Moscow and Trans-Mongolian, Part 1

Just a few pics from my last day/night in Moscow, my first 30-hour stretch on the Trans-Mongolian, and my stop in Yekaterinburg. Nothing too great – train was moving fast, so a lot of blurry images of birch trees, and Yekaterinburg isn’t the most beautiful city I’ve ever stopped in — but its been an interesting stay.

My last day in Moscow, I visited the town of Sergiev Posad, which is about 2 hours outside of the city. Sergiev Posad is home to Russia’s holiest Orthodox shrine and monastery, and draws a constant stream of believers to its doors.  To me, getting there was a great adventure, but the energy of the place was pretty amazing.

Approaching the complex:

People here were filling their bottles with Holy Water:

My favorite from the day:

Then, back to Moscow for a quick look at the infamous KGB building:

Next, off to Red Square for dinner and some night-time revelry:

Next, a 30-hour train trip to Yekaterinburg: (With one of my three charming cabin-mates):

A little bit of the countryside, which was absolutely beautiful and awash with hundreds of miles of changing birch trees: (From the moving train):

And, a few from Yekaterinburg: (Not the loveliest of cities, but interesting nonetheless):

And, to be honest, this about sums up my feelings for Yekaterinburg:

Tomorrow, another 30 hour stretch to Krasnoyarsk!