Trans Siberian Express Part 2

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Geo: 54.5721, 88.7695

Trans Siberian Express 12th - 15th July

So the 'Rosea' is a train and a half, we were in 1st class this time which mean the beds are pre-made (ohlala), we have a/c as opposed to a fan and there's a tv (which didn't work but no matter), meanwhile are new mates are in a regular carriage that has broken a/c so thay was pretty rough - we lost the a/c for the last day and it was yuk. Amazingly Siberia in summer is hot and sticky. Also the dining car has chips and eggs so woohoo. 1st stop that evening was Zima at 21:52 where we all unloaded for ice creams then we hung out with our aussie mates til sunset at 11pm which was AWESOME as the aussies say, but it really was. Clock went back 1 hour - over the next 3 days we'd go back 5 hours and because Russia is so big and has so many time differences all railway stations are on Moscow time which can be a bit confusing til you cop on!

Woke for sunrise the next day and then went straight back to sleep - there was a time I couldn't sleep on the train but not anymore. Hours later at 10.30 after we crossed the yenisey river there was a stop at Krasnoyarsk city where I was too lazy to get off C. arrives back with ice cream for brekker, yum. I don't know what happened in cattle class but a lady came and vacuumed our cabin, fancy! Spent the day reading and writing and then the tea time stop was at Mariimk. Later we were in a trivia quiz in the bar cart and my team won, C's came second ha ha. After the most interminable game of cards we had sunset at 22.45 in Novasibirisk, the largest city in Siberia (even has metro), and one of the Kiwi's nearly got back on the train going the other direction, which was really funny as he was spaced out on antibiotics, he thought it was funny too.

Next day saw another lovely dawn and 1st stop of the day was at 9:30 at Ishim. Siberian scenery is trees, trees and more trees, not what I expected really but they are lovely trees mainly birch and just at the end of Siberia it gets a bit marshy and flat and out last Siberian stop was at 12:20 in Tyumen (oil capital of Siberia). I was very adverntureous at the next stop that evening in Ekatherenberg where I actually left the platform and went into the station to the wc! (They close the toilets on the train for 15km before and after a town for sanitary reasons). Anyway Ekatherenberg is the place where they executed their Russian royalty! And also this was the last stop in the Asian Urals.

So we entered Europe at 18:30 on 13th July. This mammoth continent change is marked only by a small white obelisk complete with a local granny resting with 1 foot in each continent (but I doubt she's there everyday!) The train doesn't even slow down when it passes so watching everyone trying photograph it out the window was funny and seeing some of the results was even funnier, mind you C managed to get a good shot so I am happy. And after more chips and eggs and card games our 1st European-Russian stop was Perm at 22:17 and another awesome sunset.

After crossing the Volga on morning 3 our 1st stop was in Gorky at 12.10. Finished my book today (Prayer for Owen Meany by J. Irving) which was so funny in parts C thought I'd fall out of my bunk laughing. This was day we lost our a/c too and it was sweltering plus by mow I was getting pretty ratty 77 hours on a train is a looooong time, so there was nothing for it but hit the nemiroff vodka. Vladamir was the 2pm stop and it could have been the captial if it wasn't for the Mongols. There was a cool WWII train at the station though. Spent the afternoon teaching the aussie teenagers poker, a vital skill for any teenager I think you'll agree.

Finally on 15 Jul at 17.43 we arrived in Moscow Yaraslavl station.

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