A Train Ride into the Ural Mountains of Russia

A Train Ride into the Ural Mountains of Russia from Perm to Yekaterinburg

Earning My Keep in Perm, Russia

          Perm is a common stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway and while there is not a lot to see of historical interest there, I did have a pleasant stay at the Hotel Prikamye.  When the front desk staff found out that I was from the U.S. they asked if I would take a look at the new restaurant menu they were working on and see if I had any editing suggestions.  Of course, I was happy to do it and I was able to correct a few grammatical errors for them.  I had a wonderful dinner that evening at a nearby restaurant that came with chicken borsht soup and a shot of Vodka!

A Pleasant Train Ride through the Ural Mountains

          The next day I boarded the train heading for Yekaterinburg and enjoyed the beautiful ride into the Ural Mountains.  Unlike Perm, Yekaterinburg has tremendous historical significance.  Named for Catherine (Katerin) the First, second wife of Peter the Great, it is the infamous place where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1917.  In 1977 the building where they were executed was destroyed by the order of Boris Yeltsin and a beautiful cathedral now stands in its place.  The bodies of the Romanov family were moved to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, where they now enjoy renewed respect and reverence from the Russian people.

Buying Train Tickets Was the Biggest Challenge on the Trans-Siberian Railway

          By this stage of my trip across Russia I had discovered that buying tickets at the train station each day was my biggest challenge.  The lines were long and the ticket agents and other customers had little patience in dealing with someone who did not speak Russian.  With that one exception, the Russian people everywhere along the way were extremely friendly and helpful.  I met a nice, very intelligent young man on the train who spoke excellent English.  I learned a lot about Russia from talking with Maxim and on arrival in Yekaterinburg he helped me buy my train tickets for the next several days which was a tremendous help.  We then took a walking tour of the city and had dinner before he had to get to the airport.  I stayed at a fairly elegant hotel that evening, the Hotel Tsentralny, to rest up for the next leg of my trip…a long stretch into the Western Siberian Plain.  It would be three days on the train before I stayed in another hotel.

Join Me on a Quick Train Ride into the Ural Mountains of Russia