Two weeks ago on this very spot we heard “It’s a revolution! We’re storming the Capitol!” while Elizabeth from Knoxville, Tennessee held an onion to induce tears in a blue tea towel.
I think I am going to download TikTok and dive down a Russian rabbit hole. These kids are incredible: both smart and fearless. And they have known nothing else than Putin’s Russia.
Omg it’s amazing. First one: how to pretend you are an American tourist when the police try to arrest you on Saturday:
I just got on the @rzd_official No. 2 train from #moscow to #vladivostok. This #transsiberian route is over 9200km, the longest single train ride in the world. It will take 6 days and change in one direction. THREAD (I’ll add throughout the journey):
Tonight we will stop in Vladimir in the night and be in Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga before sunrise. My coupe while not fancy is certainly comfortable. We are passing through the Moscow suburbs. It’s midnight. That’s a full commuter train we just whizzed by.
This is my coupe. There is a mini TV (peak Russia) and a plug to charge phones in the hallway. Haven’t dared ask the shower question yet as not all trains have them. The lady in charge of our “wagon” is very nice and will go all the way to Vladivostok (and back!). Shared WCs.