Day #10: Moscow

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Slept to the sound of drilling and hammering in the neighbouring rooms - our hostel is being renovated in time for tourist season. We seem to be the only travellers in the hostel, with most beds taken by Russian and Latvian workers, mostly young, strapping guys, who look like builders, plus a couple who wear suits to work. I think at least some are paying lower rent in return for assisting with the renovations; either that or they are just very helpful types, as we often see them hauling furniture about.

Mostly a practical day today - packed for the overnight trip to St Petersburg, and collected our forward train tickets from an agency office in an unremarkable suburb.

We did however also visit the lovely Novodevichy Convent in the afternoon. Found it really charming, and the attendants really helpful. The icon exhibitions were also interesting - some were very early, and although the painting was sometimes crude, I was struck by the tenderness between The Holy Mother and her infant that many of the paintings portrayed. And the famous bell-tower is, of course, an amazing piece of architecture. I've been in a few Russian churches now and find the smell - light, sweet incense mixed with melting wax - is as evocative as the architecture and iconography.

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