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As we had stayed in Moscow for three days, we became increasingly familiar with the coldness. We could go out without hat or glove then. We had a breakfast in the hotel, then we went to street market close to the hotel. Mr. K tried to beat down and bought a Russian hat. On the way to the hotel, when I took pictures of the arena of Moscow Olympic, a man like a security guard came and got angry. Of course, in Russian. So I couldn't understand what he said. I could understand only that I was angry.
After we had gotten yelled, we passed through in the front of our hotel and went to the downtown by subway. Then, we got stopped by a poleceman and were asked "passport". Because we had heard there were many policeman who took passports of tourists' hand and required bribe, we were cautious and kept our hands on our passports. But it was good that he discharged his duties faithfully. We changed the mood to went to the downtown.
Today, we saw the HQ of KGB, strolled around Albert street and bought souvenirs. The most famouse souvenir of Russia is Matryoshka doll. So we bought the dolls. Another famouse souvenir is chocolate named Krasny Oktyabr(the meaning is "Red October"). We bought also this. After that, we ate meat dish for lunch in a restaurant.
After we strolled untile the evening, we went back to the hotel and spent the time by drinking beer. We had a staff of the hotel call a taxi and went to Yaroslavl station. Because we would stay on a train for a week, we bought many food and drink at a kiosk. Though our train had a restaurant car, here is Russia. We couldn't believe anything except we looked by ourselves. Well, it was also because the price would be high.
It was after 9 o'clock. Just before the departure, the train No. 4 from Moscow-Yaroslavl to Beijin we took came into a platform. Our car was a car of Chinese national railway and the first class car. We showed our tickets and passports to a conductor and boarded the train. Though another conductor introduced us on the train, he couldn't speak English at all and he guided us to an incorrect room. We felt nicely uneasy about the future. All rooms of the first class car were for two persons. Because we were three, only one were assigned another room. If we looked at tickets, the one was me. I shared a room with an old man from UK. I was so happy not to share the room with a Russian. It's wonderful to be able to communicate in English!
The train departed almost on time. The train pulled out quitely. the old man and we drank a toast to our journey. The old man lived in Switzerland and had traveled from europe by train, he said. Futhermore, he would transfar to a train for Vietnam after arriving at Beijin and go back to europe by train!You're great! It's the dream of man! You are, of course, the gentleman in UK. The railway isn't regarded as high hobby in UK for nothing. I wish Japan follows it.
After that, we talked about Shinkansen, trains in europe and so on, and called it a night. Incidentally, the passengers of the first class car seemed to be only our four.
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