Finding our platform at Vladimir was characteristically difficult, it turned out that we did not have a platform at all. We were instructed to climb off the platform, physically cross a railway line and wait on a thin strip of asphalt at track level …Surely not!

The train arrived and we climbed the 4 feet required to board (no need to "mind the gap"). The train was unbelievable, a continuous line of "back to back" bunk beds, we had never seen so many people in such a confined space before. The 3 hour journey was interesting, we sat on different bunk beds, while around us Russian families were making food, sleeping, eating and talking. The bunk beds had no ladders, people were mounting them with a skill set more suited to parallel bars and jumping back down randomly close. There was much coughing and clearing of throats - The children were running up and down the carriage, some swinging from bunk to bunk like miniature Tarzan's, content to use my legs to land on or take off from. One child shat on the next bunk albeit into a potty - The expense of the outward trip in business class suddenly seemed worthwhile.

We arrived at our hostel at about 10:30pm to be told that they had cancelled our booking. Heather using an international language they could all understand explained what she thought of them and we went out into the Moscow night in search of alternative accommodation. In truth they had helped us book but even so 11:00pm at night journeying across Moscow to an unknown destination seemed strangely in keeping with the rest of our day.