Just popping to Siberia and Asia, want me to get you anything?

So after much deliberation and changing of minds, we finally settled on what we were going to do for our reading week. After choosing Moscow then changing our minds to Vorkuta (possibly only known to some for its Gulag that was a level in Call of Duty: Black Ops), we chose Yekaterinburg. No more changing our minds, we bought the tickets and during that time we amassed a huge queue forming behind us and some pissed off looking Russians.

Platz Class carriage minus the people.

Our tickets are the height of Russian luxury... for third class (also known as Platzkart). Having read a few blogs about travelers using the Platz class and with them many various opinions. One person called it "Platzkart Hell" whilst others said it was a taste of the real Russia and people are friendly and will share food, and more importantly, vodka with you for the duration of the journey. 

The journey will start with a 12 hour trip to Moscow featuring this song on repeat Dschingis Khan - Moskau an overnight stay there and hopefully a Chinese restaurant as well. Russians love their sushi, the majority of restaurants in Petrozavodsk serve sushi. However, there are no Chinese restaurants. What I would do for some Oriental food right now...

Platz Class carriage plus the people.

The journey will continue with a 27 hour journey from Moscow to Yekaterinburg; all on a top bunk to add salt to the wounds. The return journey will be the killer though, we depart Yekaterinburg on the 8th November at 11.41 a.m. and arrive in Petrozavodsk at 12:18 p.m. with only a 5 hour stop in Moscow. On the upside, we will have been on the Trans-Siberian.


I am not entirely sure why I have chosen to go Yekaterinburg, all I know about it is the Romanovs were executed there, there are a mass of Mafioso graves and a monument to the QWERTY keyboard. We can stand in two continents at the same time.

Just over a week until we depart Petrozavodsk for our journey that will last 82 hours overall. It will be an experience, however it might be a one I am not in a rush to repeat any time soon.