Day 26 - The Circum-Baikal Railway

It was an early morning departing the hotel at 7am to the train station to catch the line to Baikal Village. The electric line took us through many small villages and towns and then over snow covered low mountains and shadowed valleys. .

Two hours later we arrived at the Lake Baikal station where we disembarked in order to watch the engines changed out. Electric became steam and we were once again off and running, this time along the western coast of the lake. 

The sun came out, the clouds disappeared and we had a spectacular day viewing the shoreline,   Tunnel after tunnel, interspersed with stone tressels over babbling streams decorated the already beautiful scenery. 

We stopped once to investigate the bridge system and again to walk through an older, now unused tunnel.  The snow evaporated in the dry, sunny air and the golden  grass and vivid evergreens, stark white birch, and flaming red bushes enhanced the landscape. 

Across the lake the knees of the northeast Himilayas shone and glimmered in high splendor bathed in the twinkling, almost blinding sunlight. 

We enjoyed several additional stoos where we got off the trsin for more splendid views. At one we visited a remote shoreline village where we haf a REALLY great lunchbof borsht, chicken, potatoes, and dessert...all served outside in the crisp einter sir and bright sun. 

We ended our train ride at Port Baikal. It was dark when we boarded a questionably stable ferry with no light...yikes...and made it across the river mouth to our bus waiting on the other side. One hour later we were back at the hotel safe and sound. 

Wow!!!  What an amazing day!!!