I slept like a baby onboard of my  Ammendorf SV wagon 🥰. While sleeping, I made it from Siberia to Ural Federal District so I guess I'm back in Europe now ?

In any case, the border to 🇪🇺 EU seems within reachable distance and while I absolutely enjoy my travels onboard of comfortable  night trains, I'm also looking forwards to taking my  Régiolis back home in a couple of days.

For now, I got my breakfast from the @diningcar : Freshly cooked coconut porridge, vegetable salad, orange juice and the mandatory tea 🍵.

Good morning Fedi 🌄 !

🌈✊🏽

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

I was said good-bye by the conductor with a German "Auf wiedersehen" when leaving the train in 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk. Even though I have a one hour transfer here, my connecting train already arrived after 10 more minutes.

The  115И on its journey from 🇷🇺 Tomsk to 🇷🇺 Adler will bring me up to 🇷🇺 Ekaterinburg within the next 21 hours. My journey across Siberia thereby ends tomorrow since the starting from Tyumen Oblast, I'll be in the Ural Federal District.

Considering how this train will travel through 🇷🇺 Rossosh, 🇷🇺 Millerovo, 🇷🇺 Shakty and 🇷🇺 Rostov right at the border of Russian-occupied 🇺🇦 Luhansk, 🇺🇦 Donetsk and 🇺🇦 Crimea with its terminus 🇷🇺 Adler right at the border of Russian-occupied 🇬🇪 Abkhazia (where you notably are not allowed to takes horses across the border when coming from Russia) riding sometimes just five kilometers next to the border I'm feeling apprehensive and drowning. This train is not just a link from Siberia to the Russian black sea beaches but also a military supply backbone transporting soldiers to their fateful and mostly deathly duty in Russia's war against freedom and liberty. The sole positive side on this is how Russia can no longer recruit as many soldiers as killed, wounded or taken captive while attacking Ukrainian defense. While this is a good sign for world freedom I don't even dare to imagine what durable pain this causes to both conflict parties tearing apart families and friendships with no return. May their bereaves find solace in peace and fraternity 🖤.

Once again, my travel report is no tourism suggestion. May you take this inscrutable sorrow as a warning to avoid Russia's hazardous dictatorship at any cost. It is not safe to be here. For no one.

I know, writing these things in public is recklessly dangerous while I'm still in this country but I cannot be silent. I cannot travel home through Russia without showing to ugly sneer of this cruel machinery found between the lines everywhere since I crossed the Sino-Russian border.

I meanwhile occupied (cynic pun intended) my comfortable  1st class single sleeper SV compartment and wait for the departure of my train to get my long awaited dinner served. Enjoying my luxury life while the soldiers designated dead in a couple of days take their rest in the Platzkarty carriages just a few meters away from me.

Sorry, I think I need to vomit 🕯️ ...

Stand with Ukraine, fight for freedom and sleep tight 😴.

🌈✊🏽

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater #SlavaUkraini #RussiaIsATerroristState

After round about 30 hours of travel time, I could finally convince myself to leave the cozy SV compartment and walk around the train to visit the  @diningcar .

Despite some language barrier, I could be explained how they're out of the regular vegetarian options. I could nevertheless somehow clarify how I'm looking for vegan food and was provided with tasty fried potatoes and a fresh vegetable salad after a while 😋.

Only my order for Çay somehow got lost 🤔.

Anyway, my lunch was delicious and I'm looking forwards to enjoying my dinner onboard of the  115Н later today.

Enjoy your meal and stay strong 🥰.

🌈✊🏽

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

Enjoying a delicious meal onboard the  009Н on its 6-days route from 🇷🇺 Vladivostok to 🇷🇺 Moskva on my leg from 🇷🇺 Irkutsk to 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk.

The  @diningcar served a tasty sweet vegetable risotto along with a salad plate. I'm proud of my Russian skills sufficient to explain the conductor how I'd like to have the vegetarian menu but without cheese.

Despite the cold Siberian winter outside and the cruel war Russia is fighting against us, my stay onboard feels appallingly homely and cozy. With the facade of accommodative staff, comfortable trains and friendly people one could almost forget how the  are the backbone of military logistics in the disgusting Russian invasion to Ukraine, with soldiers traveling to their horrifying duty at the front line on every train.

Again, here a reminder to not copy what I'm doing. Russia is no safe place for travelers. It's no state of law where you can rely on your safety if you behave according to the set of laws. Russia is a licentious dictatorship no one is safe in. Stay away from here. Really. You might get a railway nostalgic and normalizing impression of Russia when you read my travel report but please be sure : There are things I leave out, occasions I do not dare to publicly speak about. Russia is an evil place and even the most careful travelers won't be able to protect themselves from the repression mechanisms and the hazardous authorities prevailing here.

With this said, it's slowly getting dark outside and after my delicious meal, I'll go to bed soon.

Stay strong and sleep tight 😴.

🌈✊🏽

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater #RussiaIsATerroristState

After one more night in 🇷🇺 Irkutsk, I'm finally back on tracks. I boarded the  009Н train where I got a comfortable 1st class single SV compartment for the next 1½ days before changing in 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk.

While waiting at the station, my initially considered 🇲🇳 UBTZ 🤝🏽  305И ended at the opposite platform after it's 19 hours journey from 🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar.

Additionally, some  through-carriages from the  069ь were shunted even though I did not understand to which other train.

Notably, the last two carriages of my train are the  through-carriages from 🇷🇺 Yatusk coming from the legendary Amur-Yatusk Mainline following the Lena river up to 🇷🇺 Nizhny Bestyakh where passengers can cross the frozen river in winter, take a boat in summer or need to fly onwards during spring and autumn.

The  009Н/010Н is the cheaper transsib long-distance train, rated worse by the passengers (yes, rating trains *really* is a thing in Russia 🤷🏽). While apparently most travelers prefer the modern carriages running on the  001Э/002Э "Rossiia" train pair, I'm personally a huge fan of the mid-generation carriages used on my train pair.

Anyway, time to relax and wait for the included @diningcar food to be served 🥰.

Good night 😴 !

🌈✊🏽

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

My first train : The comfortable  Special Express 25 will bring me over night to 🇹🇭 Nong Khai, the border town of 🇱🇦 Vientianne.

The train consists of 13 carriages, sleeper wagons of different classes and a @diningcar .

While there is a direct  train from 🇹🇭 Bangkok across the border to 🇱🇦 Vientianne, this train only consists of a couple of old carriages of third class and couchette spots ready for the scrapyard. Instead, the transfer in 🇹🇭 Nong Khai is an excellent opportunity to grab some breakfast before crossing the border into 🇱🇦 Laos.

Sweet dreams everyone 😴 !

🌈✊🏽

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #CrossBorderRail #SleeperAndEater

Good morning ! It's 6 a.m. and after round about 32 hours, my comfortable  sleeper is slowly approaching in Chelyabinsk next to the Kazakh border.

The ride was fading in time, it feels like I just boarded despite spending two days in the train 🥰.

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

We arrived in Moscow late in the evening. I had an excellent night and slept like a baby until 11 a.m. - after a shower it's now time to grab some late breakfast in the @diningcar : fresh potato wedges with mushrooms and the mandatory black tea.

Side note : The  have amazing chocolate onboard, I enjoyed already the second bar 😋.

Day six of my journey will be all trains : I woke up in the train and since my sleeper is only going to arrive tomorrow morning, I will spend the next night in my comfortable  compartment as well.

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

It's 10 p.m. local time in Chelyabinsk, my meal from @diningcar was just served : Grilled vegetables and buckwheat with mushrooms along with some beautifully packaged dark chocolate and juice.

The food served in the trains was far too much - good that it's sleeping time so that I can curl up under the comfy blanket and digest my amazing food.

The train is very suitable for working and as a bonus for tomorrow and Sunday morning, we have showers in the carriage.

Dream well and stay strong ✊🏽🌈 !

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

My sleeper arrived : I got a single СЛ compartment for the next 32 hours bringing me via Moscow to the Asian part of Russia in the Ural district, right to the Kazakh border.

The train is comfortable, food is provided (vegan again) and I will already switch my clock to Ural time adjusting my day-night rhythm 😴.

#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater