We were both very nervous about the Russian part of the trip, but in retrospect it was not justified. The vast majority of people we met were friendly, polite and willing to help as long as we made some effort to communicate with the few words we could manage. We were frequently mistaken for dosmetic tourists, a problem I don’t expect in China, and I don’t think we got ripped off too much – probably just the right amount.

Booking the train tickets online was our most expensive error. The guide books and websites made us think that doing it ourselves would be far to difficult. We had time so it would have been far cheaper to get a local agent or even the hostels to assist. Besides that, the thrill of managing to get the right ticket from the ticket office at SPB station was worth more than the comm for an agent.

The biggest disappointment was the cancellation of the Star City tour (one of the reasons we rushed to Moscow). A lesson enforced: sometimes it’s better to just pay the high price and get on with it.

The sights were great as we expected and the museums vast, but not that English friendly (audio guides seem to be a good option). Travel was reasonably easy and we probably didn’t need to walk as much as we did.

We have since met people who have had only negative things to say about the Russians. We can’t agree. We had a great time there and the hospitality and kindness of the strangers on the trans-sib will not be forgotten.

A few odd notes to remind ouselves:
– The Armoury, Red Square, St Basils, Lenin, SPB fort.
– More ice cream
– Choc chip cookies
– Tea and more tea (but black)
– Sitlletoes on cobbles
– Dodgy houses, flash cars, leather jackets & cell phones
– The Soviet stuff seems to be mostly missing
– Cosmonauts Museum
– Milk and Drinking yogurt confusion
– Women dressed to kill and posing as if supermodels at every chance
– Learning and trying to speak a bit of Russian
– Heavy Soviet doors
– Conquering the Metro
– Gold leaf

Will have to keep adding to this post as more memories pop into our heads!

– Posted from my iPhone