Picture, if you will, a train journey lasting some 147 hours (just over 6 full days). A journey spanning 7 time zones, some 7826 kilometres and one mass over country.
While it would be certainly very interesting to take the train across the country and enjoy the week on the train, there are so many unique and amazing towns and cities along the way, and aside from the train trip – which one is often lucky enough to do perhaps only once in a lifetime – many towns are not accessible except from the trains.
Once the initial excitement from actually being on the TransSiberian train passes, the dinner plates and vodka shots are cleared away, and the sun has set, you begin to sway to the gentle motions of the train. Once the chatter from nearby cabins dies down and the children who met new friends during the day are in bed; this is when the magic of the TransSiberian train begins.
Pretty soon, though your compartment-mates may be friendly, and even, if you’re lucky, speak some English, you’ll be lulled into a state of bliss, as you watch nearly endless trees pass by, interspersed with small villages full of small houses with steep, vibrantly coloured roofs.
As the train pulls into stations, there are occasionally longer stops (upwards of 20 minutes), where you can purchase local fruits and vegetables, meat pies, bottled water, and sometimes souvenirs, sold by enterprising locals who rely on the daily train to supplement their income.
At first, the thought of filling many days of train journeys is a little daunting; there is only so much napping, reading, and making small talk with locals that one can do. But, as it turns out, staring out at the mesmerizing scenery and just letting your mind wander is a truly relaxing way to spend several hours.
After many hours on the train, I found myself hypnotized by the scenery, the gentle sway of the train and the occasional chats with the car provitdsana – the attendants in each car, in charge of cleaning and tending to their passengers, and always up for a friendly chat.
In essence, traveling such a great distance by train is a study in patience, in allowing yourself to slow down and observe a slower pace of travel, in being in the moment, all of which seem to happen naturally on the journey.
If any of this sounds appealing to you, stay tuned for updates on routing, planning, and how to get the most out of the trip of a lifetime.
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