Success and sunbathing

Volgograd 7th August

We have spent the last 2 days enjoying the sunshine in Volgograd and hit the local sandy beach with our uneven zebra tans. Actually, most of our tan had disappeared after the rubbish weather we had experienced during the previous 3 weeks.

To get to the beach we had to get a boat to the other side of the Volga. The beach was absolutely packed, not only with people but also with rubbish strewn all over it. A real shame, because it could have been a nice beach. We settled down for the afternoon and quickly forgot about the miserable rain and cold weather we had thought would never end. It seems that the weather here can be as changeable as back home.

In the evening we went to see Mother Volga, a huge striking statue that Ants mentioned in her previous blog. It was a beautifully clear evening and we enjoyed a spectacular sunset, while Ants explained to me the significance of the spot where we sat and the blood that had been shed during horrific battles in WWII. Why people still feel the need to go to war (including our embarrassing present government) I do not understand. Violence breeds violence and there can be no such thing as a just war.

Today we had expected to hit the road and head west towards the Ukraine. However, we were waiting for a parcel from England that did not arrive. We were told that we may have to wait for another couple of days and so decided to hit the beach again. As it was monday the beach was more empty, but that didn't stop us attracting attention from the local drunk. His name was Valeri and Ants suddenly forgot (intentionally) all of her Russian. Valeri indicated to me that I needed a manicure and he proceeded to try and clean under my fingernails with a biro, which actually just made them go blue. He also then took a grasp of my love handles and didn't let go until Ants and I both let out a yelp. We decided we had had enough sun and headed back across the Volga.

When we got back to the hotel we were thrilled to find that our parcel had arrived. Now we can hit the road tomorrow and should be in the Ukraine on wednesday. After a relaxing and sun filled weekend we are ready for another tukking week.