My Friends,Already railing for the past two weeks and it seems that it has been a month. The first leg of the Trans-Siberian completed and it has been a surprising and unforgettable experience. I have met some really nice people and my backpackers family is getting bigger day by day ;D One decides to travel alone and becomes the least lonely person on the planet. The Journey started in Gare de Paris Est at 6:58 on Wednesday the 17th of September, the D day!
My sister and my good friend Claudia from Peru are with me on the platform - I haven't slept all night; wonder why... Five minutes before departure here come my brother running to say goodbye - WOW! what a pleasant surpise!
I am going first class to Mannheim; thanks to Peter "The Great" ;) who had input his Slovak skills into finding this good deal - First class goes with full breakfast and Ferrero Rocher s'il vous plait! :P Good Start!!
10:30, Mannheim-Berlin, not a bother. I recognise some familiar views of Mannheim from 15 year ago and this makes me feel younger. In Berlin, i need to change Train stations, from Charlottenburg to HauptBanhoff and this reveals that my two year of German learning was not a waste of time. I manage to not place my famous phrase of "Die Schlussel sind under dem Wagen" in any conversation - or Die Armaturenbrett - not sure about the spelling of this one though...
Aaanyway, Germany goes through like a piece of cake then comes POLAND an that is another story cause no Polsky in my baggage - mmmh, never mind, what needs to be done will be done - I hop off at Poznan, 21:ish and look for my next train...can't find it...it's dark and no one speeks English - After 20 min of going up and down from one platform to another, a train attendant looks at my ticket and tells me something that summarises to Not Good Ticket! - I show the confirmation - they understand and make me wait a little while he checks with someone else - I can get on and he gives me an empty berth to myself -
10:30, Mannheim-Berlin, not a bother. I recognise some familiar views of Mannheim from 15 year ago and this makes me feel younger. In Berlin, i need to change Train stations, from Charlottenburg to HauptBanhoff and this reveals that my two year of German learning was not a waste of time. I manage to not place my famous phrase of "Die Schlussel sind under dem Wagen" in any conversation - or Die Armaturenbrett - not sure about the spelling of this one though...
Aaanyway, Germany goes through like a piece of cake then comes POLAND an that is another story cause no Polsky in my baggage - mmmh, never mind, what needs to be done will be done - I hop off at Poznan, 21:ish and look for my next train...can't find it...it's dark and no one speeks English - After 20 min of going up and down from one platform to another, a train attendant looks at my ticket and tells me something that summarises to Not Good Ticket! - I show the confirmation - they understand and make me wait a little while he checks with someone else - I can get on and he gives me an empty berth to myself -
I am absolutely exhausted!
The atmosphere is gloomy, the lighting is low and green, and Russian ladies looking at me with a lot of curiousity - not reassuring but well we manage to exchange some russian-english-german words with Nina in the smoking area of the carriage; she is going to Erkaterinburg, Siberia has the look of someone with a heavy lifestyle, exhausted, no expression in the eyes but needs to speek about anything - and to tell me that it is too dangerous for me to travel alone in Russia as some tourists got killed a while ago in Moscow - uhmm-uhmm that is not what i needed to hear so I thought of going back to my berth to read, take pics and listen to my mp3 ;) Hey I am going to use my first Transit Visa for Belarussia...18/09/08 3:00am - Someone with a deep voice bangs at the berth door and shouts Passport - The Belarussian customs control - they speak Russian - obviously i don't understand then take my passport, keep it for half an hour and come back. They're the least welcoming people I have ever came across, just shout at everyone - army style - like if we had no right to cross borders, strange... - and cannot understand why a French girl travels alone by train with no Russian - The following of my journey through Russia reveals that none of the locals understand why westerners (tourists) prefer wasting time and money by taking the train rather than the plane.
15 minutes stop at Minsk station - and I realise i have never been that far east...
Friday Morning, the carriage attendant asks me to change car as this one is going to Moscow - Ok - I run to the St Peterburg carriage where the other attendant is aware of my plans and impatiently waiting for me :) smiley and joyful. Good One! The carriage is occupied only by a 6 year old little girl, her babushka and her dog the size of a poney - OoooH jayzuz that was a first! The poor pet is not in its comfort zone obviously and cannot even turn around in the small corridor- This journey went really pleasantly as I socialised, in Russian, with the little Lucia, 6 years old who looks like a little princess. The attendant passes by sharing his buscuits and i share some french tea.
Everyone is relaxed and i am getting used to the "Rail" way of life...
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