Midnight Train to Moscow

I squeezed through a tiny hallway, stepping into the cramped room that was to be my home for the next nine hours. Quickly shoving my bag below the benches and kicking my shoes off,  I hopped up on the table in order to let Ling, Faiyaz, and Alan into the small space with me. We bumped around while trying sort out everyone's personal items. Coats here, bags there, shoes under there: we made a mess of the place within seconds of entering. It was already half past midnight and we'd just gotten aboard. Still, sleep was pushed aside in favor of excitement for our first overnight train experience. Faiyaz and I had clambered up to the top bunks, where we clumsily attempted to make the beds. After about fifteen minutes of fighting with the mattress, balancing between bunks, and standing on the table below, my bed was hospitable. Now Alan and Ling had the floor to make their beds, and a while later everyone was tucked into their respective bunk.

The train started moving, and I laid on my stomach, my head on my arms, watching St. Petersburg disappear from the window. Ling plugged her phone into a speaker and played soothing music to accompany the start of our journey, and we talked and laughed in anticipation of Moscow. Stomachs growled and I pulled out the hazelnut wafers I'd thrown into my bag at the last minute. Alan was delighted by them and (much to my amusement) made continuous comments on their deliciousness after each bite.

Eventually, the lull of the train pulled us all into sleep. The car seemed to sashay its way along the tracks, moving gently from side to side while maintaining a perpetual forward motion. All too soon we arrived in Moscow; our eyes may have been puffy from the journey, our bodies sore from the cots, but our minds were open to the experiences and sights that awaited us. We gathered our things, tied our shoes, threw on hats and scarves and gloves and coats (did I mention that it's cold in Russia?), and made our way into the city.

Love from Saint Petersburg,
Shonabell