The map below outlines the route we are taking across Russia.

We have travelled from St Petersburg to Moscow, Vladimir (not shown), Nizhny Novgorod, and Etkaterinburg.  We are currently in Novosibirsk and will be heading to Krasnoyarsk tonight.  Our projected iternerary will include a two week stay in Irkutsk then on to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.

VLADIMIR
Population: 376,000
Distance from Moscow: 199km
Famous for: One of Russia's oldest cities; and its capital in the 1100s.

Having left behind two big metropolises (St. Petersburg and Moscow), we dipped a tentative toe into the heart of Russia.  We took the afternoon train from Moscow 199km east to the town of Vladimir, where upon arrival we were greeted by gray concrete buildings, light drizzle and a man lying unconscious in the station car park - having been knocked down by a taxi.  Deciding to avoid the taxis, we headed for the local trolley-bus #5, which took us to our next destination - our first 'home-stay' with a Russian family.

We were met at the bus stop by Ivan (27 years old, university lecturer, in final year of PHD in philosophy), who led us to a ten-storey, 1960s apartment block.  We were slightly apprehensive at first glance given the crumbling state of the building, the fire-damaged (melted!) buttons in the municipal elevator and exposed wires sticking out of the walls.  However, the warmth and kindness by which we were greeted by Ivan and his parents, Yevgeny and Elisevetta, completely overshadowed and dismissed our initial worries. 

Our three nights with the family was thoroughly enjoyable and very enlightening; we enjoyed some delicious authentic Russian breakfasts; we exchanged personal stories and jokes about our respective backgrounds with Ivan; and we were even happy to experience 'showering' without any running hot water (Nikki had to teach Eric how to 'shower' by mixing boiled and cold water in a bowl). 

'Showering' in Vladimir

Vladimir itself provided us with some spectacular views across the region, some great food, and a welcomed break from the big cities.

Vladimir Cathedral 

Vladimir

 
View from Vladimir

SUZDAL
Population: 12,000
Distance from Moscow: 234km
Famous for: Having most churches per capita in Russia (there is a church on every street)

We took the bus from Vladimir on a day trip to Suzdal arriving at the 'International Bus Station' 2km outside the town.  The 'International Bus Station' (as described by guide books) was singlehandedly run by one woman who sold the tickets, made all the announcements, checked the tickets, boarded the buses and coordinated departures. 

The Suzdal International Bus Station

We found our way onto the local mini-bus which took us into the town center.  Strolling through Suzdal, one can imagine how Russia was 50 years ago; the town has remained unblemished by modernization.  No building is higher than any church, the town sits alongside a picturesque river nestled amongst rolling valleys. 

 
Suzdal churches

View of the Suzdal kremlin

...more Suzdal churches

...more Suzdal churches...

Nizhny Novgorod
Population: 2 million
Distance from Moscow: 442km
Famous for: Having notorious 'Gulags' during the Soviet period, Nizhny was only open to foreigners in 1991. 

Nizhny Novgorod sits at the intersection of two rivers - the Volga and the Oka.  Its main attraction is an impressive 12-tower, red-bricked Kremlin, which is the center point of the beautiful old town center.  We spent a memorable couple of days exploring the city which is definitely worth a stop along the trans-siberian route. 

The Kremlin wall

The obelix inside the kremlin overlooking the Volga river

Our tram "stop" (!!) situated in the middle of a two-way eight-lane street.  We found the best way to catch the tram was to wait for a local to come along then hide behind them when standing in the middle of the road...

Nikki anxiously waiting with the locals for the tram.

Nearing our tolerance for visiting dusty cities in 30 degree-plus heat, we decided to take a break and booked ourselves on a 3-day river rafting trip.  This proved to be an excellent way of seeing much more of the beautiful Russian countryside and getting to know some Russians on a more personal level. 

Our campsite

A room with a view!

 
The Russian countryside

The trip included 4-6 hours of rafting each day, and two nights of camping.  In the evenings we enjoyed some tasty Russian cuisine prepared by our river guides; our nightly entertainment comprised of singing Russian folk songs around the campfire, playing group games on the beach, and conversing in a hybrid of English and Russian. 

Fun and games after a hard day rowing

Russian folk songs by the campfire

Group photo!

In four hours, we'll be on our way to Yekatinburg..... a 23 hour marathon train ride away!!!!!!!

Our chosen method of transport from St Petersburg to Moscow was an overnight sleeper train which left at 11:59pm and arrived at 8:00am the following day.

Photo of our 4-berth compartment.

We shared our 4 berth compartment with two young Russian ladies.  Eric now happily boasts of the night he spent sleeping with three girls.  Our first experience on a Russian train was deemed a success.  It was our first few hours in Moscow that proved to be the biggest challenge.

On arrival at our hotel we were refused check-in by the receptionist who insisted our "registered" visas were not valid.  We had initially registered them with our first-night hotel in St Petersburg and were told by a travel agent that this would be sufficient for the duration of our stay in the city.  Our Moscow receptionist wasn't buying it, and all our attempts at bribery failed.  We were faced with no other option than to take ourselves (and all our luggage) down to the local Police station to face their wrath!

As we approached the run-down station, we were greeted by a welcoming committee of two growling guard dogs and three heavily armed policemen.  Our attempts at explaining our situation were cut short by a gruff demand for our passports and papers.  The policeman immediately identified our predicament and seized his opportunity to fleece two newly arrived tourists to the tune of R6000 ($100 each).  Eric initiated bargaining negotiations with the head officer but was soon silence with a death-stare from Nikki, who having caught a glimpse of the cold, grey, uninviting jail cells just inside the door, was unwilling to risk remaining at the station for a single moment longer than necessary.  In Russia, the Police make the rules!! (It could have been much worse as the Lonely Planet Guide comments that fines can easily reach up to $500 each!)

Fine paid and "valid" registration procured; we checked into our hotel where we remained for the rest of the day unwilling to risk further venture around Moscow. 

Our stay in Moscow proved to be a pleasant surprise; we were both thoroughly impressed with the cosmopolitan feel of the city.  Our sightseeing was highlighted by trips to: the Kremlin, StBasil's, Red Square, Lenin's Tomb, GUM Arcade, and the Contemporary Russian History Museum.

Photo taken of the main cathedral inside the Kremlin.

The infamous Red Square (no longer red much to Nikki's disappointment)

NOTE: Our Moscow photos will follow shortly (hopefully, within a couple of days) - still looking for a fast enough internet connection to upload them. 

At the end of our week in Moscow we headed over to the main train station to buy our Vladimir train tickets.  Inside the station, we had our pick of about 30 ticket offices all with a queue of about 5-6 people.  Hoping that any of them would be able to issue our tickets, we took a deep breath and joined one of the queues.  The next hour gave us a greater understanding of how queueing works in Russia.  There are the usual people who blantanly push in, those who sneak in, those who plead their way to the front and... (a uniquely Russian phenomenon?).... the 'spread-betters'. 

Spread-betters: Those who join one queue for a short while, indicate to those in front/behind to save their position, then join a second or third queue.  Each queue is then monitored; with the 'better' hopping back and forth between the queues depending on which they think will get them faster to the front. 

Needless to say, we didn't attempt to spread our bets.... and simply stuck to one queue.  In the end, this was a better tactic than the one chosen by the lady in front of us, who, when she was the penultimate from the front had to relinquish her coveted position to a man who chose to reclaim one of his original places (ie, the 'spread-better').  She then hesitantly joined a different line before rejoining ours, then asked the 'spread-better' in front of her if she could take up the position he vacated when he re-joined our queue..... He agreed, so she then moved.  BUT, we still beat her to the ticket lady!!!  (a small victory for the foreigners!!)

Day of departure.....

We arrived at the train station with over an hour and a half to spare before our train was due to depart - this was very fortunate due to the length of time it took to locate the correct platform (an hour!!).

The departure board indicated that our train would depart from platform 9T; so we followed the 'clearly-displayed' signs showing directions to platforms 1-9.  Platform 9 appeared somewhat deserted.... but then we were fairly early?  The platform 9 indicator didn't show a train time or destination.... but then these things are often broken right?  We waited on the platform for 15 minutes, still recovering from carrying our backpacks across town in 30 degree heat.  We started to get a little nervous, so Eric asked some passing station attendants (non-english speaking of course); they simply looked puzzled and seemed to indicate that we were not in the right place.  OOPS!!  So we dragged ourselves back to the main station concourse, hoping to get more clues from the departure board... well, unfortunately, platform 9T was still being displayed.  Again, there were no other signs indicating platform 9T.  Hmmmm.... maybe platform 9T translates as platform 9 1/2... only to be found be people called Harriski Pottervich?? 

Eventually, we managed to track down a helpful lady who enthusiasitically pointed us in a new direction outside the station to the very evasive platform 9T.  Hurrah!!!!!

The train to Vladimir took about 2 and a half hours...... and so we've begun the 'infamous' trans-siberian route across Russia. 

We have officially survived our first week in Russia!!

Having planned to ease ourselves into our year-long worldwide tour by arranging to spend our first week in a large, 'western' city in the European region of Russia..... we were in for a big surprise...

2:40pm: Two smiling, unsuspecting 'travellers' leave London on a delayed Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. 

5:15pm: Two slightly ruffled 'travellers' race across Frankfurt airport to catch their connecting flight to St. Petersburg with 5 minutes to spare.

5:45pm: The luggage belonging to the two 'travellers' still sits peacefully on the airport tarmac in Frankfurt.

10:20pm: Two wide-eyed 'travellers' arrive in St. Petersburg. 

....so the fun begins.... 

Every guidebook we have read on Russia advises: Ensure you get both entry and exit customs forms stamped on arrival in Russia.

In the confusion of trying to sort out our lost luggage situation, the apathetic, non-english speaking official refuses to stamp our customs form, resulting in our first 'tourist versus scary-official' stand-off.  After 5 minutes, a throuroughly pissed-off official finally gave us our much coveted stamps.  Our beloved 'stamped' forms were in our possession a mere 15 minutes before the 'lost luggage' lady stole them away in return for a measley 'lost luggage' ticket. 

90 minutes after landing in Russia - with neither luggage nor customs forms - we finally managed to stagger out of the airport, eager to reach the haven of our hotel. 

Every guidebook we have read on Russia advises: If you are coming from the airport you will be introduced to a bunch of thugs who control the taxis, ignore all enthusiastic offers for a taxi ride, and wait at the bus stop directly outside.

Unfortunately, none of these guidebooks advise what to do when you are the last two passengers to exit the airport that evening, the concourse is empty, there are no buses in sight, and the only way of gettting to your hotel appears to be a dodgy looking guy, in a an equally dodgy looking suit, standing next to a black mercedes with tinted windows..... Our first encounter with the Russian Mafia!!!!!

We safely arrived at our hotel 30 minutes later having succombed to the powers of the local Mafia and 900 Rubles ($35!!) lighter - an extortionate amount.  Our room turned out to have been last decorated in the 1950s, with 1950s dust included.  However, we were relieved to have reached our final destination for the evening.  We wasted no time indulging ourselves in our first shots of authentic Russian vodka at the bar downstairs. 

After an eventful inital 24 hours (after many frantic calls, we received our luggage the following evening), the rest of our week-long stay in St. Petersburg has been very successful.  Our first night accomodation was swapped for a great one-bedroom apartment located in the middle of the tourist district and furnished from the latest IKEA catalogue (view our photos below for comparison).

 
Hotel Neva room 1950's style

Ikea apartment modelled by Eric (model wears own clothes)

Most of our time here has been spent walking around what is definitely a very beautiful city, taking in many of its famous sites - highlighted with trips to the Hermitage, the Winter Palace, the Church on Spilled Blood, Pushkin Palace, etc..... And of course, a mandatory trip to the Vodka Museum. 

To view more of our photos of St. Petersburg, go to the following web address:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leflipflop/sets/559104/

 In about 5 hours, we will be taking the overnight train to Moscow.... we've reserved two 'couchettes' on-board the sleeper train, which will take about 8 hours.  See you in Moscow!!!!!

1) Russians DO NOT speak English!!!

2) Vodka is cheaper than water

3) Beer is cheaper than water

4) The 1980s are alive and kicking in St. Petersburg.... big hair, loud patterns, laced trim, pop socks, peroxide blondes.

5) There are mosquitos in the summer time!! (Nikki can testify to this).  Fact: St. Petersburg was built on a marsh.

6) There are no speed limits on city streets; pedestrians are expendable.

7) Weddings in St. Petersburg include a mandatory LIMO tour around the city with a photo of the bride and groom in front of every famous site. 

8) Hand washing takes 2 days to dry indoors.

9) Italians invented Vodka - Source: Vodka Museum.

10) It's hard to get an early night when the sun doesn't set until midnight.