I fell in love with Irkutsk, and I think you’ll see why (including the Decembrist Trubetskoy Manor and lots of views of the River Angara…and even another Lenin statue, since they’re ubiquitous, even if far from my favorite statues):
Small chapel in Irkutsk’s main square
Irkutsk actually had good tourist info
The former House of Soviets
Church of the Savior behind the former House of Soviets
Church of the Savior
Catholic Church, a rarity
First view towards the Angara River
Frescos on Church of the Savior
Church of the Epiphany
Close-up, Church of the Savior
Cadets by the war memorial
The River Angara
Locks on the pedestrian bridge by Angara River
Angara River
Angara River
Angara River view
Another view on the river walk
Angara
By the river
Moscow Triumphal Arch
Walking away from the river
One of the old wooden houses
Wooden house neighborhood
More wooden houses
Wooden house
A pretty well-kept wooden house
Joshua Feinberg’s mansion
On a square
Walkin’ in Irkutsk
On a big street
The synagogue
What I thought was the Trubetskoy House…
Trubetskoy Manor
Why gee golly, I guess they have a sense of humor about tourists in Irkutsk
Another city, another Lenin
Epiphany Cathedral (?)
Epiphany Cathedral(?)
The symbol of Irkutsk
Another neo-classical facade
Pretty sure this translates to Jesus Christ, Superstar
Museum…closed:(
Tsar Alexander III
Tsar Alexander III
Peeking through the fence
Soviet looking memorial
Random hidden scupture garden
Little Big Ben, anyone?
Thinking…
Irkutsk
The incredible blue ice at Lake Baikal (and scenes from Listvyanka):
Baikal blue…ice
A view over the lake
Another view over the lake
The ice crunched up on the shore
More blue ice
Scenic ice scrunches
Listvyanka, pretty quiet in April
Look at that blue!
An Orthodox church, Listvyanka
One of the unique freshwater seals
Cold perfection
The Volkonsky Manor, a Decembrist’s home in exile:
Volkonsky Manor
Volkonsky Manor
Leaving Irkutsk:
trails untrod 