I was hoping we’d get up early. Sergi and Natasha slept in till after 10:00 a.m. They then provided breakfast and we set out to do some sightseeing. First we viewed a monument dedicated to the Russian space program, which included a rocket. I had to see how that thing was put together. I took some pictures of it and the nozzles that directed the thrust of the rocket engines. It was all pretty interesting. Then we were off to look at Volga River. We stopped at a scenic overlook which gave the best view of the river. Then we stopped at a café along the river and had a small snack and tea. At this time we met two motorcycle riders from Norske/Norway. They were riding two 1934 motorcycles with side cars. These motorcycles are old. Unbelievable…….Their plans are to ride around the world like this and they are carrying enough spare parts to rebuild an entire motorcycle, except for the engine block. I believe they have a stash of parts somewhere in the state of Massachusetts and their intention is to rebuild their motorcycles when they arrive. They are true Norsemen who like to wander and sail the seas. They have no time frame that they are locked into and they just keep moving or stop when they want. What a life! I believe their plans are to come thru Europe like I did: Ukraine, Russia, Kazakstan, Mongolia, back into Russia, then drive up the Road of Bones to Magadan, Russia. Then they will ship their motorcycles to America somewhere and drive down thru Central and South America. Then they will ship their bikes to South Africa and work their way North to Europe and Back to Norway. They plan to be on the road for the next two years. Believe it or not………………Their tales just leave your mouth hanging open.
After meeting them, we departed for the Samara city center and walked around on the waterfront and looked at several different war memorials. From there we drove into the old part of the city and looked at the buildings. This city has history that goes back to 1584 and most of its commerce came from the Volga River. Most of its merchants are skilled traders and they have very little experience in tourism. From there we went to Joseph Stalin’s Bunker that he used during WW II. It was closed. That sure would have been a great tour. I kind of hated to miss that. I took a picture at the door. The whole neighborhood was downplayed so as to look like a normal neighborhood and not the Headquarters of the Russian Army and Government.
We came back to Sergi and Natasha’s flat to rest and eat supper/dinner. By way, the did I mention Natasha is a great driver? Then to another party with the Norwegian guys Klaus and Tora. Earlier they told me they didn’t have maps for Kazakhstan and Mongolia. I thought about it for a while and said that maybe I had maps they could have. Then I asked them if they had a computer and they said yes. So before going to the party we stopped at the garage and I checked through my maps and sure enough I had maps for Kazakhstan and Mongolia. I also took along my CD with the world maps on it, just in case they can load it. I rode with Natasha, Sergi took his 1989 H-D and Andrey and his sweetie took their Honda. We locked up the garage and off we went. It was quite a long ride, probably close to 40 Km/24 miles. I took pictures of Sergi and Andrey on their motorcycles while they were riding them. When we got to the party, Klaus and Tora had washed their motorcycles and they looked really great. We spoke some and I gave them the Kazakhstan and Mongolian maps, and showed them the Russian atlas I bought at the bookstore in Kursk. They really liked that with all the information it provided. They took a picture of the atlas so when they go to the book store they can show the people the picture and hopefully purchase the book. They were very happy about that. I also showed them the World Maps CD and asked if they’d like to load it on their laptop computers. Klaus loaded his first and it had Vista Windows in it. It didn’t like the CD. So with some trial and error we finally got it loaded. Then Tora loaded it on his computer with no problem. I showed Klaus how it worked and he said “this is great. We sure will be able to use it all over the world in our travels.” We talked about more traveling and then joined the party. One of thing I noticed at these parties is that anyone who attends the party and drinks whiskey/beer does not ride their motorcycle home. I wonder what the fine is if you get caught drinking and driving? Another quote I heard from the Norwegian guys that is worth remembering is, “how good the food tastes is determined by the level of the hunger.” In my case that sure is the truth. We all shook hands, took pictures and then departed for home as Monday is a work day in Russia.
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