Friday 9th May on the Rossiya (Day 7)

Woke up 0330 as we came into Omsk A woman (Ludmila) who spoke a little English with a small daughter (Zoya) alighted here. They had been sharing a cabin with Sonia our travelling companion from Melbourne/Manchester. They were going to see the daughters grandfather who was 90. Strange time of the day to turn up on your grandfathers doorstep but as Joanne says today is 9th May a big day for all Russians to commemorate the end of the Second World War. The grandfather had probably fought so this would be a really big day. In fact all through the day we saw evidence of parades going on with people in uniform collecting in groups. But it's good to see children in Russia-one of the few countries in the world with seriously declining population.

So we have a routine going now; get up, coffee, wash, breakfast (croissants this morning sold by the Provinista), maybe second coffee from the Samovar, look out of the window, lunch (boiled egg, cheese sandwich, potato cakes today, bought off the platform at Novosibirsk) , doze, tea (Russian style, no milk) dinner (today cheese sandwich, pot noodle (Russian) Apple (peeled with my trusty penknife bought in Weston) bottle of beer and bag of crisps from the dining car  (tonight mushroom flavour), bed . And of course the provinista hoovers the compartment at 1130 each day prompt.

Clean toilet compartment complete with air freshner!

Time is playing tricks on us and it wasn't until Sonia said "I am sure it's getting darker" that it clicked-as we go east we get closer to sunrise so sunset gets earlier as well. It was dark at 1830tonight. So we have resolved to try and go to bed half an hour earlier each evening so we are not completely thrown when we get to Vladivostock. The train remains on Moscow time throughout.
We pass a freight train every 15 minutes or so heading west. A great deal of coal is mined in western Siberia for use in smelting works in the Urals. These trains are huge consisting of 70 plus bogie wagons which must contain about 100 tons of coal each. Hauled by triple electric locos. In fact The Rossiya is all electric but an anachronism at the larger stations is a guy comes round for the ashes from the Samovars in each coach which are still coal fired. Also at the larger stations a carriage and wagon  examiner (or wheel tapper) comes along tapping the wheels and ensuring everything on The Rossiya is in order. We haven't done that in the UK since the early 80s but it's strangely reassuring to see this practice continued on these long distance trains.

Wheel Tappers watch The Rossiya roll into Yekatrinburg

It seems very hard out here in the wilds. No wonder birth rate is declining.However, the huts out here seem "more together" than those nearer the towns. Presumably they have to be as there is less room for error. Some of the little towns on the route have grown up around the railway and very clearly the locals are proud of the railway with the local shunting engines well cleaned, standby breakdown cranes polished and railway offices and engine sheds appearing in a better state of repair than the  surrounding area in many cases.
This morning we passed through a swampy area a bit similar to the fens. Able to see, must be 10 miles in any direction but pretty featureless. Apparently the area has claimed several lives due to people becoming disorientated. This afternoon it was a bit more hilly.
At this moment The Rossiya is plunging east into the darkness having just left Bogoto bang on time after over 2000 miles of running (for nothing must stop The Rossiya) There is some laughter from the compartment next door where they are watching a comedy film (compartments have tv but as it's all Russian haven't bothered with it) So it's night number three. Phew; we are not halfway yet!