We were braced for the cold conditions of central Russia for this journey, and dressed appropiately wearing base layers and warm jumpers to bed. Unfortunately we soon discovered that the carriages are kept at a toasty 27 degrees, which made for a sweaty nights sleep (which was not improved by the erratic breaking of the train driver).

I woke to the pungent smell of sausage, which the old woman below was eating for breakfast. We soon clambered out of bed and spent the morning looking at rural Russia pass by and talking to our old neighbour (or attempting to understand her constant babble).

We arrived in Kazan at 1300 and bid farewell to our train companion who had just started her 3rd or 4th breakfast. We walked through the town and eventually found the hostel next to a Twin Peaks themed bar. After a shower and a nap, we went for a walk around the city in the evening, walking through the Kazan Kremlin and the Kul Sharif Mosque. We ate some traditional Tartar dumplings for dinner (which were a welcome respite from the endless meatfilled pasties we have 'enjoyed' several times on the trip so far).

The following day we went inside the Kul Sharif mosque before walking along the river running through the centre of Kazan. We hoped to find the river tour boats, but only found grumpy fishermen listening to cheesy music piped from various speakers. Stumbling through new parts of the city, we came across the Chak-Chak Museum (a kind of Tartar cake). Skipping the museum we went straight to the tea room and ordered Tartar tea with a "plate of sweetnesses".

Later in the day we had another joyful encounter with Russian rail bureaucracy while trying to get the tickets for the next leg of our journey. After being sent from one office to another, avoiding a roaming pack of stray dogs, and queueing for 20 minutes at a ticket window only for it to close as we neared the front, we finally got our tickets (for a three day journey from Kazan to Irkutsk in Siberia).

We stocked up on food for the journey (mostly buying meals that can be prepared using boiling water that is always available on board) and went to bed early, ready for a 4am rise to catch the train.