I had finally reached the long-awaited week, not because my life depended upon it, but because in the end my project was to visit the world’s largest country. The week was presented fantastic, bright sunshine accompanied me all day and we had temperatures above 20 ° C. Estonia was giving me the best day of the year, as the weather is concerned. And so I came to the border, but go by parts and do not advance, there is time to explain everything.

Goodbye Estonia!

First was the farewell to Tallinn, but this city trapped and take long to say goodbye to her. If in the morning I had fun with Christine and Maksim visiting the lake where all citizens of the city drinking it, afternoon met Meelis and his mother that I was invited to lunchand you know that for me you have to win my stomach! With this completely unexpected stop I could know what was formerly the street circuit in Tallinn and the curve where who left us one of the most successful drivers in the history of urban racing, Joey Dunlop.

It gave me time to do thirty kilometers and camp on the shore of Lake Maardu. I have commented several times about camping in visible or walkable places, but the peace that reigned in this place inspiring camping, pure sample of freedom!

I started following cycle paths, with only bike tracks well marked, until I got to reconnect with the Eurovelo No. 10, which paradoxically by road diverts you. I could see the Jägala river valley and its waterfall. It is the largest natural waterfall in Estonia, with a height of 8.1 meters and 50 meters wide.

The route is simple until I start using my head … then it gets complicated! The coast is a complete zigzag that sometimes makes you go round, an hour and trip between Loksa to Loksa. Luckily recover the path and continue on the right track. It may be due to weather but I think the northern coast of Estonia is the most beautiful.

With all lived, I came to Narva, a border city with Russia. The entrance for cyclists is the same as for those entering on foot, 90cm normal doors … stuck at the gates of the border I abandoned Estonia, if only all were omens!

Russia

The start expected?

Waiting in the queue a good man told me I had to fill out a form, as only Russian written form could not understand what was and of course I was wrong the first time. So once at customs I was refused entry making me back, this time with the correct form. With a smile customs give me back the passport with the visa stamped I was in Russia! A not wait… Negrita has become stuck in the metal detector? Interestingly, the detector did not ring, so it was not active, but managed a strong push her out of the trap and out of the border finally on Russian soil.

I spent half an hour in wait opened the only office that I had found to change money in Ivangorod. Currency between Euro and Russian rubles is now 1 € = 73.23RUB to me made me change to 1 € = 71.81RUB, it did not went wrong. I leave the bank and buy my own GPS, the road map. Normally I get maps at the tourist offices, but the girl of the office in Ivangorod only speak Russian and have nothing. I begin to think this area is not very touristy. With everything needed I start my Russian route. The E20 is the national road from St. Petersburg to Ivangorod and the road which leads directly to Tallinn. On the map it looks like a highway, but here are no highways. It is a road with roadside, which is unusual, and two-way traffic. A lane depending on the driver can decide whether it is one or two. The first kilometers I could see the trucks were stopped a kilometric queue to cross the border. My idea was to leave the main road and traveling along the coast, so at the first intersection I turned left and went into a small village called Захонье. The road stops being paved to become a bumpy track land.

The arrest

I am surprised that such a path into this detailed road map for cars, but it is. I get see a fox fleeing me, as they always do. Then I saw a jeep stopped on the side of the road with soldiers resting inside the vehicle. Continuous I’ve seen nothing to make me suspect that something bad was doing. They call my attention with horn and I stop. They ask for documentation that I hand it over quietly and started having a conversation via mobile translator. Am I Arrested? But what I have done Mr. agent? It seems to be in the border area. I did not understand anything, the map showed me the border several kilometers to the west and I headed down a way that never goes west. They tell me I have to accompany them in the car and I tell them without my Negrita I’m not going anywhere. They make a call and tell me that is a vehicle for interrogation is comming here. As we only had to wait for the arrival of the car, I decided it was a good time to stop and have lunch.

Comes the car. It is another jeep with four military: the driver, a commanding officer and two soldiers with rifles timeworn. I think I’ve seen those weapons in a museum, certainly not come to question me there. I am informed that lead me to military barracks for interrogation and I must put the bike inside the car. I have to disassemble the whole front of Negrita and some packages of the back for it to enter. Thus the five stuck in the jeep, I was taken back to the military barracks in Ivangorod.

Surprised to see that in all barracks only one officer could speak English. They put me in a room that looked like a school classroom with tables and chairs. Pictures with military scenes and on the front of the room, where would the teacher’s blackboard, photos of Putin and two generals hung high on the wall. They knew exactly who was and why was there, it was virtually all bureaucracy and paperwork. I met two Estonian boys who have also been arrested for the same reason as me, they just wanted to see the river. English-speaking military leaves and another comes in who does the paperwork. Thanks to one of the arrested boys speak English we can communicate and fill out the papers. Although I learned to reach St. Petersburg by Alexander who helped me over the phone, it is that if I were to be arrested again I will export the country and I can not return to Russia until five years… and I will discuss this at the end the post.

St. Petersburg

Once canceled the original route for Russia, there was only me go straight to the capital of culture and arts in the country. What they call the Venice of the Northwhich by the way that is enough! We all know Venice is beautiful and special for its canals, but since I travel every time I get to a city with canals they call it the Venice of… a little more self-esteem please! All places are beautiful and special, comparisons end up being tiresome and tedious because St. Petersburg has nothing to do with Venice, neither better nor worse, just different.

I arrived in the city on Sunday at noon. The entrance is difficult, as you can imagine. Cars do not have much respect for cyclists, although at this point I’m used to and even I expected a worse traffic in Russia is not so bad, this area is quite European in what can be. Before going to see my host in Russia I decided to visit the center, so I could see St. Isaac’s Cathedral of the XIX century.

In the palace square, where is the winter palace where empress Ekaterina II kept all his collections of paintings, now become the most famous museum “Ermitage” museum city. Next to find the tourist office that was what interested me not to be lost in the city. Although really what caught my attention was the concert that had assembled in the square.

This city was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as an outpost on the Neva River. The city grew rapidly becoming the capital of the Russian empire for two centuries was the center of culture and arts of Russia. It was also the center of the Russian naval fleet where built their military ships in the shipyards of the city. The Almirantazo. Since its foundation the city has changed names three times, in 1914 called Petrograd in 1924 called Leningrad in honor of Lenin and in 1991 the city was renamed St. Petersburg.

Legend

I’m getting fond of legends. St. Petersburg is a fairly new city, just over 300 years of history and have a lot of foreign origin, as the Chinese lions, sphinx from ancient Thebes capital of the ancient Egyptian empire, and that more I liked the Atlantean.

The Atlanteans are sculptures that hold the roof of the entrance of the new Hermitage Museum. In Greek mythology, the Titans Atlas leader in the war against the Olympics or Titanimaquia. Once defeated the Titans, the god Zeus condemned Atlas to hold the skies. So we see the figures of Atlas holding the ceiling. Well, the legend in the city is that the bride and groom in their wedding day have to touch the thumbs of the Atlanteans for their marriage to be happy. Hopefully the thumbs of the feet relate!

Epilogue

Although it has ended in an anecdote, and had not discussed the issue in other countries, I am compelled to express myself, because I want to and because the title of this post requires.

I’ve been biking 18 countries and 26 countries traveled by my personal account. I never had problems before with the authorities and I hate having them for incompetence of these.

Russia is very big and I had planned to see very little of it, but because of a restrictive policy and threatening I don’t have seen or even 50% of what was planned, and it’s obviously a shame. A shame because it is a country with citizens eager to open to the world and show how beautiful they are. Of course, that only I have seen in St. Petersburg it is the place where I can move more freely.

Along the route I decided to do it in two days, I do not want to go home thinking how negative the matter. On the road I found at the end as in other countries. There are people who doesn’t care about you as a shit, like everywhere we are not going to cheat, but I have also found people who greet you, they would like to talk to you but here almost all only speak Russian so communication is difficult. In short, they have their customs, their cultures but people in the background are good, when I asked for help me have offered.

But politics is another matter I don’t usually talk about this, I’m always more interested in what their people, architecture, nature and all that, but for the first time have seen how politics takes your privacy and freedom.

You can not call tourists who have to pay a huge rate to get the visa and then restricting their areas without even warn them, because it is logical that they will fall into the trap. And I firmly believe that all tourists when we see a sign not enter restricted area. Nobody wants problems outside their country. What threaten me with I don’t enter Russia for 5 years if I be arrested again? The truth is I will not come back to the country about the 100€ that I had to pay for that visa. And I could be afraid of being arrested again, is more, it could happen again when I approached the border with Finland as the main road going to Vyborg Выборг which is on the coast, and if the border area (the coast also is border) is 5 to 20 kilometers… you will tell me, I’m still thinking how to get rid of this. Although it will come and sure get.

We can look at a field and look at only shit in it, or we can see how the fertilizer is consumed by plants that someday produce beautiful fruits and flowers. It’s all about perspective. The point is that the fertilizer is consumed by the plant, I am a spectator in the world. Russians are the ones who have to fight for their freedom, and to ensure visitors safety. I really hope that someday, Russians and travelers can visit the country freely without feeling threatened or doing something illegal.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me on social networks and have sent me messages encouraging me, I wear you all in the suitcases!

I also want to especially thank Alexander for the help offered during this time, for the hospitality and support. Thanks friend!

Thank you all for reading me and be with me 🙂

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