29th Sept. Hello Russia.

The border crossing was in the morning so we had the night to rest – some sleeping better than others. We were unsure about when the toilets were going to be opened and closed but in the end really shouldn’t have worried as they opened the train at 7:30 and we were able to get off, stretch our legs and use the restrooms.

The next stop was the Russian border and even though they looked cold and officious we managed to get a smile from a couple of them.

The train was stopped at Naushki - the following station for 4 hours - so we got off and went exploring in the town. We found a café and had a nice lunch. Borsch was our first Russian meal J. Vladamir had bought a sparkling wine for us to drink as a celebration! The restaurant was selling Vodka by the bottle so we picked up one from the freezer on our way out.

Our walk back to the train took us through what seems to be a typical small town for this area. We stopped by a corner store for pickles, cheese and snacks for dinner. We cracked open the Vodka when we got back to the train as well as the cheese and pickles – just about to have our third and last shot each when the officious looking attendant came down and quite sternly told Vladamir that we were breaking the law and that he was going to be punished! She led him away and was gone for a few minutes! We were getting very worried until she came back with a tray of souvenirs for us to purchase!

Picture through the keyhole.

The rest of the trip was lovely just watching the landscape change as we went past hills, rivers and quite a large lake.