Another Kremlin?

Monday 31 August

Our first morning waking up in this “luxury” compartment – our own bathroom is definitely a plus – not having to share loos and showers (where the water is not always hot) is wonderful. And the beds are larger, and we have a TV (can’t get any programmes on it, but its on the wall!) The room has shiny mahogany doors with large mirrors and we have a small wardrobe – I am still at a loss to know why we are here – but thank you God for looking after us.

Breakfast was a series of courses – croissants and yogurts and jam on the table, which everyone dived into as soon as they were seated. Then came the ham and cheese course, followed by fresh fruit, followed by porridge. The final dish was an omelette. Not quite the same sequence as at home, but hey, the order of the food doesn’t matter much to Colin, its just his favourite meal of the day.

Our trip today was to Kazan, a largish city in Tartarstan on the banks of the Volga River with well over one million citizens. We were taken to see yet another Kremlin (apparently there’s one in almost every large town and city) and more Cathedrals with beautiful icons and paintings on the walls. This region is fiercely proud of being half Tartar and we were constantly told of how many schools and universities have been set up since Perestroika in 1990 and all the wonderful works in hand or being planned. We also went inside a Mosque, which had been rebuilt on the site of a previous mosque destroyed by the Soviet regime in the 60’s and re-opened just over a year ago. We were allowed into the main room where usually only men go to worship (they took the carpet up first), but this is typical of how Russia is falling over itself to embrace all religions and become a free multi-cultural society.

There is a “big wheel” here about the size of the one in Birmingham - but we didn’t get to go on it, as well as a huge sports arena, five star hotels and new shopping complexes, all aimed at bringing the city into the 21st century.

Kazan itself is a friendly place, but no different to the other cities we have seen – large areas being rebuilt, restored or replicated to match that which has been lost – by fire, thieves, or in the War. When all this rebuilding, refurbishing and recreating is completed all over Russia, it will be a country which glistens so brightly with all its gold and bright colours you will need special spectacles to look at it in the sun!!! But most of it will be no older than Perestroika.

We also had a river boat trip on the Volga where they fed us “Cornish pasties”. They described them as being a speciality of the area – but we know better. Then it was back to the train for lunch and a film about Nicholas II and Alexandra – the last Russian Tsar. We are visiting the place where they were executed and originally buried tomorrow, so it was just as well to gen up on the history.

We have to put our clocks forward by 2 hours tonight – so its now 12.45 am here, and another hour tomorrow night – that means we will be 6 hours ahead of home time. There will probably be some sleepy people tomorrow morning, including me.

WEATHER REPORT: Fine all day, although very chilly with a stiff breeze (still wearing fleecy). Beautiful flame red sunset lasting more than half an hour (didn’t have the camera with us at dinner to take any piccys).