8 June
Up and breakfasted and packed and down to meet Maxim outside the ‘big gate’ at 9am. Uber taxi comes at 9:20, charges only 100 roubles. We are at the train station by 9:30. Lug bags out to the LAST platform, then up the stairs and board. Train departs at 10:12.It is a 14 hour journey to Kazan.
We have a Russian couple in our compartment, probably our age. They are seen off by their adult offspring. It is cloudy as we head west into the Urals, which are really only low hills. More little villages on the hillsides, vegie plots tilled and ready.
The provenitza takes our food order – we will eat at 17:30 Moscow time, about 4 hours before we arrive in Kazan. I have chosen pork, Minuk has gone with chicken.
The first part of the journey sees us cross the Ural mountains, which are more a low range of hills. There are a few longish tunnels, a couple of viaducts, and the land is more rugged. The pine and birch theme continues, though there are sign of other varieties of trees cropping up from time to time. The weather is grey and glowering one moment, spitting rain the next and shafts of sunlight straight after.
I got a lot of reading done, finishing all of the Hugo short stories, novellas and novelettes. Read and really enjoyed ‘A Closed and Common Orbit’, by Becky Chambers. I have just one novel remaining to read, the very long 'Death's End', about which I have been warned.
Dinner is uninspiring, but not too dire. It is presented fetchingly on plastic trays, and consistes of a splodge of meat in sauce, with an accompanying pile of either rice or macaroni.
It is getting dark as we approach Kazan. We pull into the station at 9:37pm.
We take the wrong turn disembarking train on arrival. Have to retrace out steps. Met by the effervescent and jolly Zara. An absolute sweetie. She embraces us and we make our way out of the station, but not before walking up the stairs to the overpass when we should have used the lift. Made damn sure we used it when coming down again!
It is only a short taxi ride. Zara insisted on paying. The apartment is very well appointed, located in the Tartar quarter, southeast of the city proper. We settle in and soon toddle off to bed.
Up and breakfasted and packed and down to meet Maxim outside the ‘big gate’ at 9am. Uber taxi comes at 9:20, charges only 100 roubles. We are at the train station by 9:30. Lug bags out to the LAST platform, then up the stairs and board. Train departs at 10:12.It is a 14 hour journey to Kazan.
We have a Russian couple in our compartment, probably our age. They are seen off by their adult offspring. It is cloudy as we head west into the Urals, which are really only low hills. More little villages on the hillsides, vegie plots tilled and ready.
The provenitza takes our food order – we will eat at 17:30 Moscow time, about 4 hours before we arrive in Kazan. I have chosen pork, Minuk has gone with chicken.
The first part of the journey sees us cross the Ural mountains, which are more a low range of hills. There are a few longish tunnels, a couple of viaducts, and the land is more rugged. The pine and birch theme continues, though there are sign of other varieties of trees cropping up from time to time. The weather is grey and glowering one moment, spitting rain the next and shafts of sunlight straight after.
I got a lot of reading done, finishing all of the Hugo short stories, novellas and novelettes. Read and really enjoyed ‘A Closed and Common Orbit’, by Becky Chambers. I have just one novel remaining to read, the very long 'Death's End', about which I have been warned.
Dinner is uninspiring, but not too dire. It is presented fetchingly on plastic trays, and consistes of a splodge of meat in sauce, with an accompanying pile of either rice or macaroni.
It is getting dark as we approach Kazan. We pull into the station at 9:37pm.
We take the wrong turn disembarking train on arrival. Have to retrace out steps. Met by the effervescent and jolly Zara. An absolute sweetie. She embraces us and we make our way out of the station, but not before walking up the stairs to the overpass when we should have used the lift. Made damn sure we used it when coming down again!
It is only a short taxi ride. Zara insisted on paying. The apartment is very well appointed, located in the Tartar quarter, southeast of the city proper. We settle in and soon toddle off to bed.