Train across Siberia

Had an interesting (?) Happening at the hotel when we arrived. A few of us got into the lift with our bags and went up to the floor – luckily 2nd floor- but the door wouldn’t open! It then made a couple of  juddering jolts back down to level one. Once again the door didn’t open and we started to jolt downwards , as this happened, the lift lights went out!  I let out a scream and started banging on the door. You could feel the temperature rising and we were pressing all buttons. You’ve seen those movies where lifts fall down empty shafts well that’s  what I was imagining. Luckily there were people around and finally the door opened. My heart was racing and the hotel staff were very concerned about what happened. We all had a laugh about it later but we had all had a little panic.
Before starting our long train trip we did an early morning tour of the Moscow metro. The stations are really beautifully decorated and each one has a different theme. We learnt that some of the Moscow dogs use the metro to get from place to place and they have become quite special to the commuters
12 noon saw us heading to the main station and after a short wait made our way onto the platform.  We lost Marian and Mark for a worrying 10 minutes- they had wandered onto the wrong side of the station and Viv could see them through the fence where I think there was an exchange of expletives! Finally we reached the correct carriage and found the attendant in a very unhappy state because none of us were getting on the train without the guide! Passports were checked and then you had to make the leap of death – there was a huge gap between platform and train -which was difficult to perform with all the additional bags of food. Made our way to our compartment, stowed the bags under the seats and set up our home for the next four days.
Before getting on the train we bought a bottle of beer so decided to celebrate this new part of the journey. Unfortunately the carriage attendant came along and started shouting at us in Russian and waving her hands around. Seems that we were in trouble for having a drink. She disappeared and was back a few minutes later waving a couple of bags of crisps under our  nose. We politely declined but soon  got the message that because we had been naughty we needed to buy them so I did – didn’t want to be on the wrong side of her! Each time she came past she would shake her head so in the end I tried to beg for forgiveness by going on bended knee with a bar of chocolate – it actually bought a slight smile to her face!
We played a few card games, had some dinner – bread, cheese and pickles – caught up with the rest of the group, got off for 20 minutes at a station – the attendants start yelling at you a good 5 minutes before the train leaves-  and then settled down for the night. Slept well on the bottom bunk. I remember the train stopping s couple of times.
The is hot water at the end of each carriage so it’s always possible to have a cuppa! There is a loo+sink at each end of carriage – basic but acceptable apart from when the train start to rock at great speed.
This is now day 4 on the train and we have change time zones 4 times which makes the time go quicker. Sleeping is fine, although it can be quite hot. The beds fairly comfortable with sheets and blanket (I don’t use that). We seem to be retiring around midnight – sunset is around 11pm. Although the other night it was more like 1am as we had a whole group of people in our cabin – interesting conversations and of course the odd cup or two of alcohol! Helps you sleep!
We usually have 3 stops a day where we can get off the train. It’s usually between 20 and 30 minutes. There are little shops at these stops and you can get a variety of fresh and convenience food. We have been able to jeep ourselves going without resorting to the dining car.  The dining car is far to small for the number of people on this train but that’s the way it is. The group usually meet there late afternoon for a bevie! It’s interesting going from carriage to carriage as the train belts along.

Seller at one of the stations. She looks like I felt! 

The hotel in Suzdal had numerous hunting trophies including 3 large brown bears – the taxidermist must have had a field day but it was rather off putting for us! We had a long bus journey to Moscow – over 5 hours! The traffic getting into the city was horrendous.
Once bags were in the room we headed out to explore. We made it to Red Square and the outer wall of the Kremlin – this means fort. Looked at the famous St Basil’s but were too late to go inside. We wandered along the riverside with the intention of having a boat ride but were followed by people trying to sell us tickets for the boat so gave up on that idea. There has been a lot of park/garden development since I was last here and it’s turned into a very pleasant area.
The sun was over the yard arm somewhere in the world and the temperature was high so a search for a cold beer began. We went into a place called the ’69 pints’ but beat a hasty retreat when we got an idea  about who might go in there – remember this is Russian and not all persuasions are accepted. Just further down the road we finally enjoyed our beer.
The heat, over 30C, has caused me to get a heat rash on my legs so now I appear to be wearing red socks!
Today we had a tour of the Kremlin but it didn’t go to plan as every street leading to it was closed and there were police everywhere. After an hour’s delay we finally found a way in and as the guide was telling us some of the history a cavalcade of black cars arrived – we were told that Putin was in one of them! Today,22nd June, is Remembrance day – the day in 1941 when Germany invaded the USSR. So Putin was laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. No we didn’t see him an according to the guide he was arriving after his workout!
We visited a number of different parts of the Kremlin including the Armoury which is a museum of various artifacts – the is a large display of Faberge eggs. 4 hours later our feet were complaining and we all needed food. We hopped on the metro to a large food market – the fresh produce was amazing.
On our return to the hotel we stopped at the supermarket to get provisions for the four day train trip which we go on tomorrow. There will definitely be no wifi!

Last day in St Petersburg took us to the Russian museum – not exactly what we thought it would be! We were expecting to see some of the history of Russia but it was an Art gallery! Some of the Russian art was interesting but lots of it was rather dark – in both senses of the word!
Checking the time we had to hot foot it across the city (slight exaggeration) to get to our vodka tour. At first it was rather difficult to hear our guide because another group was before us and they were really getting into the spirit! We saw quite a few examples of the early days of vodka making. With the tasting there were 3 different types – one was your normal vodka, second was with Juniper berries and lastly with cranberries. The rule is to drink it straight down and then have a bite of food- we had a gerkin and black bread with herring and another piece of bread with what we thought the guide said was fat! The juniper one was good.
When it was time to go to the railway station  we walked a couple of blocks to a bus stop and jumped on with the locals – not sure that 12 people with bags/backpacks was appreciated! We were all very impressed with the train. It looked new and the interior was clean. We each had a pair of slippers, toothbrush, towel and water -all very civilised. The train pulled out on time and we arranged all our gear. The beds were made up and there was reasonable room for the four of us although Mark banged his shoulder on the top bunk a number of times! We were surprised to find that we could have some for of meal, part of the ticket. I opted for the pancake as the meat options were not appealing! Mine were delicious.

After a couple of games of cards, dinner, a 14 minute  stop to jump out and get fresh air and general chit chat it was time to try to settle down. My cabin mates were kind and let me have the bottom bunk mind you Viv tried to knock me out by dropping her phone through the gap! We all got a few hours before we got up at 4am to get ready to leave the train – it only stops for 5 minutes!
We crossed the rail tracks, praying that a fast train to Moscow wasn’t on its way, to a waiting mini bus. Half an hour later we arrived at hotel and luckily were able to go into our rooms. After a couple of hours sleep we had breakfast and then a 3 hour walking tour of the town which has 30 churches and snow for 5 months of the year! The temperature has increased to over 30C so it’s warm walking around. We visited one of the churches at noon and were in time for a concert- this was a bell ringer ringing the bells in an impressive way.
We walked down to a local ladies house where we were given delicious dumplings, cabbage soup and then a chicken dish. This was followed with us making a desert ( Plushki) they were delicious and were washed down with a shot of ‘moonshine’ – I had horseradish flavour (rather earthy) but there was also prune.
The four of us decided to have a picnic with food we hadn’t eaten on the train and headed out to a green area. We were just settling down when a man spoke to us in Russian and indicated, we thought, something to do with police and camera. We think it was because we had a bottle of non  alcoholic ginger – perhaps they thought it was alcohol.  We had our picnic in the hotel room! Caught up with the others later and saw a spectacular sunset.

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Into Russia

An 80 minute flight saw me arrive in St Petersburg to sunshine and warmth! A driver picked me up an chatted for the hour journey in Russian. I nodded agreement when I thought it was safe to do so, such as when words like  capitalism, Lenin, Deutschland or Porsche, came up!
A few hours later I met with my friends, (Marian, Mark and Viv) and we headed out to the ballet. Viv is very good at getting us to places. We saw Gisele. It was very well done although after my early start my eyes did begin to droop! We came back afterwards for a cuppa and catch up and were shocked to find that it was after 11pm and still  light!!
Monday saw us heading out on the hydrofoil  to Peterhof Palace. It is a series of palaces and gardens. Peter the Great expanded the property as a result of his visit to Versailles  and it is nicknamed by tourists as ‘The Russian Versailles’. There are 64 fountains with no pumps all are gravity fed. I think we visited every one of them and after walking 16 kms my feet told me that we had!

We arrived back in time to make the 6pm meeting of the group. There are 12  of us plus the tour leader so after all the introductions, paperwork and instructions we headed out to a restaurant serving Georgian food – all very delicious!
Slept in today – very unlike me – getting out of bed was a struggle mainly because my back had seized up, slowly came good as I started moving. Good buffet breakfast here – we are able to sneakily make a sandwich to keep us going. The black bread is very good! We made our way to the ’Saviour of the Blood’ church – a favourite the last time I was here. The interior is stunning with all the mosaic word. Viv was the leader as she had the audio and was recounting all information to us. We didn’t dare not listen as one look was enough to scare us!

We then took a long hike to the Peter and Paul fort. Not terribly interesting apart from the rather spectacular church where the royals were buried. Another hike to us to St Isaacs church. We started by climbing a massive spiral staircase- Marian meaning photographed me gasping for breathe half way up. The stairs became very narrow until the final ascent was outside in a sort of caged staircase – I don’t usually do heights very well but I made it without too many problems! I have also been here before and couldn’t see too many changes looking out our the skyline. You had a great view of St Petersburg as it was such a perfect day. A look through the interior, so different from Saviour of the Blood, saw us ‘churched out’ so there was nothing for it but to head to the Vodka museum nearby. By now it was getting on to 6pm and we had missed the tour but will go tomorrow!
Found an interesting restaurant for dinner and the first place for wifi. It was there that I go an exciting message to say that Kerry and Richard had got engaged – they are in Thailand – so happy for them both!

Leaving UK

I always hate goodbyes especially when you’re not sure when you will catch up again so it was sad to say goodbye to Jake and John. Had a great time with lots of laughs.  I will always remember their saying “Sun before seven, rain by eleven” – it was always correct although sometimes the rain stayed away until twelve!!
The weather has really been awful. It was only 9C yesterday when I went meet Richards mum and dad with Kerry and Richard in Birmingham. It was  bucketing down. We had a lovely lunch and it was good to meet Richard’s folks.
Had a good time with my nephew and family. Ivy and Benny enjoyed playing with their second (?) cousins.
Staying in Putney meant it was handy to get around and while Justin played golf Lauren and I took I & B to the Natural History museum. The kids were fascinated by the dinosaurs but there was one which moved and roared which scared Benny. Luckily we were inside because surprise, surprise the heavens opened!
We then walked to Kensington Palace and did a tour through an exhibition about Queen Victoria. I have never been inside before so it was interesting. The entrance wallpaper with pictures of Diana was a  bit strange! After the culture came the afternoon tea – very pleasant!
On Friday we headed to Kew Gardens where we met an old friend of Justin’s  and their three children. We spent most of the time in the children’s garden. The grandmother role of jumping on the mini tramp was exhausting and Benny and I did take a tumble but I remembered to roll so all was good. It was another busy day and we all fell into bed exhausted.
Yesterday we met some friends of Lauren’s on Southbank. Poor views of Big Ben as it was shrouded in scaffolding. We then headed to Covent Garden. Lots of walking again and it was I & B’s first time on escalators so that was a novelty! I think I’ve gained a few grey hairs though! Unfortunately there were problems with some of the trains and we had to bus it back to the apartment.
An Uber ride later and I arrived at airport hotel. Up at 3:30 for early flight to St Petersburg via Stockholm, which only took 2 hours and I slept for most of that . Now waiting for connecting flight!

Goodbye Wales

Friday it just rained all day and was really cold -10c! After attempting to get out and about we decided to light the fire and have a read and relax day. It was even too miserable to sit in the hot tub!!

What a week in Wales – so wonderful to have all my family together but they certainly gave me grief about the location “Hawaii would have been good” etc. etc! They can sort out the next family gathering!

With the weather being lousy we packed up fairly quickly and headed off for the 2 hour drive to my sister’s place. Luckily the sky was much brighter in the direction we were heading so we kept our fingers crossed. It turned into a really beautiful afternoon. One of Justin’s friends came round with his family and the little ones spent the afternoon in the pool. I was impressed with Ivy’s swimming but Benny is very hesitant. Ivy definitely takes after her dad with no fear!

What started out as a terrible day ended in sunshine with a glorious sunset.

Sunday saw some of Allan’s family catching up with us. There were tinges of sadness talking about Gladys but all in all it was lovely to see them.  Ivy and Benny seem to be able to cope very well with all these new faces.

Justin and family headed to London yesterday. My b-i-l headed to watch County cricket, (rain stopped play around lunchtime!) while Jake and I headed to the shops. It’s fatal for me to go near Marks and Sparks as I always buy something. Jake has a card for M&S and as I was paying showed it to the assistant – this gave me 20% off (sis huffing and puffing beside me). As the assistant started to ring it up she said that as you have spent over £80 there’s an extra 25% off – I think my sister started to have a mini heart attack but then to really rub salt into the wound when I used my Aussie card I can claim more money back when I leave the country. I had to placate my sis with coffee and cake!!! She insisted I write about this experience!!

Green, green grass!

Wednesday dawned wet and windy but after taking a long time to make a decision about where to go six of us headed out to Aberystwyth. Although cold and blustery the sun did peep through. A walk along the prom led us to the University and a ruined castle.

In the evening we all headed out to the local pub for my birthday dinner (celebrate for as long as possible I say!). I don’t think the pub was used to such a large group but they managed to put up with us all and it was a lovely meal. Justin and kids headed off before the rest of us and after our 10 minute stroll back to the house I was surprised to two excited little faces and a cake with lots of candles! Luckily I had two helpers for blowing them out! It was so lovely to have everyone together.

Another foggy, rainy start to the day but a few of us had decided to take one of the narrow gauge train trips. Beautiful countryside through the mountains took us to the coast. During a wander around the rain started and we got soaked running back to the station.
Amazingly late afternoon was perfect – the sun was out and really quite warm. After our usual hot tub ritual it was time to crank up the barbie! My sister and I played hide and seek with Ivy and Benny - lots of countingand running around!

Lots of laughs ensued and we realised that my brother, sister and I needed a photo of the three of us together. We found it very difficult to keep a sensible face for the photo as we were messing around as we had done as kids. It was hard to say goodbye to my brother and his family as you are never quite sure when you will meet up again!

I think I have now got the cold that my sister kindly bought with her – don’t suppose the cold and rain help!

Now I know why it's so green!

After enjoying a cup of tea sitting in the garden in Pj’s it was time to rouse ourselves and get organized for the trip to Wales. First stop was a dash onto Marks & Sparks for a pair of shorts – well today was warmer than expected! – five items later we headed to the  supermarket to shop for 12 people.
The journey took a couple of hours through beautiful countryside. It’s amazing how many different shades of green there are. We were directed through the cottage by imposing white posts and held our breath as the car moved through within a hairs breadth of tearing of the wing mirrors.
We were greeted by a rather dour Welsh lady who showed us around. The five bedrooms  are large and with great views – all you see are green fields, mountains, sheep and cattle. Once unpacked, cup of tea and welcome cake later we headed out to find where the local hostelry was – save us cooking for one night!
The countryside is lovely, so lush compared to when I visit in the winter. Rhododendrons of all colours are in full bloom and there are  many wildflowers. The  walk was followed by a laze in the hot tub with G & T  in  hand and views to die for!

Dinner was cooking in the oven when Justin and family arrived. It was a little surreal as Ivy and Benny got out of the car and acted as if they had seen me last weekend and not 18 months ago! We couldn’t remember when Justin had last seen his aunt and uncle but time just vanishes. Ivy and Benny were keen to be shown around the house and they are in the rooms up in the attic – lovely beams, amazing views but low doorways. Justin has lost count of the number of times he’s cracked his head!!
Dinner had started when my brother, s-i-l, and nephew arrived. My side of the family were now together for the first time in 12 years. It was a rowdy affair and for poor Lauren it was like baptism by fire! I loved the fact that Ivy and Benny carried on as if this was a usual affair.
Monday dawned bright with weak sunshine so we took the opportunity to head to the nearest beach half an hour away. Interesting to see that a few people were in their sleeveless tops behind windbreaks whilst I had three layers on! The wind was very strong and really quite cold and nothing enticed us to run barefoot in the sand. Ivy and Benny enjoyed kicking the sand  their wellies.
After a while a coffee or ice cream was on the menu. On the way back for lunch we stopped at the local supermarket where I & B have found comics with toys attached – Ivy now talks on her ‘phone’  whilst wearing pretty red earrings and Benny enjoys his ‘ phone’ and carrying a pretty blue purse – they really are funny.
Unfortunately there don’t seem to be many walks around here but we persevered and found a quiet lane to amble along. The countryside is lovely and watching Red Kites (birds) in flight, lambs running around and babbling brooks is very relaxing.
After our afternoon ritual of sitting in the hot tub we got the ‘boys’ onto the barbecue – there were only a few spits of rain!
Tuesday dawned cloudy, grey and raining – the weather app finally got it right. Had a mooch around the town after the, now daily, supermarket visit – I can’t remember what was on the comics today!
Left Justin and family to their own plans and sis, b-i-l and I made a sandwich and headed out to a craft centre. Before entering the centre we did the very English “Let’s sit in the car to eat our sandwich as it’s peeing down!”
 Some of the Welsh crafts were interesting but the most interesting was the Gin distillery. They made three different types from foraged botanicals. Did I want try one? Why not! Wow at 45% proof they knocked your head off. I told my sis, who has a cold, that she should have had a taste as I’m sure that would have cured her.
Later in the afternoon Kerry and Richard arrived and when my brother and family popped in  it was bedlam.

Made it to the old country,

A hectic day at work - bobbing up and down taking long jump measurements at the athletics carnival - help to sleep some of the long flight away.

Sydney to Canberra ( I know you are confused but saved me $200!) was a quick 20 minutes. I sitting on the aisle and the lady next to me ask if I was going to Singapore . Nodding the affirmative she then told me that she (her words) needed to pee every 2-3 hours and would I like to swap seats - there was no affirmative nod this time !! At the same time I was thinking she'd better not be disturbing me all the time! - anybody would think that I had the ability to sleep through a whole flight!! Strangely  enough on boarding again at Canberra she was no where to be seen and there was just a guy at the window, spare seat and me! Great no arm rest fighting!

A 4 hour stop in Singapore gave me a chance for a walk, cup of tea, visit to the butterfly garden, visit to the cosmitics duty free where Islapped on as many face serums as I could - yes at my age I need all the help I can get!

Singapore to London went smoothly, no one in the seat next to me again - was it my perfume or lack of? I think I manage a few 2 hour snoozes. Arrived into London on time and was soon getting myself and bag to the train for central London only that  backfired because there was no power on the Heathrow express so had to get the tube. Terrible 45 minutes trying to clasp my bag between my knees, geting hotter and hotter - it was a tropical 25C - unable to take my jacket off, with more and more people piling on. When I reached my stop I just barged my way off and then made a run for the next train - made it with 5 minutes to spare! 2 hours later another dash from one station to the other at Birmingham and another 40 minutes later I was finally met by my sister.

Now sitting awake at 4am - don't know why the birds outside are so happy!
Heading to Wales after breakfast!