Dobrey ootra from Russia....been a very hectic 10 days since i left Kiev so lots to tell! Last day in Kiev was spent watching United beat City (get in) and then off to the Dynamo Stadium for Dynamo vs Dnipro- ended 2-0 to Kiev but the match played very much second fiddle...football fans out here are mad, first off you arent allowed to take Camera's into the stadium hence the lack of photos! but once inside and plonked in my 50p seat with a beer (you can drink at footy here its brilliant) the noise was amazing and the crowd segregation was non-existant so there were running battles between the fans and police didnt give a damn, it was quality- flares, drums and all! it was how footy should be, and well worth the 50p and subsequent hangover after the beer!

But anyway, after that it was the overnight train from Kiev to St Petersburg via Moscow, sharing a cabing first of all with a war veteran who was very proud of all his badges then some banter with the Russian border guard (i think it was banter anyway!) who on seeing my passport started laughing and mentioned the Litvenyenko (spy guy) affair before shakling his head- he had a nice AK47 so i wasnt about to argue! Journey took 26 hours in total and i was shattered when i got to St Petersburg so spent most of the first day in the hostel sleeping or reading. On the next day i pottered around near the hostel before the welcome meeting with the tour i was joining to do the trans-siberian...only 8 people doing it

1)A couple of 40 somethings in a mid life crisis 2) see1 3) a very quiet lad from Norwich called Rob who seems Ok 4) a girl from Glasgow who's accent escapes me so i tend to nod and smile- i think she is called Carly�5) her slightly scary looking boyfriend John�who does appear to like football tho so conversation not so limited 6) lad from London called Paul who is a sound 'geezer' as he refers to people 7) his mate Tim who is also a decent lad and a Chelsea fan! 8)yours truly

so all in all not brilliant but at least some banter possible! but anyway...spent 2 more days in St Petersburg, ive been before 6 years ago so it was mainly the same sights- Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace, Aurora battleship on the river and the Peter and Paul fortress which is breathtaking. Went out to bars in the evenings to get to know everyone else, a lot of Vodka was consumed and mornings were very rarely seen! Decent few days nonetheless.

After that was the train to Moscow which needs a whole new entry!