Trans-Siberia, Part II

By the way, travel on the train is much rougher than on the cargo ship.  On the high seas, rolling waves come at fairly predictable intervals, although sometimes turbulent.  Train tracks that are over a century old (and constructed by what was basically slave labor) can deliver major bumps without warning, in addition to the jolts that come from connecting and disconnecting from the locomotive in stations along the way, often in the middle of the night.

It also gets pretty icy moving between cars when the temperature outside is well below freezing…..

That said, it’s still exciting and gives a deep sense of historical perspective.

Additional off-train activities have included a troika sleigh ride…

Shopping at a train-platform grocery stand…

Tube rides down a steep icy chute….

A visit to a private dacha (country home) for a lovely dinner and a special experience – the traditional Russian banya.  It’s basically a sauna where you sweat for a while, then are beaten gently with birch tree switches, followed by a roll in the snow or a bucket of chilly water.   Sounds questionable, feels great!  (And you are absolutely required to wear a goofy cone-shaped hat….)

The purchase of a couple of “priceless”  second-hand tea glasses at a rare antique store…..

Train museum…..

Silly photo ops……

Pigeon-feeding…..

More interesting painted wooden buildings…..

A pilgrimage to the place where the last of the Romanov family of tsars was executed in 1918….. the entire family has since been named as martyrs, and their worship has become a bit of a cult……

A greeting with a traditional bread treat in Kazan, capital city of the Tatar people…..

Straddling the border between Asia and Europe….

Several concerts, including 19th century chamber music, classical opera and folk music, as well as some not-so-traditional art installations…

And finally…. just in case we have forgotten where we are….. oversight by past leadership…..

And the recently-reelected and most popular present….

 

We have said farewell to our great group of fellow travellers on the Trans-Siberia railway, and have arrived in Moscow.    Report to come!