Vladivostok
Well, it’s about time I finally wrote about Vladivostok.
The weather, upon arriving, was abhorrent. It was humid yet cold. It was pouring, too. After camping out in the train station for nearly an hour, Vlad and I ventured out. It seemingly took forever, but I managed to order a taxi that would take us to my hostel so I could drop off my bags. The plan after that was to get Vlad over to the school he’d be going to in the fall.
After finally getting into my hostel, we walked down the road to what felt like the world’s edge. Besides the last three weeks I had spent traversing Russia by train, I had spent the previous four months in an extensive lockdown. To say that the smell of the sea was refreshing and welcoming would be an understatement. After taking many photos, I collected some rocks before heading toward the university with Vlad.
I waited for Vlad on the first floor because I could not enter the university building beyond the lobby. He reappeared a couple of minutes later, and we headed off into the city.
We explored nearly every inch of the city within a reasonable walking distance for us. While I dread walking everywhere, I had solace that there was supposed to be a funicular up to a viewing point. Unfortunately, it was the funicular’s day off, much to my dismay.
After squeezing as much as possible out of this city, Vlad and I found ourselves sitting outside, drinking beer in the city center. While a bit humid, the weather was terrific. Eventually, the time came for us to head over to the train station so that Vlad could make his return trip home. After a somber farewell, Vlad was off.
I made my way back to my hostel, stopping for a tiny bit. I went to bed that night, knowing that I would probably sleep in as much as possible. I would have loved to stay longer in Vladivostok, and I hope to return there one day, but the flight options beyond that day were expensive or fully booked.
The next day, I woke up too late, but the real issue was my ordering sushi. I needed more. Moscow sushi is dreadful. I placed an order online and picked it up; I would save it for the airport. After a taxi ride with a way-too-talkative driver, the security officer was perplexed by my take-out bag. I made it with 20 minutes to spare, just enough to eat my sushi. After savoring every bite of sushi that tasted like sushi, I was on the plane on my way back to the place I called home, Moscow.
