Arrived Moscow - Friday 27th June 2017

I arrived in Moscow this morning about 9.30 am, on the train from Yekaterinburg and finally got to the Hostel about 11.30am, after the usual adventure of getting lost and bamboozled in a new city, going the wrong way a few times and finally getting here. I must say that train travel is Russia is fun, maybe I should have taken the train from Irkustk to Yekaterinburg.

I did the right thing on the train and offered the Hostie some of the last few nips of my Mongolian Vodka, after that the fun started. This train was the best train I have been on so far, best beds, modern and very comfortable. All the power supplies worked. The Dining Car (restoran) was nice but expensive, food was good.

I had wisely (from previous experience) packed some food with me, some cold meat, pickles, bread, coffee, cheese, water, etc. After offering the last of my Vodka, I was offered another small bottle to buy (600 rubles (for Russian Vodka), which I shared with the two hosties (including the one that sold it to me) but they in turn gave me heaps of food, best tasting tomatoes, more cold meat, fish, more bread, picked carrot, etc, This continued for the next 12 hours, with another bottle of Vodka and then with another passenger (Yuri), who could speak a little english) and his nephew Max and the two Hosties who sold him two bottles of Congac, all of which was  shared plus beers were purchased. We finished running out of grog about 1am on the train, everyone had a good sleep and then we arrived this morning. I did make the mistake of going back to the dining car for some breakfast, cost me 500 rubles and i got stuff all food. The 1200 rubles I spent on Vodka, was paid back in spades with free food. 

Picture of Shiny Hot water dispenser, the two Hosties (Vera, Svedlana and Yuri (at Kazan Station)

I also saw a Russian BMW with a side car and there is pic of the pine trees and birch that just go on forever beside the train track. I have to say the Russian Coutryside is very beautiful, wild flowers everywhere along the track, including Lavender and yellow and white little flowers  -  Very lush with green grass.    At one stage we crossed the mighty Volga, but it was a little too dark to take pictures.                                

I think the dining car staff were on the sauce all the time as well, one guy from the dining car that had been wandered around with cups of tea,  I looked at his eyes yesterday and they were very bloodshot. The thing is, on the train no one can tell if your pissed or not as you stagger about all the time with the train pitching and rolling, so unsteady on the feet is the norm. The train staff work 5 days on, 5 days off, but they all must need the 5 days off to let their livers recover.

Russians are a bit strange, mostly aloof and indifferent to strangers, e.g. many will ignore you if you attempt to speak in english to them, others are very generous. For example, Yuri gave me his metro travel card which was supposed to have one one credit left on it. When it did not work at the station, a complete  stranger swiped his card for me to enter the station and when I got stuck with my baggage and could not get through, he swiped it again to let me in. That cost him 64 Rubles (about $2) as an act of charity to a stranger.