Since Russia is so big, usually when you travel from one city to another, it takes many hours. For example, from Ekaterinburg to Moscow, it takes almost 24 hours on the train! It takes 7 whole days to go from Moscow to Vladivostok!
To pass the time on the train, you sleep, eat, read, play games and make new friends! In each cabin there are four beds. Think of these like bunk beds, but the top beds fold up during the day so that you have more room to sit, chat and play games.
In Russia's biggest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, the metro system is gigantic (like the New York City subway!). Russia's metro system is unique because all the metro stations are lavishly decorated. Some are futuristic and sleek, while others are fancy and have French paintings in gold frames! The reason the metro in Russia is so fancy is because during the Soviet Union, public places were a place for the government to show off to visitors. They wanted to people to enter the metro and think, "Wow, this country is really rich!" In reality, this was both a little bit of truth and a little bit of a fib. Another cool thing about the Russian metro is that some metro cars are new and some are old. On the right, you can find a picture of me in a metro car from 1935! They call it a "Retro Car." What about it to you looks retro to you?
My favorite ways of getting around are taking overnight trains and walking! Overnight trains have allowed me to meet a lot of new people, so I'm always excited to learn about the lives of those in my cabin. Last time I was on the train, I met a college student from Syria who came to Russia to study physics.
