Today I woke up after about 9 hours of restful sleep. The rhythmic clacking of the wheels on the track and gentle swaying of the train is soothing. I feel refreshed and relaxed. We are sharing the cabin with Martin, our tour guide. The Trans-Siberian railway is the longest railway in the world. It stretches 10,500 km (6,500 miles) from Moscow to Vladivostok, but we will not take it all the way to its terminus. Siberia is the largest, mostly untouched, wilderness in the world.
We are fortunate that our wagon car is a fairly new one. We have an outlet in our cabin which is keeping all of our digital equipment fully charged. The bathroom is quite acceptable. To our surprise we are getting a small breakfast and lunch every day. It is a peaceful journey. There is no strict schedule. You wake up when you are ready, eat when you are hungry and absorb the scenery. There is plenty of time to converse and nap throughout the day. This is my first prolonged train trip and it is quite enjoyable ... ask me again in 77 hours if I still like it. During the day we make a handful of stops stops that are just under 30 minutes each. That is enough time to stretch our legs, get some fresh air and sample local foods. I will list some of the city names, distances, and transit times from Moscow.
Today’s trains stops include:
Vladimir: 130 miles (209 km); 2h 30min. (slept through) - Built on the Klyza’ma River, Vladimir, founded in 995, was at one time a capital of Russia and its political, cultural and religious center. It has a reputation for its unique cathedrals, four of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Nizhny Novgorod: 286 miles (461 km); 6h 30 min. (slept through) - This city was founded in 1221 and was a trading center for people from the Orient, Siberia and Turkistan. Formerly named Gorki, it held political exiles and was closed to outsiders for many years. The city recently opened its doors for visitors and its many well preserved memorials from the 13th and 14th centuries are an amazing attraction.
Kirov: 570 miles (917 km); 12h 50 min. - Kirov has a population of 350,000 and is the seat of a great agricultural center on the banks of the Vyatka River, a navigable river that connects with the Volga.
Perm: 868 miles (1397 km); 20h 10 min. - Perm lies about 800 miles east of Moscow on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains, and stretches along both sides of the Kama River. Perm was founded in 1568 as the village, Lagoshikha. Since 1756, Perm has been a center for Russia’s military manufacturing. By 1781, it was established as the administrative center of the northern Urals and gateway to Siberia.
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| Typical view from the train. |
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| One of our daily train station stops. |
Vladimir: 130 miles (209 km); 2h 30min. (slept through) - Built on the Klyza’ma River, Vladimir, founded in 995, was at one time a capital of Russia and its political, cultural and religious center. It has a reputation for its unique cathedrals, four of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Nizhny Novgorod: 286 miles (461 km); 6h 30 min. (slept through) - This city was founded in 1221 and was a trading center for people from the Orient, Siberia and Turkistan. Formerly named Gorki, it held political exiles and was closed to outsiders for many years. The city recently opened its doors for visitors and its many well preserved memorials from the 13th and 14th centuries are an amazing attraction.
Kirov: 570 miles (917 km); 12h 50 min. - Kirov has a population of 350,000 and is the seat of a great agricultural center on the banks of the Vyatka River, a navigable river that connects with the Volga.
Perm: 868 miles (1397 km); 20h 10 min. - Perm lies about 800 miles east of Moscow on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains, and stretches along both sides of the Kama River. Perm was founded in 1568 as the village, Lagoshikha. Since 1756, Perm has been a center for Russia’s military manufacturing. By 1781, it was established as the administrative center of the northern Urals and gateway to Siberia.
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