Red Square and the Trans-Siberian Express

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The overnight train from St Petersburg arrived in Moscow at 05:30 in the morning. Not a good start to the day! Our kindly old driver met us on the platform and whisked us through the darkness to our day hotel (we weren't staying overnight). After a shower and a bit more sleep we braved the metro to find our way to Red Square. After a false start (we boarded the North train by mistake - don't laugh, it's all in Russian) we eventually got near enough to Red Square and started the hunt for our guide.

The whole thing was like a spy movie. We had been told that "she will meet you by the statue of a man on a horse" (a general from WWII, can't remember his name). Having found this, a woman in a red coat and sunglasses approached me and quietly said "You arrived this morning?", to which I responded "Your name is Ilyena?"
"Yes, I am your guide. Come this way."

Ilyena was an English language schoolteacher and was blessed with a cynical wit. As time was a factor she whisked us around Red Square (we are videoing everything by the way) and gave us a potted history of the Kremlin. St Basil's Cathedral (beautiful) and the square itself. There was no time to go into Lenin's mausoleum, but we walked through Moscow and discussed Russian history. Ilyena proceeded to denouce the Soviet times and seemed to advocate a return to the Tsar system. We were sorry to part company as her knowledge and English were both excellent, but she finished her tour with a stop in an 18th C palace that has since been made into a department store! We stocked up on provisions for the train and went back to the hotel on the metro.

Our driver was waiting, so we threw our bags in to the car and headed for the train station. Also in the car was Matt, an Australian who has been working his way round the world for three years!

We waited at the train station and drank some cheap (and very strong!) beer bought from a platform kiosk. On boarding the train we meet our cabin mate, Andrei, who like most Russians, ignores us for a while as he figures us out. Eventually we start to communicate, which is a difficult but ultimately rewarding experience. Andrei turns out to be lovely and really cheers up the journey. He regularly calls his daughter on his mobile phone to ask for English words. She even talks to us and advises us to "take care of your luggage and yourselves while in Russia". Andrei gives us some info on the destinations we will be visiting and also the invaluable advice that we should spend at least 150 roubles on a bottle of vodka to ensure it is decent. Flagman is a good make to go for apparently.

As we approach Exaterinburg, we scenery becomes more hilly and rugged as we cross the Europe-Asia border and enter the Ural mountains. The train itself is an interesting experience. The toilets/bathrooms are very basic, but the cabins are quite comfortable. There is a constant supply of hot water for cups of tea and a restaurant car for a drink or snack.

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Photos

Red Square
You can see The Kremlin to the right, Lenin's mausoleum next to it and St Basil's in the distance.

Matt and I check the essentials...
...beer and tickets.

Passing the time on the train
Nic and Matt read guidebooks. Note the snow outside the window and the boiler at the end of the corridor which provides a constant supply of hot water.

Bleak scenery
The view from the train is bleak and cold.

Comments

[Sian]

From Headingley with love!
Must make sure John sees this, you must swop vodka stories (and see his post vodka video! Multi lingual renditions by a group with no shared language- hilarious!)The architecture looks from another world. The train must've made the travelling seem more direct and real. Was it as cold as it looks? Spoke to Wendy yesterday - David is in Turkey on business and break, Katie on last leg of PhD (know which one I envy). We have printed off last blog (Karsts etc) so that grannie can see later.