Blogs from Russia, Europe - page 300

I felt worse when I woke up. It was painfully similar to my illness in Yaroslavl. My whole body ached, especially my back and kidneys. There was a pain behind my eyes. I was too weak to get out of bed but could never manage to sleep for long. Every time I moved there was a gurgling in my chest that would become heartburn, and my nose was too blocked to breathe properly. ... read more

So liebe Leute, ich habe von den letzten fuenf Tagen mindestens die Haelfte im Zug verbracht. Dabei ca. 2500 km zurueckgelegt und zwei Zeitzonen hinter mir. Nun bin ich nach Zwischenstopp in Ufa wieder in Chelyabinsk gelandet. Komisch, wenn ich hierherkomme, als Gast, als Reisender und dennoch irgendwie auch als Rueckkehrer. Doch zuerst einmal kurz die Reiseerlebnisse beschrieben: 1. Start in Moskau: ich habe ein Video wie ich der Verkaeuferin erklaere das ich ein Zugticket nach Ufa moechte. Werde ich euch dann zuhaus vorfuehren. Ging alles reibungslos. Im Zug bin ich wieder per "Platzkart" unterwegs, dies ist ein Riesenabteil, mit Liegen uebereinander und ca. 50 Personen pro Wagon. Dies ist billiger, unbequemer und dennoch sicherer als ein Einzelabteil, da bei diesem, sobald die Tuer geschlossen ist, drin quasi alles moeglich ist...(ich werde diesen Punkt nicht ... read more

I set off for Moscow at 3.30 in the afternoon. The single ticket cost 68 roubles, about the price of a cup of coffee. My accent was terrible as I first asked directions to the station then spoke to the woman at the 'kassa', but they took pity on me and didn't scowl too much. The 'elektrichka' train wasn't the most comfortable. I imagine it's an elongated prison van; it has a wide corridor, rows of hard metal benches and windows so grubby that it was almost impossible to see the beautiful countryside out of. Coming up from the muddy floor is the strong smell of wet dog. Two hours and five minutes later I was in Moscow. I had no idea that my elektrichka ticket would also let me through the barriers into the metro, ... read more

Spring will soon be here; the weather is getting closer to zero after four months below freezing. The sky is now usually cold blue rather than cold grey. Icicles are begining to melt, which means they are falling from the tops of buildings and crashing to the ground. Most places underneath rafters are taped off, but the post office isn't. A piece of ice the size of a chandelier fell only two yards in front of me, making a sound like crashing glass. I walked away feeling startled: if it had landed on my head I'm sure it would have done similar harm. Worse was to follow in the day, as I was re-acquainted with the Russian service industry. The peroxide blonde woman in the internet café put two fingers up and repeated 'dva?' in a ... read more

There was only one thing I wanted to do today. I was a boy who loves pancakes, in a country that loves pancakes, on pancake day. Today is the end of a very big Russian celebration. From Sarah Brown's email to me from Petersburg: "There's a festival this week called 'Maslenitsa', which is the Russian 'Pancake Week'. It started on monday and goes right through to sunday, which is the start of the fast before Easter. Traditionally something different happens each day. On monday a straw scarecrow is made, dressed in women's clothing, and carried around the neighbourhood by singing people. On the tuesday families invite friends around and perform a small concert/play for their guests. On these two days it is forbidden to eat pancakes ('blini'); this can only be done from wednesday, so on ... read more