When our plan to see Russia by Trans-Siberian Railway began to look like a logistical nightmare (thanks to the giant bikes we'd have in tow, and how often we'd want to get off to see the countryside) we took the off-hand suggestion of Tara's brother, "just buy a car and drive across!" to heart.
As we cycled towards Russia, we learned that car-buying in the former Soviet Union would be a nightmarish sea of bureaucracy. So, we changed course yet again—this time we took an epic three-day train ride to Germany, where we'd heard that buying vehicles would be quick, cheap, and easy.
Thus, we cycled from Munich to Berlin, made some great friends on the way, and stayed with the Vietnamese grandmother of a friend of ours when we got there. A few days after our arrival in the capital, we purchased a red 1991 Toyota Corolla hatchback which we dubbed LRC (little red car).
Next, we completely dismantled our bikes and stuffed them carefully into the trunk like a jigsaw puzzle. Then, we hit the road, ready for a new adventure after nearly a year of cycling.
Our road trip began in Poland, where we met an awesome and inspiring reader Janka. After Poland came Lithuania, where we saw a vision of our future at readers Tomas and Jurgita's family cabin. Following Lithuania came the green fields, blue sea, and amber road of Latvia. Finally, we arrived in Estonia, ready to catch a ferry to Finland where we would cross into Russia.
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