London to Hong Kong Island by Train

London to Moscow

The journey started very early one morning at Waterloo International Station in London. The Eurostar train provided an easy way to leave the UK through the channel tunnel and after shooting through France we arrived at Brussels Midi station in Belgium only 3 and a half hours after leaving London. Unfortunately our connecting train was due to depart minutes later so all we saw of this city was the station as we ran across to find the right platform (I have been back since!). The next train took us to Berlin, a journey of around 7 hours; unfortunately we had no Belgian or German currency so we arrived in the early evening, hungry, thirsty and with no place to stay!

After finding a hostel, we spent the evening and the next day enjoying this city. A walking tour allowed us to see many of the sights and I was quite amazed by how integrated this once divided city had become again. That evening we had to be on the move again and so after crossing the city via the Berlin 'metro' we boarded the overnight train to Warsaw.

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The train journey from Warsaw to Moscow was a very comfortable one on a Polish train. The jorney took about 24 hours and the train stopped briefly in Minsk, Bella Russia. Unfortunately the stop was at night and not long enough anyway for us to see any of the town. The other stop on this journey was at the Polish border and was very unusual (for me anyway). The carriages of the train were seperated and then they all had their wheels changed, with the passengers still on board! As we spoke no Russian or Polish, it took us ages to work out what was actually happening although the locals seemed amused that we found it at all interesting!

We did have a few days to spend in Moscow and we actually stayed with a Russian family which made it more interesting; however, we heard that any family that can afford a place with a spare room is not exactly typical. We naturally had a good look around the city, particularly in the centre near Red Square. There was a very obvious army presence around this area and there were frequently groups of soldiers marching past.

On the second day, we also had a look around the grounds of The Kremlin with a Russian tour guide who was touting for business in Red Square. He spoke reasonable English and had quite a good knowledge about the place so we learnt quite a lot.

Many of the buildings are extremely ornate and we caught a glimpse at some of the amazing artwork inside some of them. After the Kremlin, we visited the preserved body of Lenin in Red Square. The lighting is very effective and the room is kept in strict silence, making it quite a powerful experience. During the morning, whilst the Morsalium is open, Red Square is actually closed to the public.

Many western goods are available around the central area and there are also many street traders selling all kinds of things; especially old Soviet memorabelia (coins etc) and postcards. To support the Russian currency the law said that they could only only accept this in payment but I managed to buy some souvineers using US Dollars and UK Pounds. Shops also insisted on payment in Russian currency although prices were often quoted in US Dollars and German Marks instead. Restaurants had their menus printed with the prices in US and had the converion rate written up somewhere; this rate changed significantly from day to day. Travellers Cheques were certainly not easy to change, we tried many places, but cash (US Dollars) was quite easy. The best rate was offered by small shops although these were a bit intimidating as there was only a tiny slit in a blacked out booth so you couldn't see or hear who you were dealing with. You put the US money through and a while later, back came the Russian. The guy by the door with a gun did not add to a feeling of security either!

We spent one evening looking around the central area too as many of the statues and buildings are extremely well lit and very impressive after dark. Despite lacking a tripod I was quite pleased with some of the photographs I managed to take that evening. As we walked around at this time however, we were well aware of the many soldiers watching us and many black police cars driving around too. However, due to the high and rising crime rate in Russia and the frightening statistics were were told about, this presence was actually quite reassuring.

We travelled around and across Moscow on the Moscow Metro which is truly impressive in many ways. The price for any journey worked out at about 9 pence (UK) and the service was exceptional with trains turning up at each platform every 30 seconds or so. Many of the stations were more like art galleries with statues and artwork everywhere and no advertising at all. Some of the extremely long escalators had lovely lamps all the way along and were quite incredible to see. The only problems were trying to work out which train to get and where you were! There was very little information on station platforms (even the station name was hard to find) and whenever a station serves 2 different lines it has 2 different names as well! The ticket checking system was very unusual too; the machines that collected the small plastic disks (tickets) when you entered the station had apparently nothing obstructing you; however, if you attempted to pass without inserting the disk, 2 barriers came out from either side with a great deal of force and hit you in the legs! Remembering to insert the disk and ensuring that the machine had accepted it was therefore very important!