This train is slightly more modern than the train to Kemerovo. On this train, the Rossiya 002, we have the luxury of two toilets at one end of the carriage and the Samovar at the other where we get our hot water for drinking and cooking dried food. Each carriage has an attendant that manages the carriage and makes up the rooms as each people leave. When we pull into a station they dress up in their uniform and stand outside their carriage for the length of time w...

Well we made it onto the train, but it was touch and go a couple of times on the way. Our host dropped us off at the bus station in plenty of time to catch our bus to Tayga, which was a two hour drive away. She showed us the bay it was leaving from and kept telling us the number. Just before departure we got in line and then realised it wasn't our bus. That bus left and we then saw our bus, the oldest in the row, a couple of slots down. Everyone was waiting to ...

We are staying in Russia with a lovely Russian family in a typical old style Russian block of flats. Kemerovo is evolving quickly and the older buildings are being replaced with attractively designed colourful modern buildings. The very old blocks are called Lenininsky flats because they come from the time of Lenin. Our flat, which is on the first floor, is large with two bedrooms, a lounge, large hall, study, kitchen, bathroom, balcony and toilet. The entran...

Our train pulled into Kemerovo station at 5.15 am this morning Moscow time. We had arrived in Siberia. We left Moscow three days ago in the late evening and, as we were boarding, it started to rain heavily and there was thunder and lightening heralding our departure. The train smoothly left the station at 22.50 on time, but this was the only smooth part of the journey each time we arrived or left a station, at other times it was a very bumpy ride. Sometime...

Well, what can I say, Moscow has truly surprised me. We have had the most fun time exploring the city centre, Red Square, The Kremlin, St Basil's Cathedral and most surprisingingly of all the Metro! Many of the stations were built to epitomise the Russian word "svet" meaning radiance and brilliance and were built when Stalin was in power to showcase how powerful the country was. Some of the stations are like palaces and very beautiful. We spent a couple of ho...