European Russia and Moscow

Day 11-14

Into Western Siberia

Today marks the final leg of the Trans-Siberian journey. It is also the longest one of the journey, a formidable 4,105 km until the western terminus in Moscow. Almost two and a half days until the last stop. I have also created a post with advice and tips about doing this journey here.

Staying platkartny once again, I settled into my cosy quarters which were towards the back of the carriage. My initial neighbours were a large Tatar man, an elderly Buryat woman, and a couple of Uzbeks sitting parallel to our bunks. We spoke together for quite a while, focusing mostly on me, stories about life outside of this part of the world, and the impression I have of this part of the country. Being quite tired from hiking in Krasnoyarsk I fell asleep right away as soon as I lied down.

I woke up just as the train was pulling up in Novosibirsk, the capital of the Siberia region. The station was bathroom blue in colour, and had the typical hallmarks of what I consider to be Soviet and communist fusion style architecture,

The rest of the day was spent on the train, with larger stops every few hours or so. The more frequent stops were literally about a minute long, and only so that a couple or so people could quickly hope out with their luggage.

Moving on through western Siberia, the landscape changed quite frequently. The dense forests merged into very long fields and plains, with little wooden villages dotted around, and the occasional farm or remote outpost. The sheer size and enormity of these landscapes were the most striking feature as I sat by the window as the train sped along.

Ekaterinburg-Gateway to Europe

The train stopped at Ekaterinburg for about an hour after sunrise. The city is at the base of the Ural Mountains but unfortunately, the railway went through dense forest at a steady elevation so I was unable to see the Urals.

The stop was for about 45 minutes, so I had a look around the terminal.

The second day on the train went by in a flash in my opinion. I spent the morning chatting with Iryna the elderly Buryat and a newcomer Natasha who was only around for the one night.

Moscow - the western terminus

Here we are, the western terminus and end of the line. It was just after 6.30am at Yaroslavskiy station, one of 9 main railway stations in Moscow and also the busiest, with the highest passenger output of them all.

Moscow is not Russia, Moscow is Moscow

The capital city of Russia, Moscow is an iconic and global city. This giant city has placed an important role in shaping Russia's history for the past 100 years, as well as the world's to some extent. Today, it is a modern powerhouse, monument to industrial Soviet times, and a centre of Russian and Slavic culture and history, all in one. There is even an expression amongst locals that my Muscovite friends informed me about - Moscow is not Russia, Moscow is Moscow. Indeed, after spending all up just over a week in Moscow, I am inclined to agree. In many ways it is Russia however, on closer inspection, the abundance of money (and high prices), modernisation, and the dense concentration of highly educated and well-to-do inhabitants set it almost a world apart.

At some point, I'll post a guide to Moscow. For the time being, here is Moscow in a nutshell.