Getting to Russia

4 Countries in a day. Who would have imagined my adventures would have started so early on. I got to Berlin on the beautiful German trains, with breakfast in beds and absolutely luxury sleeper carriages. Even got to share with kay, my Australian friend that I met at Brussels. In Berlin, got to spend the day there walking around and seeing all the major sights. The Berlin wall....not a tourist graffitti board, but still with some amazing artwork. Saw all the main sights and then caught the Russian train all to the way to Moscow....or so I thought. What a difference from the luxury Germain trains. This is truly a train based on the communist ideology. My two new friends, or should I say Russian mums, for the train journey, Luba and Galina, looked after me really well. They fed me tea and chocolate, even found English translators to help me fill in immigration cards, changed money for me even though they had very little themselves, but when the Belarus officials came, they could do nothing but watch as I was escorted off the train with my bags and all. I didn't have a Belarus Transit Visa, which the london embassy said I didn't need as my train just passed through. But of course, I was on Russian territory and feeling it as soon as I had crossed the German Border and gone into Poland. An army of officials from both sides would come and check the passports, but at least the German and Polish soldiers smiled at me. The Belarus officials took me to the Brest border control post and I sat there at 3:45 in the morning, watching as the control post opened and a surge of women from Belarus charged in hoping to make their way into Poland to go get goods. Unfortunately that memory will have to stay in my head...no photos allowed. Anyway, the Belarus officilas finally put me on a train back to Poland and gave me my passport back. Here I was dropped off at the next closest station..Terespol and having been delivered back to the Polish, just left there. Took the train BACK to Warwas, then the bus to the airport and then the flight to Moscow. Unfortunately, I had to put in a flight into my journey and how I hated it. There was no other way. The embassy of Belarus in Poland was in the middle of nowhere. But getting to Moscow, I had to wait for a few hours before finally I got through the unbelivably slow passport control queue and then once out of the aiport, I was amazed at myself at how easily I still remembered to use the Moscow Metro. With my limited Russian, I have been able to speak to a few peopleon the traina nd now, Moscow seems so much more friendlier too. Just shows how much difference learning the language can make. Got to my hostel at midnight and had a springy mattress but I was just finally gald to be in Russia after a very very long day. And my first full day in Russia and it is pouring it down with raina nd thunder threatning even more bad weather. ...........