin To Leningrad
We left early for Leningrad. According to the map, from talking with people, and actually having a guide book for this part the journey we knew,the road would be straight and not especially interesting. From Tallin to Leningrad is a commonly used route. However, about an hour out of from Tallin we came to a rise where we had a good view of the Baltic Sea. Just a bit further we saw a sign in Estonian that said "Triathlon." We decided, once again, to go off the beaten track and drove into the countryside following the signs. Passing an occasional bicyclist, we saw the starting point with a small crowd of people in the village of Voka. They were amazed to see us. There actually was an American in the race, Mark Volcks, from Chicago. The race official thought we were there to cheer him on, so we did. Their local newspaper photographer took our picture which we received a few days after we arrived home. After resting and visiting for about an hour we had to be on our way again.
We always tried to arrive in the cities before evening and wanted to reach Leningrad before dusk as it is a very large city. We had been warned about the Russians, especially their taxi drivers, by various people in the Republics. As luck would have it we were stopped for the fourth time speeding. They fined us 10 rubles or about $2.00, paid on the spot. The officer explained that the last station had clocked our speed and they were waiting for us!
We figured we would get lost in Leningrad but after some blundering around we found the Neva River from where we could spot our hotel. We arrived at the entrance about 8:00 pm. In late July it is not truly dark until well after midnight.
This was one of the largest Russian hotels in Leningrad but they had no private parking at the site. We had been told to drop off our baggage, drive twenty miles to a secured parking site, take a taxi back to the hotel. However, we were tired and decided to try another tactic. We simply asked if we could park in the lobby. They said "yes." We pushed the bike into the lobby, to the baggage area, covered it, and there it stayed for the next three days.
There is no need to go into detail about Leningrad since it is described in most tour books. Let's just say that Leningrad was nearly destroyed during the war and has no old city, as such, left. We were able to see most of what we wanted by taking a city bus tour. We also took walks around the city by ourselves, used the street cars, seeing parts of Leningrad that few Americans ever see, like the end of the street car line. On one street car stop however, one of us jumped off, the other didn't and could have spent the rest of her life riding around Leningrad on a street car reading Russian street signs trying to figure out how to get back to the hotel. Fortunately, after about two hours, we found each other.
The next day we wanted a private guide to tour the Hermitage which was a very long walk from our hotel. By now we had the system figured out. Intourist said we could have a guide but would have to have transportation. The guided trip with their auto would cost $112.00 American but without the auto only $64.00 (one half) for four hours or $8.00 each per hour. We told Intourist we had our own vehicle, which was true. The next idea was to go to the doorman and ask the price of a taxi. It would be $5.00 American dollars. In the United States this would be reasonable but a rip off in the USSR. Next, we questioned him about paying in rubles and were told the taxi stop was "just around the corner." When our guide arrived she was quite astonished to find that she would be going by Russian taxi. When we reached the Hermitage we asked how much to pay and she did not know, but suggested we give the driver three rubles which we did, only to receive two back. Our guide said not only was she usually overcharged by taxi drivers but that it happened more with tourists when the driver could charge more. Just another illustration of the kind of luck we had the entire trip, but others should beware.
One reason we wanted a private guide was not only to point out the pieces we might overlook but we could usethe private entrance. Otherwise, we would have had to stand in line three hours before reaching the door. We spent about three hours in the Hermitage and found that years would be necessary to see it all. As we had gone through 20 or more museums and art centers even before Leningrad we were really very tired and had absorbed all the art we could. Upon leaving we took a street car most of the way back and then chose to walk the remaining blocks.
On our last day we took a hydrofoil tour about 20 miles outside the city to visit the summer palace. Unfortunately, it was closed for repairs and we could only walk around the grounds. While waiting for the return ride we decided to get a drink but just as we walked up the kiosk closed. Time was getting short before the last returning hydrofoil so we rushed to get our tickets. We felt we had to have a drink because there would be no telling when anything would be available. So, back to the one kiosk that was open. There was such a long, long line; we knew the boat would leave before the slow line allowed us to buy a drink. On a hunch we walked up to the closed kiosk, found the "owner" and asked if we could buy two Pepsi (yes, they have Pepsi in Leningrad) for $1.00. Not only could we buy it but he invited us in because he wanted to sell us some black market goods. We managed to get our drinks and some rolls before the boat left.
After the boat trip we had to solve a problem. Too much money or actually, too many rubles. We had exchanged about $50.00, as we entered Russia, and then another $100.00 with most of it still in our pockets. Nothing to spend it on and when you leave the Soviet Union you can not leave with rubles; they take it. With a cool, overcast evening remaining we walked downtown to the local artist's market which we had seen on the city bus tour. Most of the rubles we spent on small paintings since they were flat, thin items that could travel in the limited space on the motorcycle.
Last Morning in Russia
We left early after some rain the night before and headed north from Leningrad. The countryside changed and soon we were in a part of Russia that had been captured from Finland during World War II. It was the wooded sort of area that one imagines Finland to be. Within a couple of hours we reached the border and were concerned that we might have a ten hour wait to be processed out by the Russians. Once at the exit wefound that of the three booths only two were occupied and one was completely empty. They did not inspect our baggage. The customs agents and guards were friendly, admired our bike, took our remaining 50 rubles (about $5.00AM). We could have them back anytime we wanted within the next three years. While we were there however, a caravan of six or seven vans with young people arrived complete with camping gear. They were made to remove and open each and every bag. We have no idea how much time it took for them to clear customs as we left.
Our adventure in Russia was over. Our goals accomplished. We had set out on forbidden transportation, traveled on forbidden roads, through forbidden areas, being one of the first Americans to do so, having a very good time, and meeting wonderful people. We did it without a service van, without a guide, and without understanding any of the several languages of the Republics we visited. None of the bad things happened to us that one hears so much about such as constant police surveilance. While the most difficult part of the trip was over our journey was not finished. But now, we would simply be motorcyclists in an area that many Americans had seen before, or at least, so we thought.
Finland
About an hour into Finland we stopped at a town with a population of about 5 thousand. This one town had more stores, restaurants and other shops than we had seen in almost our entire trip in the Soviet Union. The Finns were very friendly and appeared not to have seen many Americans, especially on a motorcycle. We asked for a restaurant and as the entrance was very difficult to find a young woman escorted us to it from the tourist center.
A couple more hours and we were in Helsinki. It didn't take long before we realized that we would be spending more in one day in the Scandinavian countries than all of the days in the Soviet Union. We had gone from a country where money could buy very little, because it didn't exist, to a country where money could buy very little because it was so expensive. But, it was great being in such a contrast where everything we wanted was available. Nothing was planned now because we never thought we would get this far. At this point we gathered up the few things we had bought, in Hungary, the USSR and the helmet receiver/ mics which had failed, so as to lighten our load. We mailed them, slow postal (cheap), which would take about four months to arrive in Oregon. Actually, it only took six weeks.
We got the impression that not many Americans visited Helsinki and certainly not on BMWs. However, that is only an impression. One person did tell us that the "in" things were Harley Davidson choppers; we did see a few.
We were planning to stay in Helsinki for two days then drive to the west coast to catch a ferry to Stockholm. By now high season and the ferry company would not just stow the motorcycle anywhere but insisted that we buy a space. These things cannot be done on the spur of the moment. By the time we made our reservations it was too late and we would have to stay three days.
After two days, however, we left Helsinki driving along the southern coast. Finland is 93% Finnish and 7% Swedish but we soon learned that this 7% is concentrated along the coast so that 93% of the coastal inhabitants are Swedes. Outside of Helsinki we stopped in Ekenas and enjoyed brunch. In an out of the way place we saw a sign advertising a jousting tournament in a town with the unusual name of "Snappertuna." Locating the tourist office we learned that only a few miles back the way we had just driven was an old castle. Back we went and to our surprise met several Englishmen who travel throughout Europe giving their jousting exhibition. They seemed quite pleased to meet someone else who could speak English and gave us the cook's tour plus tickets to their perfor- mance, which we greatly enjoyed. It was quite warm. After a few hours at the castle another hour and a half took us to the coast where we stayed overnight in Turku.
The next day we leisurely toured Turku before catching the night ferry. It was a very large ferry boat holding several thousand people. We had our own private cabin, the only choice, since we had booked it so late. However, if we were to do this again we would sleep out on deck as one person did. Many others slept in the enclosed decks of the ferry. The ferry trip took 11 hours arriving at 9:00 am in Stockholm.
Sweden And Denmark
Stockholm was even more expensive than Finland. A bottle of beer costs $6.00 and a Coke $4.00. While we stayed in moderate (but still expensive) hotels and ate in nice restaurants it is possible to beat the system even in the Scandinavian countries. One can camp out, going to the open air markets to eat for a little more than what it would cost in the United States. However, we decided that we could allow ourselves the luxury of living as we wanted, in part, because of all the money we had not spent in the USSR.
After two days in Stockholm we headed toward the west coast of Sweden and the ferry to Denmark. We stopped for lunch and a walk to another castle on a high bluff over looking an island. After a long ride we arrived in the city of Helsingberg and drove onto the ferry. It was a short ride before we docked. The next stop was the city of Roskilde, west of Copenhagan.
Roskilde was an interesting old capital city with interesting things to see. That night we stayed in a college dormitory which is used for tourists during the summer. It was late by the time we registered so we went for dinner immediately. We found a cafe with seating outside. As we waited for our meal, we met two sisters; one now living in Greenland and only visiting. She was quite amazed to learn that we were Americans. The only Americans she had previously met were "fat Italian-Americans" who had been on a tour bus in Italy. According to her, they were constantly asking the tour guide when was the next time they were to eat. The other Americans she had met were "fat, southern Americans" whom her daughter had stayed with during a visit to the States and who then come to Denmark to visit. The Danes were amazed at how over-weight these people were and the amount that they ate. So, we were the first "normal" Americans she had met and further impressed her with the fact that we were touring on a motorcycle.
The following day we visited the church where all of the Danish kings are buried, inside, except one. There is a museum which houses Viking ships discovered beneath the sea, near the entrance to the bay.
Denmark To Stade, Germany
Day Nineteen: Time to be off to Germany, down the autobahn. At the German border we were waved through. We chose to leave the authobahn to travel in the rural part of Germany avoiding Hamburg and north of the Elba which we crossed that night by ferry, the fourth ferry of the trip, but the shortest. By evening we reached Stade and roamed around this old European town before returning to our hotel.
Stade To Munden
Day Twenty: This day we began touring what was termed the Roman scenic trip through Germany, north to south, but we first stopped briefly in the city of Hamburg. A second short sidetrip was to see the statue of the Bremen Town Musicians, from the old folktale, in Bremen. A bit disappointing as it was so small.
Day Twenty-one: It has been very warm. In Munden, east of Kessel, we were quite happy to find a room after three tries. The shower felt great. The desk people at the other hotels were willing to suggest other hotels, but following the directions to them was another matter. This very old hotel had a quite beautiful facade. As was our custom, we walked around the old city, having dinner outside before returning to our room. We are far enough south now to notice the shorter daylight hours.
Day Thirty: August second, our last day but we did not want our journey to end. We took our time exploring many small towns along the road to Munich. We saw what appeared to be a bird reserve, so off onto a village road, up a hill, along a dirt tract to a primitive parking area. Even though there was an obvious trail we left the bike to walk to the top. We saw no birds but met a man flying a remote controlled glider. He mentioned that this was not the best day for flying as the thermals were not strong enough. Even though we didn't see the birds, the view was spectacular.
Finally, we had to be off to Munich, to the hotel where we had started 30 days ago. We would return the motorcycle on schedule. It was about 8:00 pm when we arrived. After a quick shower we joined Bob Beach, his wife and other motorcyclists for dinner. It had been a long, full day so after exchanging stories we left to pack our gear and to bed about 1:00 am. The next morning we caught the train to the airport for the flight back to Oregon.
Basically, the journey of 4000 miles in 30 days had ended. We spent one afternoon and evening in Copenhagen on the way home. It was almost as we knew that within the next 48 hours we would be home; all that we had experienced would just be memories. But, as with all good experiences the feelings, new ideas and expectations would remain to be examined again as we share them with others.
To summarize: "It was a once in a life time experience."
Editors note: This was in fact, only the first of their motorcycle adventures. Their next two trips were motorcycle trips into and across Siberia. Videos of these trips are available as they always carry one or two video cameras. Go to Videos
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