Tue21Jun16: ...and then it rained buckets overnight...

We're still adjusting to the 'jet lag', but had a good sleep, and woke up at 9am without the alarm clock.  Lots of residents at breakfast, but the same old menu; four-in-a-row of these robust but routine breakfasts is enough.  Reception says that the bicycle box and equipment bag still haven't arrived from Brussels, but there's still 10 days to go.  Kathy and I are heading out of the hotel at 11:08am with our carry-on bags in tow, down to the Metro and an easy transit to the Moscoviy Railway Station.

An old station but a shiny streamlined train, uniformed staff, very much like an airline because you have to show your ticket and passport before boarding, comfortable seats, and internet service (for a fee).  Shortly after leaving St. Petersburg the country side turns into mixed forest, much like the stretch from Winnipeg through northern Ontario; the occasional small farm with very basic wooden houses and no animals or machinery visible - just how to these people make a living?

Kathryn is reading the Eyewitness Travel book on "Moscow" while I continue editing the photos we took in St. Petersburg.  Uniformed attendants pass up the aisle frequently with carts loaded with drinks, snacks, toys, collecting garbage, etc.  Several families, baby carriages, one woman with a juvenile Husky dog in a cage who only barks twice during the trip.   Two very short (one minute) stops at small cities, and four hours later the clouds clear and we pop out of the bush to enter the northwest suburbs of Moscow.





Leningradskiy Railway Station is very non-descript, and we follow the crowds and the signs to the Metro Line #1.  Purchasing tickets is easy, one 50p (CDN$1) fare covers the entire city, we go two stops and change to Line #6, one more stop then we emerge at a nice park in Kitay-Gorod neighbourhood.  After a few minutes we get our bearings and realise that our hotel is only about 150m from the station exit.  Wow!  No more 1km walks to catch the metro!



Actually finding the hotel entrance is not so easy because it's through the building to an inner courtyard, but eventually we see the small sign for "Old Moscow Mini-Hotel" and walk the four floors up to our home for the week.  Luba buzzes us in through the steel security door, her speaking not a word of English, us speaking not a word of Russian, but smiles and sign language get the job done.  This hotel occupies a part of the 4th floor, the A/C is set at about 20C, snack room with complimentary tea & coffee, our room is good sized but with basic furnishings and a very new/modern washroom.  Time to peel off our sweaty clothes and have a long shower.
A short walk reveals we're in the middle of a bustling commercial strip, lots of affluent young people around (average age = 25 years) - travellers and locals, lots of coffee shops and restaurants, one grocery store down the street.  Supper of pasta and salad, in keeping with our recent Italian theme.