The Purple Penguin

So we are in Moscow in the Greenpeace office after two good days. Highlights: being met at the train station by a woman waving a Greenpeace calendar; getting a tour of Moscow by car and seeing the view of the city from the highest point; walking through Red Square; seeing the Kremlin in the rain; going to the Bolshoi Theatre and seeing Don Quitoxe. We’ve had lovely food, vodka, kvass and met some wonderful people. I can say ‘thank you’ in Russian now and that is about the total of my Russian. Poor Joe couldn’t get on-line to do the updates but did type his bits:

Day 1 : This is the first day of our trip leaving the house at 6.30 ish on the first of May leaving the anarchists behind to start our own kind of insanity hop the tube and down to Waterloo station. After a sit and wait for the brussel train to be called, every thing is fine until we start boarding and the dead people are on the moving walkway and thay aren’t going to walk and they’re going to stand two abreast and chat. Make the train find the seats and not too much fuss until I go to get some tea and coffe: immediately agent 78 is alerted probably named after his age and IQ. He cunningly manages a blocking manouver that Schumacher would have been proud of, and holds the pole position all the way to the buffet car; then with a strock of qenius orders evey thing thay have not got. Get the tea and coffe, back to the seat find its a tour of dead poeple, as two are missing presummed still getting to their seats. At Brussels we make quick get away as the dead poeple are still hooking up there god knows what (seriously one of the people have a medical thing on wheels). A quick panine and water then off to the thalys – the fast train to Koln. Not much to say really apart fron the poor train gaurd had to announce everything in French, German, Dutch and English, which means that you are in the station before he finished, and the English was always last. About 10 minutes before we got to Koln he started his spiel, at which point a lady jumped up and was off, coat bags and to the door camping in front of it. The train stops she hits the button jumps out the door which then shuts behind her. Evey one else gets out on the other side; when we left she was still trying to get back on the train so she could get to the platform! A stop for some pre Moscow trip shopping and some German train station food which was ok (I had potatos, root veg and liver and onions, Kathleen had the sausage and mustard. Up to plaform three and a wait for the sleeper. It arives a very Russion looking guard looks at our tickets and we are now in a 2 by 1 m cabin till Moscow. So here I type and the poor gaurd stick his head round the corner and speaks and wonders off we have not a clue what he said. Kathleen has a laughing fit (you probably have to be there :). So that it for today over to the speel checker (kathleen )

Spell checker here. It’s been a good trip except for the big black cloud that has followed us from home. And the fact that I am travelling with a total nerd who has to post a report from the train! At least he’s a cute nerd. The laughing fit was due to the totally matter-of-fact manner the guard poked his head into our ‘room’ and made the statement and the look of total bewilderment on Joe’s face which was mirrored on mine! It has been a good day and I look forward to arriving in Moscow – especially as there is no shower on the train.

Day 2 : This started at about 3 AM; we crossed the border to Poland, a quick swip of the passports by the Polish border guards and a where are you going and we we’re through, if a bit tired. Got up about 8 ish not sleeping really but not too bad. 9 o’clock we stop in Warsaw for an hour and get a quick trip out and up and down the platform. Having fun with the Russian conductor who speaks no English, but got some coffee and biscuits for breakfast 🙂 The scenery has been quite nice. The most obvious difference has been the worker in the fields hand sowing and ploughing by horse; the buildings are tall and high piched roofs. It took about 10 hours to cross Poland and arrive at Belarus about 1 pm. This looks like a real border. Swiped out of Poland and then shunted across to Belarus passing the army barricks and guards. As far as we can make out we have been processed by Belarus and Russian immigration so may be no more three am wake up we hope 🙂 It took about 3 hours to change the wheels of our carriage, as the Russains use a railtrack 3.5 inches wider then Europe. Before we went into the shed we had a load of street sellers jump on passing through the carriage selling champaign, vodka, beer and salad veg and news papers. Into the shed with all the people still in the carriage, the carriages are separated out then lined up and jacked up, the wheels are unhooked and moved out of the way, new ones are put in place and the carriage lowered down, the carriages are put back together and then we leave the shed and back to the station, where we waited till 5 30 before carrying on. I have put another hour on the watch as I think the time zone has changed? Off into sunny Belarus full of trees, marsh, and the odd factory. Everyone seems to be sitting outside chatting, smoking, drinking, or all over the above. Very little else to say so far, only sparse mobile phone signals, so haven’t been able to try an upload yet. The one in Germany finally got through but would not accept my password. humm. Over to the spell checker, but battery is running thin so we see

HA! Battery ran out before I got a chance to check it so it’s already day 3 . . .

Day 3 : The battery’s on charge so here we go. After putting the laptop to bed we prepared for the next day, packing and sorting, laid down and watched the world (well Belarus) go by and the sun set, passing a classic Edward Hopper (editor: that painter that did Nighthawks – we can’t seem to agree on the name) scene of this waiting room station in sunset with sodium glow on a man in a suit sitting with his paper, only the inside was lit and it had orange walls ceiling to half way then red to the floor. The sunset took a long time. Finally pulled into Minsk station (?) and stopped so we pulled the blinds and to sleep, the train trundeled on. Must have slept some. At 7.30 ish got up, got some tea and coffe, and had a fine breakfast of pickled gerkins, to finish them up. We packed away the beds so had seats, and watched Moscow roll in. The small shacks and sheds gave way to closer and bigger buildings, the bigger houses to tenament blocks, the blocks to roads and stores, and all finally to city life as we now expect to find anywhere only the words have changed. We pull in on time to a line of porters and taxi drivers, ignoring them started looking for Irina. Then coming up the platform was a woman with a greenpeace calander – that had to be her 🙂 Out of the station, a quick picture of our mobile hotel for the past few days, through the station a quick look up to see a painted ceiling of George and the dragon, though to a car park and putting our bags in the car a tour of the city. Point here point there and this park and that statue, Moscow in 10 minutes and only one ticket. To the hotel, up to the room, a quick wash, and out. Changed some money and went to a My-My (possibly Russian for cow ??). The menu had English subtitles as we are now on our own. The food tasted good even for fast food. Then a long strole across the river around Gorky park, though the art market, across the river again, through Red square and back to the hotel by tram. Over to the overseer for spelling 🙂

We won’t be completely free of 3am border crossings – we still have several borders to go! Irina meeting us at the station and driving us around Moscow was a bonus – gave us a good idea what to see. And she showed us the Bolshoi Theatre! Can’t believe Joe left that out! There are several statues of Pushkin as well. Unfortunately St Basil Cathedral has scaffolding around it so it isn’t quite as impressive. But I’ve now been in Red Square! Going to see the Kremlin tomorrow as it was getting late and we are very tired. Hard to believe I’m actually in Moscow. Oh yes, our hotel room overlooks the horse race track!

Day 4 To finish off day 3 we wanderedd out of the hotel and down to the road, looking for something to eat. The inablity to read cyrillic become a problem as interpreting from the sights and symbols outside is tricky, finaly spot an ausie pub on the other side of the road, near the railway station; crossed the road and took a chance they did food. The menu had pictures and English on most things. ordered drinks and waited for the food. It took a while but when it arrived it was better than it looked on the menu, so a main course of chicken for me, duck in orange for Kathleen. Kathleen finished off with cheesecake and an irish coffee and an glinents for me (which turned out to be a mulled wine /punch hot 🙂 a nice strole back to the hotel just in time to watch fireworks from the balcony. Up and down to breakfast at the hotel, which consisted of a block of egg ? some where between scambled and omlette, with pinapple juice, instant coffe and a slice of raw salmon on bread. This produced the quote of the day from Kathleen, “I don’t mind seeing new things and trying new food but not this early in the morning”. Out of the hotel on to the bus and down to the center. We get off a bit early and walk. We walk over to the Kremlin ticket office (it displayed information in English) 350 roubles for our ticket into the Kremlin and various churches and a display of Faberge easter eggs, an extra 50 roulbes to be able to take photographs. We started with the easter display and the rain started. For us the Faberge was the most interesting part. The churches are a bit uh ah. Unfortunatly the rain just got heavier and the wind worse, so not much wandering around 🙁 We lasted as long as we could then got into a shopping mall nearby. we wandered around looking at things, trying the ice cream (try the lemon sorbay). Leaving this we ran for the bus hit it just right and away in the the wind and rain to the right stop and back to the hotel. A coule of phone calls from Irina later i think we going to the balshi ? we’ll see 🙂

The spell checker – yep we went to the Bolshoi! Wonderful Then off for a quick meal as the resturant staff were trying to close and go home. Irina and her husband are wonderful and really got us as much Russian things as possible. What a fabulous evening.