The last post was just before we went to the station. Now it is 23.13 Moscow time (the train only has Moscow time) and we drive through a dark landscape with lots of snow. It was a hassle, with the Metro went well, there was only told us that there were two train stations in the metro. When we surfaced, we knew then not sure where to go and the Cyrillic did not help. We asked a passerby if this is the station was good, the answer was 'da'. Well, we've saved, and once inside we were even less wise. The first woman behind the counter did not help. My stress level had skyrocketed and I almost ran around like headless chicken. Michael kept his cool. In the other window, the woman was kind enough to us in Russian to tell that we had to walk and she pointed in one direction. Of course we went first and could find nothing wrong. Back and in the other direction. The strange thing was that you had to walk from the building and that the tracks were about 100 meters. Avery had by this time well where to go and led me straight to the track. There stood the train at each door in a Chinese conductor / train operated. On the wagon to 9. Once there, looked at "our" train operated difficult for our tickets. We have got 2 books, 1 train tickets to Irkutsk and Ulan Baator and one with the tickets of Ulaan Baator to Beijing. Immediately he said with gestures whether we went to Ulaan Baator. No, the answer was Irkutsk. There was someone else and I was overtaken by the minute restless. After consultation we were in any case the train, finally. We were pointed to our compartment and large backpacks could drop. We were stunned, what a luxury coupe! When you come to the right two sofas / beds that can also be folded. In the middle a tafelte (with thermos) and opposite the benches in the corner by the window a large zitstoel. Michael is now curled up in that chair shots.
There is also left the door immediately after a shallow box with a pair of brackets and ... the door to the 'bathroom'.
A small box with a tap and hand shower, the water then runs through the pit road. There is a large luggage in a box above the hallway, sitting there in our backpacks and under the zitstoel and the lower bed is enough room for our travel bags with clothes and all the food down. We also have delicious firm pillows, crisp white sheets and even bedside lamps. Everywhere seems to think, we have the option to dim light and ordinary fluorescent light and even an electrical outlet. There are curtains and even a mini folding stairs to the upper bed. Both beds have a mini rack / net you a number of things in easy reach. The only downside is that we can not put the heating and that this blood is hot. Oh .. and the toilets have no toilet paper, but we were prepared.
After we were a little recovered from the stress we unpacked our stuff and began to investigate. At the two ends of our wagon down the toilets and there is a samovar for hot water. We walked through the different coaches and have seen that the samovars on coal used, here and there lie in between the bags with pieces of coal. It is clearly a Chinese train, I had already understood that bit more luxurious but we can were no signs anywhere to read what is mentioned. The wagons are similar, apart from the coupe's also for four persons. A couple's car on the dining car. Here they have cards with Russian menus and it looks not too expensive. The menus are huge, but I already understood that although the menus are similar often half the offer is not available. We have nice hot water extracted and put tea (super that we meehebben).
The beds are made, during the day do you have a cover over it so you just on the lower couch. The train and we have actually a mini-house room. Here we sit with a cup of tea to enjoy the fact that without them doing anything travel, it feels now like we do a really tough journey, Moscow city and was a kind of warmup, the train and we went along on to Siberia.
