Day 5 - 7: Tallinn - St Petersburg - Moscow

Somewhat complacent in our organisation up to this points, this leg was to prove a rude reminder of the need to allow for unforeseen delays and cater for the whims of state security within our whistle stop itinerary.

Bumped back onto our original route by the cancellation of our ferry to Helsinki, the bus ride to St Petersburg was to soon become a scene reminiscent of James Bond as we entered the gated, barbed wired and camera covered no man's land (well bridge) under the shadow of Narva's rather fitting castle. Our initial waiting for Russian immigration to summon us forward seemed part of the performance only enhanced by the sight of 50 Russian border guards sprinting to attention on the sound of the post's siren, although disappointingly it appeared to be in honour of a visiting official rather than a major land incursion by western spies.

That should have been it, and we would have been happy, but with passports stamped and only a sniffer dog between us and our waiting coach, Russian customs took issue with Will's first aid kit leading to a pretty tense 45 minute delay as we waited for the outcome of the seemingly serious deliberations about what should be done with us. Hard to convey the feeling of the situation, but tense, scary, sweaty palms all come into it. Will must have been scared - he didn't even seem to notice how they'd even arranged for the senior guard deciding his fate to be played by a tall and eye catching blonde who I'm sure is more accustomed to dealing with 007.

Waking up the next day Russia seemed a different a much more friendly country as we appreciated our first 8+ hour sleep for a week and our last shower for the next seven days. A whole 24 hours in the same place saw us visit the fascinating and in my opinion European historic centre of St Petersburg, including a walk around the Hermitage with possibly the most impressive set of Roman busts, European art and gold leaf interior design of any house I've ever been too, probably more than Versailles and the British Museum put together.

Fed, showered, rested and cultured up, we set off for our first Russian train of the journey, the sleeper to Moscow. A rather luxurious journey compared to Will's stories of Indian trains was added to by Andrey our cabin companion who seemed to think it a rather foolish yet interesting idea to try and reach Sydnet without using aeroplanes. In his words, "I think you have a problem"! Great company and thanks Andrey for the tips on how to make the most of Russia.

12 hours in Moscow was enough for Natalia (thanks a lot for the tour!) to show us round the main sites including most notably the Kremlin with its impressive 12th - 16th century churches, the atmospheric Red Square and Gum, surely one of the world's most exclusive shopping centres and the best indication I have seen of how life has performed a complete 180 for some of Russia's most elite since the times of the USSR.

Fascinating city, but time for our next train, a mere 5 days this one so time for us to provision up on vodka (and beer for a mixer) and make ready for the journey.

Thanks for all the Doctor of the World donations that keep coming in - all really appreciated!

Tallinn - St Petersburg: 360 km / 8 bus hours (€26 zlotys)
St Petersburg - Moscow: 700 km / 10 train hours (£100)

TOTAL TO DATE: 3,550 km

FUND RAISING TOTAL: £2,000 including Gift Aid - keep those donations coming!