Day 52

11 June 2013


Hello Moscow12 noon, tt is now a matter of counting down the kms. After being on the train for the 5th day running, I have had enough of it for a while. The Provodnitsa’s have been busy cleaning everything; even washing the windows while stopped at one of the stations. Perhaps they travel back again on the same train when it leaves at half past nine tonight. The weather is warm, in the high twenties.



One of the Provodnitsa’s spotted the railways coffee cup which I had put aside; when she took it away I asked if I could keep it as for me these items are true souvenirs. She said something in Mongolian which I understood as “no you can’t they belong to the train” but a minute later she returned and handed me a clean cup. I exchanged it for one of the Kangaroo pins I had brought, and of course within a minute the second Provodnitsa turned up. Well there are two the each carriage so of course I obliged. I take it that they are called other than Provodnitsa as they are Mongolians and not Russians. Anyway I have already started singing: Moscow, Moscow taa tatata ta ta ta etc7.pmThe train pulled into the Moscow Railway station right on time.

A Russian speaking driver picked me up, however, I heard he was playing Turkish music. When I asked if he was Turkish he said “Da”, (Yes). I immediately started a conversation in Turkish and then found out that he wasn’t Turkish but just liked Turkish music. Ok, so not much said while driving during the 30 minutes to my home-stay address. Perhaps better so as the view of the city took my breath away. Not at all what I had expected. A clean and open city, not unlike New York. Very wide boulevards, nice architecture and all well maintained or new. This is not the Russia I had seen thus far. It is obvious that a lot of money is being made in Moscow. 99% of the cars are imported, even my pick up car was a General Motors Chevrolet. I only saw a few Lada’s.

The place in which I am staying in looks similar to the austere buildings in Mongolia. That is from the outside. Flats built in the communist era were very much subject to the “she’ll be right mate” attitude. However inside all is neat and modern. An older lady owns the place and obviously had many people staying here over the years judging by the myriad of souvenirs, books and postcards from all over the world She told me that she had been offering home stay’s ever since Perestroika had started in the early nineties. I went for a walk and ended up in a park, several km long; with the largest war memorial I have ever seen. At the end of the park is a memorial museum which I will put on my list for the next few days.
Tomorrow I will get picked up by the agent for a three hour (I believe) walking tour. I think that will mean around the red square. Great! I am looking forward to it.