It’s time to re-visit or rather finish what I started during my time doing the Trans-Siberian journey. I never did get around to posting the rest of my entries.
I last left off at arriving into Yekaterinburg.
The train arrived into Yekaterinburg really early in the morning. From memory around 5am or 6am.
I would spend the entire day here, with a train booked out that evening at around 9pm or 11pm. I figured I could get in a full day of sightseeing without having to spend a night on accommodation there. Yekaterinburg is a stop worthy of an overnight stay though. First thing first, was to find a shower facility inside the station. Along the Trans-Siberian railway stops, quite a few of the major stations are supposed to have shower facilities. I was keen to try one out and experience it. It’s an experience you’ll probably want to skip.
Here was the awkward looking shower cubicle:
I had my backpack with me and it was a rather small space trying to shower and change, and not get everything all wet.
Shower done. Feeling fresh. Had to spend the whole day on the move since I had no accommodation. Next was to store my backpack for the day in the station luggage holding area which I found in the basement.
Dumped my luggage here (and no that is not my suitcase!):
And then set off for the day, exploring Yekaterinburg. And it was still not even 7am yet.
One of the things that really struck me about Russia was the amount of space, Wide. Vast. Amounts of it. Everything was so wide and big. Such a contrast to Japan where everything is small, compact and compressed.
I passed a bison fur and leather store:
Note, these do not express my personal views on fur.
I loved all the enormous buildings and architecture:
There is also a lot of interesting history in Yekaterinburg. It’s one of the bigger cities in Russia as well being quite the academic hub with a main university here and lots of history and culture.
One of the major tourist attractions here is the Church of All Saints otherwise known as the Church on Blood – so called for it’s bloody history where the last Emperor of Russia and other family members were all murdered here during the Russian Civil War.
The building is pretty magnificent though.
Passed another cathedral – a blue coloured one. Not sure what it was called. It was just an interesting colour.
Stopped for breakfast at some point – pastries and a cup of tea:
Had managed to kill about 1-2 hours of the early morning so far.
I had two main reasons why I wanted to stop at Yekaterinburg. The next post will explain one of the reasons. Enjoy the suspense.
Memoirs of Aleisha 