The Long Trip Home-Subway-plane-subway-train-subway-plane-subway-train
I left my hostel in Singapore for the airport on Friday the 14th at 2.00pm Moscow time for a 6.00pm flight. The subway stop was about a 20 minute walk from the hostel and then I had a 45 minute subway ride on Singapore's ultra modern and timely MRT system.
I thus got to the airport a little after 3.00pm and proceeded for to the Qantas check-in counter. I had been trying to book an aisle seat on line without any luck, so I was glad I was early hoping it would help my chances to not be in a middle seat for the 13 hour flight. But no luck--only middle seats were left so I checked in and spent a couple of hours going through customs, security and dreaming about being in a middle seat with large people on either side of me for 13 hours. By the time we got ready to board I was ready for whatever.
As we were boarding the plane the head stewardess, looking at my New Zealand t-shirt, asked me if I had begun the day in New Zealand. I told her I had not but was there last week and loved it. I also told her that if anyone cancelled and she had an available aisle seat that my knees would love her forever and I would be internally grateful :). And she did. She took the time to look through the manifest and found an empty seat and gave it to me. I was thrilled. As it turned out not only did I have an aisle seat but I had an empty seat next to me. What a good start to a long journey.
As it turned out we spent 2 hours on the plane before taking off, just what you want on a 13 hour flight. But I had my aisle seat and was happy. So we ended up getting into Frankfurt a couple of hours late and by the time I went through customs it was about 8.00am Sat. the 15th. I was then going to take a subway into central Frankfurt and catch the 10.30 train to Cologne, where my flight to Moscow left at 2.50 pm. But while trying to check in the guy looked at my ticket and said If I wanted to just wait there I could as the train from Frankfurt to Cologne passed by and stopped at the airport stop that I was already at. So I did and that gave me a chance to walk around, get some coffee and stretch my legs. The train came exactly on time and we were off to Cologne. We arrived close to noon at the central station in Cologne and I stored my bags and walked around a while before taking the subway to the airport. Once there I checking in with Germanwings for my 2.50 pm flight only to be told it was running an hour late. Well an hour turned into 90 minutes but we finally left at about 4.30 pm arriving in Moscow (three hour flight-two hour time difference) at 9.30pm. I then went through customs, passport control, claimed my luggage and started looking for the train to central Moscow. I took the 10.30 train and arrived at the Kievesky metro stop at 11.00 and took the circle line to the Yaroslavl train station. I wasn’t too worried since Nadia had emailed me the train schedule and I knew that there was still a train at 00.35, another at 00.50 and the last rain at 01.15 am.
So I got to the Yaroslavl train station at 11.30 or so and got in line to buy tickets. But when I asked for tickets to Yaroslavl today the lady said Nyet (no). I tried several more time not knowing if there were no tickets or none that she would sell to me or if we were just mis communicating. Finally I got out of line and called Nadia and explained to her that I did not think there were any more tickets for that night, but maybe I was just confused. So I got back in line and then when it was my turn I handed the phone to the lady to let Nadia get an explanation for me. For a few minutes the lady just looked at me like I was crazy as I held the phone through the little hole in the glass and then even when she finally took it she did not realize that someone was already on the other end. Finally they talked and she returned the phone tome. Not only were there not tickets available there were not even any more trains that night. I considered spending the night with friends in Moscow but the subway closes at 01.00 and I did not know where anyone lived or even if they were at home. So I decided to spend the night in the train station and catch the 8.30am train on Sunday the 16th.The night was extremely interesting as the train station was occupied homeless people, people drinking and just looking for a place to sleep, people drinking and just wanting a warm place to drink and people waiting on trains. I tried to sleep but the fact that it was cold and I did not have any winter clothes, the bench was hard and I was a little concerned by a couple of the people that were watching me kept me awake most of the night. Once an hour or so a couple of policeman would walk thru the station checking to make sure you had a train ticket and so even if you wanted to sleep there was always a lot of activity. But all went well and I got to experience something new.
The train finally arrived at around 8 for boarding. We left at 8.30 and I arrived in Yaroslavl at around 12.30. Nadia picked me up at the train station and I was home by around 1.00am--47 hours after all the fun began. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed sleeping in a bed that evening. In fact sleeping in a room without strangers, not sharing a shower or waiting in line to take a shower, not having to put all things in a locker and repack the next morning, not using a public toilet for the first time in to months---life is wonderful with all the luxuries.
And it has now snowed 4 of my first 7 days back. :)
I thus got to the airport a little after 3.00pm and proceeded for to the Qantas check-in counter. I had been trying to book an aisle seat on line without any luck, so I was glad I was early hoping it would help my chances to not be in a middle seat for the 13 hour flight. But no luck--only middle seats were left so I checked in and spent a couple of hours going through customs, security and dreaming about being in a middle seat with large people on either side of me for 13 hours. By the time we got ready to board I was ready for whatever.
As we were boarding the plane the head stewardess, looking at my New Zealand t-shirt, asked me if I had begun the day in New Zealand. I told her I had not but was there last week and loved it. I also told her that if anyone cancelled and she had an available aisle seat that my knees would love her forever and I would be internally grateful :). And she did. She took the time to look through the manifest and found an empty seat and gave it to me. I was thrilled. As it turned out not only did I have an aisle seat but I had an empty seat next to me. What a good start to a long journey.
As it turned out we spent 2 hours on the plane before taking off, just what you want on a 13 hour flight. But I had my aisle seat and was happy. So we ended up getting into Frankfurt a couple of hours late and by the time I went through customs it was about 8.00am Sat. the 15th. I was then going to take a subway into central Frankfurt and catch the 10.30 train to Cologne, where my flight to Moscow left at 2.50 pm. But while trying to check in the guy looked at my ticket and said If I wanted to just wait there I could as the train from Frankfurt to Cologne passed by and stopped at the airport stop that I was already at. So I did and that gave me a chance to walk around, get some coffee and stretch my legs. The train came exactly on time and we were off to Cologne. We arrived close to noon at the central station in Cologne and I stored my bags and walked around a while before taking the subway to the airport. Once there I checking in with Germanwings for my 2.50 pm flight only to be told it was running an hour late. Well an hour turned into 90 minutes but we finally left at about 4.30 pm arriving in Moscow (three hour flight-two hour time difference) at 9.30pm. I then went through customs, passport control, claimed my luggage and started looking for the train to central Moscow. I took the 10.30 train and arrived at the Kievesky metro stop at 11.00 and took the circle line to the Yaroslavl train station. I wasn’t too worried since Nadia had emailed me the train schedule and I knew that there was still a train at 00.35, another at 00.50 and the last rain at 01.15 am.
So I got to the Yaroslavl train station at 11.30 or so and got in line to buy tickets. But when I asked for tickets to Yaroslavl today the lady said Nyet (no). I tried several more time not knowing if there were no tickets or none that she would sell to me or if we were just mis communicating. Finally I got out of line and called Nadia and explained to her that I did not think there were any more tickets for that night, but maybe I was just confused. So I got back in line and then when it was my turn I handed the phone to the lady to let Nadia get an explanation for me. For a few minutes the lady just looked at me like I was crazy as I held the phone through the little hole in the glass and then even when she finally took it she did not realize that someone was already on the other end. Finally they talked and she returned the phone tome. Not only were there not tickets available there were not even any more trains that night. I considered spending the night with friends in Moscow but the subway closes at 01.00 and I did not know where anyone lived or even if they were at home. So I decided to spend the night in the train station and catch the 8.30am train on Sunday the 16th.The night was extremely interesting as the train station was occupied homeless people, people drinking and just looking for a place to sleep, people drinking and just wanting a warm place to drink and people waiting on trains. I tried to sleep but the fact that it was cold and I did not have any winter clothes, the bench was hard and I was a little concerned by a couple of the people that were watching me kept me awake most of the night. Once an hour or so a couple of policeman would walk thru the station checking to make sure you had a train ticket and so even if you wanted to sleep there was always a lot of activity. But all went well and I got to experience something new.
The train finally arrived at around 8 for boarding. We left at 8.30 and I arrived in Yaroslavl at around 12.30. Nadia picked me up at the train station and I was home by around 1.00am--47 hours after all the fun began. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed sleeping in a bed that evening. In fact sleeping in a room without strangers, not sharing a shower or waiting in line to take a shower, not having to put all things in a locker and repack the next morning, not using a public toilet for the first time in to months---life is wonderful with all the luxuries.
And it has now snowed 4 of my first 7 days back. :)
posted by Bryan at 4:32 AM
