Braid in trains 
- solidarity with 
Ammendorf first class SV sleeper wagon, coal heated and with the most floofy interior possible. Tell me about any better railway carriage ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ ?
I was said good-bye by the conductor with a German "Auf wiedersehen" when leaving the train in ๐ท๐บ Novosibirsk. Even though I have a one hour transfer here, my connecting train already arrived after 10 more minutes.
The 
115ะ on its journey from ๐ท๐บ Tomsk to ๐ท๐บ Adler will bring me up to ๐ท๐บ 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 ๐ท๐บ Rossosh, ๐ท๐บ Millerovo, ๐ท๐บ Shakty and ๐ท๐บ Rostov right at the border of Russian-occupied ๐บ๐ฆ Luhansk, ๐บ๐ฆ Donetsk and ๐บ๐ฆ Crimea with its terminus ๐ท๐บ Adler right at the border of Russian-occupied ๐ฌ๐ช 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 ๐ค.
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 ๐ฏ๏ธ ...
Stand with Ukraine, fight for freedom and sleep tight ๐ด.
๐โ๐ฝ
#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 ๐.
Only my order for รay somehow got lost ๐ค.
Anyway, my lunch was delicious and I'm looking forwards to enjoying my dinner onboard of the 115ะ later today.
Enjoy your meal and stay strong ๐ฅฐ.
๐โ๐ฝ
trains sometimes are a pure dog and pony show : One minute, the conductor comes collecting the used dishes of my dinner, five minutes later someone from the bistro knocks asking whether I'd like to order any drink. Shortly later, the customer satisfaction officer asks whether I enjoy my journey or have any complaints. No five minutes later someone with a vacuum cleaner opens the door and immediately starts cleaning the floor without saying a word.
And poor me just wants to go sleep ๐ด.
But to be fair, the clean and carefully maintained trains are an amazing counterpart to the dirty, crappy and broken 
trains I crossed China with. Notably all rolling stock here is much older than the Chinese trains I used - but still the Russian trains feel much more modern and less left behind. The way *how* you handle things once again shows more impact than the *initial* quality of things.
Enjoying a delicious meal onboard the 009ะ on its 6-days route from ๐ท๐บ Vladivostok to ๐ท๐บ Moskva on my leg from ๐ท๐บ Irkutsk to ๐ท๐บ 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 ๐ด.
๐โ๐ฝ
#FOSSRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater #RussiaIsATerroristState
After one more night in ๐ท๐บ Irkutsk, I'm finally back on tracks. I boarded the 009ะ train where I got a comfortable 1st class single SV compartment for the next 1ยฝ days before changing in ๐ท๐บ Novosibirsk.
While waiting at the station, my initially considered ๐ฒ๐ณ UBTZ ๐ค๐ฝ 305ะ ended at the opposite platform after it's 19 hours journey from ๐ฒ๐ณ Ulaanbaatar.
Additionally, some 
through-carriages from the 069ั 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 ๐ท๐บ Yatusk coming from the legendary Amur-Yatusk Mainline following the Lena river up to ๐ท๐บ 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 009ะ/010ะ is the cheaper transsib long-distance train, rated worse by the passengers (yes, rating trains *really* is a thing in Russia ๐คท๐ฝ). While apparently most travelers prefer the modern carriages running on the 001ะญ/002ะญ "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 ๐ฅฐ.
Good night ๐ด !
๐โ๐ฝ
After 12 hours, I arrived in ๐ท๐บ Chita-2 the next morning where I got a transfer to the Trans-Siberian-Railway on the famous 001ะญ "ะ ะพััะธฬั" composed of 20 modern carriages on it's 6 day journey from Valadyvoshock to Moskva bringing me to my next destination, ๐ท๐บ Irlutsk next to Lake Baikal, the world's biggest freshwater reserve with a surface slightly larger than Belgium.
After 33 hours in a Kupe with stinky food, loud music and lots of beer consumed I'm happy to have some rest in a hotel after I arrived here at 3 a.m. local time.
So far, so good. So far day 8 (or already day 9 considering the time of the night ???) of my journey. My mission for tomorrow remains unchanged : I still need to find a place to exchange my remaining 5.200 RMB to Russian rubles.
Good night everyone ๐ด.
๐โ๐ฝ
After 1.5 days of forced break, I'm finally back on track. Leaving the adorable railway station I spent the last full day in behind, I'm boarding the 393ั train from ๐ท๐บ Zabaikalsk to ๐ท๐บ Chita-2 where we will arrive around 8 a.m. after 12 hours of travel time.
The train is composed of old, comfortable Ammendorf carriages with the sweet smell of slight smoke from the coal heating - by far my favorite night train rolling stock ๐ฅฐ.
I'm sharing my Kupe with an elderly woman also traveling to ๐ท๐บ Chita (I mean, where else would you want to go in Transbaikal ?) and I guess I will have a relaxed night with sweet dreams of democracy and Ukrainian victory ๐๐.
Sleep tight, Fedi ๐ด.
๐โ๐ฝ
The advantage of staying in the Komnata Otdika : You can watch all the cute trains right from your window ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ !
My mission for today was to exchange enough Chinese yuan to Russian ruble that I can rebook all my trains - that's a complicated mission since Russian regulation officially does not permit to exchange more than 40.000 ruble (400 EUR) of foreign currencies per day.
Despite trying several places, I could indeed only exchange 40.000 ruble sice apart from one Bank, they all could not process passports written in Latin scripts.
I hoped I could just rebook my online ticket but I learned it's only possible to refund them to the original payment card. Sad, since that was a foreign credit card which obviously doesn't work in the enemy's country thanks to the solidary sanction regime.
After all, the kind employee at the Kassa gave her best to help me. She was so kind and friendly, she really made my day. And damn, my Russian is getting really much better here. I actually understood everything she said apart from the fast numbers.
After all, I could afford all preliminary tickets up to ๐ท๐บ Sankt-Peterburg by booking two days in 2nd class Kupe. Once I'm able to exchange more money I'll consider rebooking the tickets - after all the travel stress I'm not so keen to spending 52 hours in a compartment with crying children.
So far so good. Now I need to rebook my hotel and move some appointments. Fingers crossed ๐ค๐ฝ.
So far, day 7 of my journey : I did not make any travel progress but lots of paperwork.
Oh, and after I haven't eaten anything yesterday and today, I *finally* bought some food.
Having all tickets up to the border in my wallet, I'm looking forwards to be back in a democratic country ๐ตโ๐ซ.
๐โ๐ฝ
Goodbye ๐จ๐ณ China, hello ๐ท๐บ Russia !
The Bank of China told me it'd take two more hours to exchange currency so I had to leave without. Idk, I always thought currency conversation was strictly regulated in Europe but in China this seems to be an even more restricted business.
I arrived at the station 25 minutes before the departure of my ๐ค๐ฝ 353ะฌ train hopefully bringing me to ๐ท๐บ Irkutsk.
I say "hopefully" because I don't have a ticket. My cross-border ticket is literally just for the 25 minutes ride between ๐จ๐ณ Manzhouli and ๐ท๐บ Zabaikalsk whereas there hopefully is an electronic reservation for the rest of the journey stored with my passport number. Fingers crossed ๐ค๐ฝ.
In any case, it stays interesting - may the journey behind the enemy's line go safe ๐.
๐โ๐ฝ
