Russia VI - Moscow and St Petersburg

My time in Russia ended with its most famous cities Moscow and St Petersburg. I had a superb time travelling across the country. The Trans-Siberian trip was an ambition of mine for some time. I was really glad I had the opportunity to stop in cities across Russia to get a taster for the country. Moscow and St Petersburg are on a different scale to other Russian cities. There are lots of great sights to see. As I travelled across the country I was warned that the closer to Europe the less friendly Russians became. I did not find this to be the case. The people of Moscow and St Petersburg were just as friendly and helpful as any other big city.

My arrival in St Petersburg was the end of my journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I had travelled all the way from Ulan Ude in Siberia by train. There is no one train called the Trans-Siberian Express, rather the rail line itself is known as the Trans-Siberian. It had always been an ambition of mine to travel along the Trans-Siberian. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see Russia from the train. It satisfied my romantic notions of travelling. While there is a certain cache to travelling directly from Moscow to Beijing by train for five days, I was glad to have the time and money to get off the train to see more of Russia. Travelling by train in Russia is an excellent way to meet local people. If you travel on the direct trains without getting off to say Irkutsk, Ulan Bator, or Beijing you'll often find lots of westerners in the carriages with you. Whereas travelling from East to West and making stops you will travel mainly with Russians. Travelling with the Russians highlighted how friendly and generous they are. From Moscow I caught an overnight train to St Petersburg. It was on the night of the Euro 2008 semi-final between Russia and Spain. One of the guys on the train was hanging out of a window with a TV aerial trying to get a good picture. The train from Moscow to St Petersburg cost 2311 Roubles, I bought the ticket at Hotel Irkutsk in Irkutsk. I was on train 004 the newest train I had travelled on in Russia. The train journey from Kazan to Moscow was another overnight train. We bought the ticket the day before from the Kazan ticket office for 2575 Roubles. I managed to drop a full bottle of beer on the floor as soon as we walked into our Kupe. The smell of beer stayed with us through the night.

I arrived in Moscow without great expectations, they were reserved for St Petersburg. I was mightily impressed by the centre of Moscow. There are lots of historic buildings that have been tastefully preserved. Undoubtedly the highlight is Red Square. While Red Square is tiny in comparison to Tiannamen Square it is far more atmospheric. St Basil's Cathedral sits at one end while the high walls of the Kremlin dominate the other side. I went to see Lenin's pickled body and completed the hat trick of dead communist leaders, Ho Chi Minh, Mao, and Lenin. It is quite obvious that Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum is heavily based on Lenin's. It was a much more tasteful affair than China. There was no pushing and shoving, although there were still guards shushing the crowds. Another great highlight of my stay in Moscow are the metro stations. I spent the best part of a day touring the various stations with their different architecture styles. I stayed at Novo Hostel, a great little hostel that was more like a home stay. 700 Roubles a night. A common story I was told on the traveller grapevine was militiamen targeting tourists for their papers. I fortunately did not have a problem. However, Hemmo did. He was stopped by a militiaman. Hemmo produced a photocopy of his passport and his registration card. The militiaman accepted the photocopies but he also said that he needed to see Hemmo's train ticket to prove that he had arrived within 72 hours. Hemmo stood his ground and refused to go and would not pay a bribe to the police station, and eventually the militiaman gave in and left him alone. I had also heard stories about violence in Moscow. Moscow did not feel anymore dangerous than any other Western city. Leningradsky train station was the most unpleasant part of Moscow. that I came across Outside lots of dodgy guys were hanging around with various wounds and injuries. There was a heavy police presence. Once inside the station it was perfectly safe but I did not fancy hanging around outside for any length of time.

St Petersburg is a beautiful city. I was in town for the White Nights. In the middle of summer it doesn't get truly dark at night. The Russians use this as a great excuse to party in the streets. I was watching the nightly water fountain and light show when three Hummer limousines pulled up full of Russian women in wedding dresses. I'm not sure why they were all in wedding dresses but they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. St Petersburg is known as the Venice of the north. Canals criss cross the city. At night you have to be careful that you don't get stranded on one of the islands when the bridges are raised in the early hours to let ships pass. St Petersburg has lots of wonderful old buildings. Peter and Paul Fortress has great views from the battlements that overlook the city from the opposite side of the river. Outside of the city Peterhof Palace is spectacular with huge golden cascading water fountains. The Hermitage is famed as one of the best museums in the world. It is an impressive building. I was a bit disappointed. It felt to me more like a gallery than a museum. There are lots of nice things to look at but they become a bit monotonous. I really liked the rooms that had furniture and artifacts. Even if most of the rooms are galleries they are still quite something. I stayed at Nevsky Hostel, which has a great location close to the Hermitage. It was 750 Roubles for a bed in an 8 bed dorm. The staff were very friendly and helpful.