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Our Travels
Beet Train by Travel Nation's Martin
Lake
 It was with
a slight feeling of trepidation that I boarded the BA874 bound for Moscow.
Russia is a place I'd read about and seen on the TV but apart from that
I knew very little of this vast country. So I'd decided that what better
way to spend Easter than by taking the plunge with fifteen other adventurous
backpackers and seeing what this place had to offer. I wasn't disappointed.
Met on arrival and whisked away in a small minibus into the heart of
Moscow, we were in the hands of our Russian driver. Conversation amongst
my new group of friends soon began to flow. Russia had never been in
my Top 10 of places to visit, the language barrier and images of the
old regime sprung to mind and it didn't have the same appeal as some
of Europe's other major countries.
However, the trip itinerary promised plenty of free time to explore
and this was a big pull as being herded around by an umbrella wielding
tour guide has never been my idea of a holiday. Zhenya, our fluent English
speaking Russian 'Buddy' soon began to show us the ropes. He demonstrated
how to buy tickets for the Metro, order snacks and drinks, and even
gave us a few lines to try on the highly fashionable and extremely pretty
Russian girls!
 A
walking tour of Russia's capital was a nice introduction and a great
way to get your bearings. Red Square, St. Basil's Church (left),
The Kremlin and Lenin's Mausoleum were all highlights on our first day
and left us with an appetite for more. A few of us, however, were thirsty
for some Russian nightlife and that evening headed off to sample some
of the legendry, and also very potent, Russian vodka...
Our extremely flexible itinerary even allowed for some of us to spend
an afternoon watching a Moscow Derby football match between Lokomotiv
and CSKA. Tickets were 375 rubles (£7), the atmosphere electric,
and a five goal thriller made for a truly memorable experience.
The overnight sleeper 'Beet' train was the next part of our adventure.
Four berth sleeper cabins provided our accommodation for the night and
after a few beers and yet more vodka in The restaurant car, it wasn't
long before we were pulling into Russia's oldest city, Novgorod.
Our newly refurbished hotel here was clean and comfortable and was
a central base from which to explore. We were treated to some Russian
Folklore, celebrating Easter the Russian way with singing, dancing,
and some very obscure, traditional Easter games. "Enjoy the vodka
or the beer, not both at the same time" explained Zhenya, ignoring
his words of experience the evening escalated out of control...
A four hour drive north and we found ourselves in the majestic city
of St. Petersburg. For nearly three hundred years now, Petersburgers
and Muscovites have wrangled over which city is better, with Petersburgers
saying Muscovites are only concerned with money and material things,
and Muscovites saying Petersburgers are a bunch of intellectual snobs.
Regardless of this bickering, St. Pete's impressive canals, bridges,
cathedrals and sublime architecture are a sight to behold. Nevsky Prospekt
is the main drag and fantastic for people watching. 'Must sees' include
The Hermitage museum at the Winter Palace with it's 27 million pieces
of art, the fantastically ornate 'Church of the Spilled Blood', St.
Isaacs Cathedral, and for those that prefer something a little different,
the museum of curiosities is a real eye opener!
'Church of the Spilled Blood'
Meandering around the broken ice remains on the River Neva, our canal
boat ride through the city gave us a totally different perspective to
admire, even though the only commentary available was in Russian, not
great for the tourists!
So after stocking up on Russian hats, dolls, vodka (£2 a bottle),
and military paraphilania, our nine day insight into this fabulously
rich and poor country was nearing an end. It had ticked all the boxes
for me and it's now right up there in my Top 5.
The Beet-Train runs from April to October.
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