Wednesday 19th October 

Watermelon for breakfast then an early planning meeting to finalise the sessions for Moscow before packing and storing luggage 5 floors up!!

Katia then arrived to take us of to the university and her favourite park before we lunched and struggled back to the hotel through the city traffic.  

Another  lot of manoeuvring of luggage from the 5th floor!! then off to the station where we manhandled it up 2 flights of stairs before checking in to our train. 

The stacking of our luggage in our sleeping compartment 7 cases into 4 spaces!  could be described as like the Krypton factor - took at least 45 minutes to get it right!!  

This is the beginning of a 14 hour journey to Moscow.  We spent some time updating our plans for tomorrow and practising some craft sessions,  nibbled on all kinds of goodies  including a delicious apple cake from Katia and her mum Marina babe to Grandma's special recipe.  The train staff came along to tell ice-cream and souvenirs.  

At a train stop on the journey some people decided to test the delights of the platform toilets.  An elegant hole in the ground with loo paper measured out as you went in!!  It was very clean though.

Then for the climb to the top bunks,  for some of us!!