KatyaGooner

I’m so excited now that cheap flights have started up across the Atlantic. I think I might go to New York next spring. I want to go there because it’s so iconic and famous and seems so energetic and vibrant.

I lived in north-western Siberia for a year in a city of around 100,000 people. It’s an amazing place and not as cold as you would imagine. Well, winter average of around -30 which does sound bad, but it’s really not that bad somehow. It’s not the place for people who want fabulous architecture and tonnes of attractions because well, there aren’t many. But if you like amazingly friendly people, lots of vodka and snowy taiga, this is the place for you.

GUM is just too exclusive. Unless you have the dizzying wealth of a Russian oil oligarch, it make just make you feel inadequate and resentful of all the bespoke Dior dresses you can’t afford. The roof is cool though and the cafe serves a nice cup of coffee (the only thing I could afford!!)

Like all capital cities, Moscow is nowhere near the best city in Russia and doesn’t reflect Russia particularly well. Non-Muscovites say that it’s like another country to them and I fully understand why. I’ve lived, worked and travelled all over Russia and Moscow IS different. That’s not to say it isn’t a great city because it absolutely is. There’s loads to do in Moscow and the Kremlin and Red Square (while very touristy) feels atmospheric and historic. Everything abour Moscow (except the traffic and police) is fantastic. Great sights, great shops, great people, great food, great architecture, great everything but it’s not real Russia. If you go to Russia, try to visit Petersburg, Volgograd or Kazan as well as Moscow to see another side of the country.

It’s a long story but I ended up doing this trip (on my own)from Vladivostok to Moscow kind of by accident. Luckily, I had been living in Russia and spoke reasonable Russian. It turned out to be the most amazing 10 days of my life, a 24-hour party train trundling through the taiga!!
My tips for anyone considering doing this trip:-
1) Not for the faint-hearted but going third class (platzkartny) is a lot more fun and the atmosphere is much more relaxed and friendly.
2) Knowing some Russian (or having a phrasebook) is absolutely essential. You will be lucky to meet anyone who speaks English.
3) Don’t eat in the restaurant car. The food is lousy and expensive and it will mark you out as a tourist. Take bread, cheese, cold meats, sweets, chocolate and fruit. Make use of the station stops to stock up.
4) Share your food. It’s a great ice-breaker. Avoid offering junk food.
5) Russians are amazingly generous and the more you refuse an offer (of food, vodka, etc), the more they will persist. Polite but firm wins the day but do be adventurous. Russians adore whole dried, salted fish washed down with ‘pivo’(beer). You might say it’s an acquired taste but absolutely worth a try.
6) If you only make one stop, make it Lake Baikal and Irkutsk. Worth exploring.
7) It’s a bit of a cliche but do take your own toilet paper. Also, take plenty of wet wipes and tea bags. If you want to look like a local, take your slippers to wear on the train.