This is something I wrote in my journal on the train from St. Petersburg to Moscow and typed up on my arrival home.
As I write this I’m on the train from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I’m sitting the opposite way the train is going so there’s a chance I’ll get a headache after a while, but the time is 21.26 and it is dark outside, hopefully without being able to see the scenery whizzing past me it won’t make a difference which direction I’m going. I’m travelling with my friend, Ruchi, but she’s on a different carriage because the train is full and we couldn’t get seats sitting together. The woman sitting next to me is a young, stereotypical Russian. This means she is dressed to the nines. She’s wearing a clingy, black mini-dress with sheer tights, and has legs up to her armpits. I’m trying not to stare. She’s taken off her shoes and I can’t resist taking a picture of them. Who wears shoes like this?!
Russian women. Every day.
Today has been a good and bad day. I’ll start with the bad. I lost some money, such a schoolboy error. The thing about Russian money is it has really big notes, so if you take out a substantial amount of money from the cash machine it’s likely you will get a 5000 rubles note which is the equivalent of £90. So instead of receiving four £20 notes and one £10 note like you would in England, you are given one single note. This is dangerous for a complete scatterbrain like me – the risk of losing it is inevitable.
But I learnt a valuable lesson: Instead of getting a wad of cash out at the beginning of a trip to avoid needing to get more out later and paying small bank charges – don’t bother. TRYING TO BE ECONOMICAL ONLY LEAVES YOU WITH A BIG HAEMORRHAGE IN THE ASS.
Now onto more pleasant things like the Nabokov Museum where I went this afternoon. Such a lovely, little place. I say ‘little’ because it is for a museum, but it is also where the writer grew up, so for a house it is big and decadent.
He came from a very wealthy family which afforded him the best education money could buy. It contains memorabilia from his life: books, chess sets, and butterflies. Nabokov’s greatest passion was the study and science of butterflies (lepidopterological research), he said it was more pleasurable than the study and practice of literature, which is saying a good deal!
One of the reasons why Russia has fascinated me for a long time is because I’ve dreamt about walking along the streets where Nabokov once lived and others before him; Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekov, Gogol and Pushkin are just a few to name. All these Russians, many of them grumpy, have warmed my heart and broadened my mind and for that reason the idea of going to Russia has always been high on my travel agenda.
There were plenty more reasons too; it’s vast and unsettling political history which I’m ashamed to say I still don’t know enough about, but this visit has ignited a little fire. I want to learn more. That’s the thing about Russia, it makes you want to peel apart layers of history and unrest: it makes you want to question. There’s so much history here it makes you feel dizzy, and if that doesn’t make you feel dizzy the sheer opulence of the palaces and Cathedrals will. It’s insane how the Tsars used to live. It makes me feel sick with disgust but inspired by the beauty.
Russia makes you feel, and sometimes you don’t know what you’re feeling. You just go with it…
From the moment we arrived the sensory overload began. If anything can throw you out of your comfort zone as soon as you arrive in a country it’s getting straight onto the public transport from the airport. Have I got on the right bus? Do I pay the driver or is there a machine to buy a ticket from? Have I got off at the right stop? All that kind of simple stuff we take for granted in our own country.
The underground in St. Petersburg is the deepest underground in the world so the escalators seem to go on forever, when you’re at the top you can’t see the bottom and when you’re at the bottom you can’t see the top.
To get on the train you have to wait in front of these steel black doors that are lined up next to each other and they only open when the train pulls up, so you never actually see the train until you get onto it. I later discovered not all the undergrounds are like this, some are more ‘normal’. The trains are wide but very old and rattley, I was greeted by stern faces and expected nothing less. The smell of unwashed bodies (mine included) and musk filled my nostrils.
After one stop a man with no legs wheeled onto the carriage, he travelled down the aisle on a square surface with wheels, like a skateboard covered in leather, and in his hands were metal handlebars that enabled him to push his body weight and stop and pivot at any point with ease, and without his hands needing to touch the floor. Intermittently he tapped people’s ankles with the metal bar to get their attention and asked for money. Two women opened their purses.
Something about seeing this man with no legs really struck me. It wasn’t the poverty, or that he had no legs, it was the surrealness of it. It was something you would see in a Diane Arbus photograph or David Lynch film. He didn’t look weak, he looked powerful. He wore an old denim jacket with the arms ripped off to expose his big, muscular shoulders and arms covered in tattoos.
In St. Petersburg so many things are over the top: the palaces, the churches, the dress sense, the museums, the wide and long streets lined with huge Empire-style architecture. They dwarf you. I’ll write more specially about them all in another post, at the moment I’m scribbling down some fragments of thoughts to pass the time.
It’s a shame it’s dark because I’d love to see what the journey between St. Petersburg and Moscow looks like. But I could get a headache travelling backwards so it’s just as well it’s dark. As well as writing this, I’ve been listening to music (flitting between Max Richter, The Cure, and Pantha Du Prince), daydreaming, making some notes about the things I want to see and do in Moscow, and I’ve eaten two apples. To break up the occasional bouts of boredom I have texted Ruchi a few times, I wonder how she’s getting on in the other carriage…
Boys and spots (that’s probably ‘pimples’ to the rest of the world), I assure you, our conversations are not limited to boys and pimples.
Well, the woman next to me has put her death-trap heels back on, we must be pulling into Moscow. The journey starts again.
Speak soon
Shing x
22 Responses
Brilliant writing. Awesome post!
Thank you , glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂
Nature they say is beautiful and amazing,the buildings,heritage sites and the rail lines oh what else can i say,are the Russians in character the same.
I couldn’t agree more Daniel! The buildings are spectacular and I’d love to see more of the nature….
Those heels are craazy! I love all the architectural photos, you’ve captured everything really well. I’m sitting here in on the porch of our house sit in Costa Rican rainstorm being very envious of your Russian adventure! Not envious of the train or the spot though… >.<
Crazy aren’t they Charlie?! I don’t know how they do it without breaking an ankle or losing sensation in their feet!
Haha, well, I’m very jealous of you being in Costa Rica so let’s trade place!
Colorful and fun reading your travel letter. You didn’t miss much of the scenery between St . Petersburg and Moscow. Seen it. Boring. Would rather like to see those legs you mentioned ☺
Looking forward to the next letter.
Excellent to know I didn’t miss too much!! Well…. if you’re a leg man then Russia is heaven!
I’d love to visit Nabakov’s childhood home, how cool!
The subway looks–and sounds–overwhelming. I’m glad you included a picture of it, because I sure wouldn’t have been able to imagine it.
Hi Cassandra! It was nice getting to know Nabokov a little more! However, the museum is small but very sweet.
Initially I was taken aback by the subway, I think it was the whole getting there and not quite sure how everything works and nobody speaking English part that threw me off centre, but then after the first time it was like any other regular subway, but a little more tired looking!
I’ve seen Russian tourists teetering around Riga’s cobblestones in heels like that. How they don’t break an ankle, I’ll never know!
Us normal women will never know Heather!!
I have to admit, I know nothing about famous Russians who lived between the time of Joseph Stalin and Roman Abramovich. Thanks for filling this gap for me, even if just a little 😉
I’ll write a more historical post about Russia with you in mind 😉
I’ve noticed that my eastern European coworkers love to wear high heals, there must be a correlation.
Losing money is Murphy’s Law. Good job writing it off and trying to learn from.
Your photo taking skills seem to be getting better. Excellent!
Hi Mike! I agree, no point crying over money!
Thank you for the comment regarding my photos – it’s nice to hear I’ve improved! 😀
Your amazing, beautiful writing has only continued to excel, Shing! You are doing fantastic. I would not want to travel, sitting backwards either. What a brilliant idea to share a part of your journal into a post. I haven’t been writing but have been journaling as well. I loved that part with the snapshot of the woman’s shoes. Good advice on the money too and I’m sorry you lost your’s. The text exchange between you and Ruchi was funny and there were probably good looking men on the train texting about the two beautiful women (you two) on board 🙂 I hope all is well with you, my friend 🙂
Hi Mike, it’s nice to hear you’ve been writing in your journal even if you haven’t been blogging so much. Ahhh the text message… certainly not… I looked a mess. Tired, hot and ropey 🙂
Love it. So funny and your photos are gorgeous by the way. Very impressive. Do you have any tips to get the sharp colourful details. I’m always slightly wonky LOL!
How long was the train ride and how long did you spend in Russia? I’m hoping to take the TransSiberian from Moscow next summer to Beijing. Any advice? Thanks a mill.
Hi Victoria, great to see you here! If I need to edit any photos I do it on my phone using an app called ‘Snapseed’. It’s not exactly an ideal way to edit photos on such a small screen but it works fine for me, so it’s worth downloading to check out for yourself!
In regards to the train ride from St. Petersburg to Moscow, I took the fast train taking approximately 4 hours, however, there is a slower train that takes 8 hours, and also a night train too. I was only in Russia for 9 days. I would have loved longer, and I would recommend longer if you have the time. If you’re doing the TransSiberian from Moscow I would still definitely recommend going to St.Petersburg first. It was my favourite between the two cities, extremely beautiful and with LOADS to see and do. However, Moscow has loads to offer too but in my opinion, not to the same extent.
If you have any more questions then don’t hesitate to ask!
P.S. I’d love to do the TransSiberian, I hope you book it.
I have always been immensely fascinated by Russia, too. I am graduating soon, and I had asked for a trip to Russia. The answer was no. I think my 80’s raised mother kept thinking about the movie “Red Dawn” or something. But the history really is something to behold. I am also a literature major, which makes it an even more of a draw because of all the great Russian writers. I mean, there are countless.
Your writing is one of the things I love most about your blog. It is really hard to describe without sounding cheesy, but it is really beautifully written. Every post I have read has been wonderful. And your photographs are as rich and vivid and beautiful as your words.
Just wanted to finally write a response to let you know how lovely I find your blog!
Thank you!
P.S. I hope you have thought about writing as a career because I think you would be fabulous at it!
Hi Blakeley,
Firstly, thank you for such lovely comments regarding my blog and writing. It’s really encouraging to know that you enjoy what I write.
Oh, if you are studying literature, and furthermore drawn to the Russian writers, then your parents are obligated to grant you permission to go to Russia! (Wouldn’t that be the perfect graduation present?!). I can understand their concerns but perhaps you should show them articles like this, and others which showcase the country in another light, from a traveller/tourist’s perspective.
I’ve never watched Red Dawn btw, but I’ve now made a note.
Good luck with the rest of your course, and let me know if you’d like any more information about St. Petersburg or Moscow. I hope you get to go, there are so many houses from the old writers which have been turned into small museums. You’d love it.