Hello, Moscow!

The train to Moscow was modern and comfortable, but neither of us slept a wink. It's hard when you're shaking up and down, with snoring strangers in nearby bunks. We should do better on the trans-Siberian, since we're getting a cabin all to ourselves.

On the whole, we like Moscow better than St. Petersburg. Beyond the Kremlin, with its many beautiful medieval churches, the city has an urban, big-city feel. It reminds me a lot of Sao Paulo, with its gritty gray skyline and the bussle of cars and people. The best news is that the mullet epidemic hasn't spread this far south yet!