In the capital of Siberia...

It's so hot here. You wouldn't believe it! I'm sitting in the park on a bench in the shade, getting ready for Irkutsk and the time at Lake Baikal. Today is Russia Day, a national holiday. Many Russians are out and about. According to Apple Weather, it's 27 degrees, but it feels like 30. I've done a lot of walking today. Past the State Theatre for Opera and Ballet, the largest in Russia, the Philharmonic, a small chapel that supposedly stands in the geographical center of Russia, the German Consulate General, and finally the Alexander Nevsky Church with its huge golden domes. Now I've been to the market and was happy to meet an Uzbek who spoke English and sold me fruits for my next Trans-Siberian section.

Communication...: Nobody speaks English (except the Uzbek from the market). So I'm getting by with Google Translate. Long live the internet and the good network coverage in Russia!

Even finding the hostel was a challenge, as the sign is unremarkable and only in Cyrillic script. I feel like a 5-year-old taking her first steps into reading and rejoicing when it works out: ppaaaaarrrrk chhhostel....