I’ve wanted to the Trans Siberian railway for a long time, thinking it would be a great experience to ride the world’s longest and most famed train ride. But when booking the tour for our trip, there were many things that we never really thought about. Like what we were going to do for entertainment on a 4 night, 3 day train ride. Or that there would not be showers. Or that we would be hanging out with foreigners who desperately needed a shower in a train that had no showers. All these seemingly obvious questions came to light on our train ride from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar when me and Vic looked at each other and realized, did we really sign up to do this for 4 nights in a row? But when the time finally arrived to ride that 4 night, 3 day train ride from Irkutsk to Moscow, I had a very good time (I specifically say ``I`` here as this sentiment was not shared with everyone as some people got cabin fever and others were stuck on carriages that had no English speakers at all and were bored senseless). With a couple shots of vodka, a laptop full of entertainment, our jolly Aussie travel companions and a deck of cards, I learned a Greek card game, met some new travellers and got through 17 episodes of the first season of Lost.
 |
| Moscow Metro |
We arrived in Moscow at 4 am Moscow time, but are used to a different time zone (had to move time back 5 hours) so it still feels like 9 am to us. We check into our hotel and then spend the morning doing a city tour and then walking around for the afternoon. Moscow is a really cool city. In Moscow and St. Pete`s, as part of the communist regime where all people are considered equal, it was believed that common areas, should be made aesthetically pleasing for all to enjoy. Thus, in pursuit of this vision, their metro (subway) is the most beautiful in the world with stations adorned with crystal chandeliers, gorgeous frescos and marbled walls and floors.
On the next day, we spend the day exploring the Kremlin before hopping on our very last overnight train to St. Petersburg, completing our journey on the Trans Siberian Railway.
 |
| St. Basil's Cathedral |
