Edelweiss

We left a rainy Irkutsz by mini bus heading for Olkhon Island. After 3 hours of driving on tarmac roads we went 'off piste' onto dirt tracks across the Baikal Steppe, making a few stops for photos along the way. At the first couple there were a few other people around but after that we didn't see another vehicle. At one of our stops I noticed the flora was looking very alpine with tiny plants & lichen. Our guide then explained that due to the clean quality of the air there were many alpine plants and sometimes you can even find an edelweiss. My granny was a botany teacher and taught me about edelweiss when I was a little girl so I thought it would be lovely if I saw one. I was amazed to spot this on our way back to the minibus. Made my day.