Novosibirsk

June 26, Wednesday.  Novosibirsk, or New Siberia, is the third largest city in Russia and the largest in Siberia. We were over an hour late in arriving, but the tour went on. There were only nine of us on bus one, which was going to the railroad museum. Bus two went there as well and carried off all the Captains Choice people who had been scheduled to be on our bus. We were all delighted!  They shared our bus a few days ago, and not only is their leader rude, so are the people in the group.  They talk over speakers the rest of us would like to hear, on the train they drown out the brilliant young Chinese pianist in the bar car, they tend to get drunk and even more raucous, and pretty generally act as though they are somehow special and outside the rules of civility the rest of the world goes by. They have apparently paid a couple thousand more apiece than we have for pretty much the same tour. No wonder they think they are special. LOL. 

Our little bus made a quick photo stop to see the bridge our train will take later today.  

Novosibirsk - another beautiful rail station

The bridge our train will take leaving here, and a statue of Alexander III, who was responsible for building
the Trans-Siberian rail line and putting almost all the places we have visited on the map.

There are Russian Orthodox churches and cathedrals everywhere.  Some survived the communist purges, but many have been built since the end of communism.  Many Russians, though certainly not all, are deeply religious and happy to be able to express their beliefs these days after many years of repression.

Then we went on to the Rolling Stock museum where we toured first, second, and fourth class cars from the REAL Trans-Siberian railroad, a prison car, and a hospital car that was used during wartime but also more recently, taking surgical care out into the Siberian wilderness before there were hospitals there. The cars were all pretty stark, even first class, with some sort of stove at one end, and a bare essentials toilet at the other. Passengers were crammed in more densely as the rank of the cars went down, with the prison car being especially grim. In addition to cars, we saw a variety of steam, diesel,or high speed electric engines. Nearly all locomotives in Russia today are electric, just as all but two of the ones pulling our train have been. We also saw two different types of snow plows, one of which uses some sort of conveyer belt to move snow from the track in front to the back where it is left for the next train to deal with. For the life of me I can't figure out how that one actually works, but I'm not planning to return in winter to see it in action. 

This little train is at the entrance to the museum

This one is just inside.  Puffer-bellies are always appealing.

A modern high-speed electric engine

Some of the many diesel engines in the museum

A  car on the Russian Trans-Siberian train

Heater in the first class car

The toilet in that car

Heater in a different class car

Third class toilet, I think

First class compartment

Forth class seating

Compartment for the guards in the prison car

I think this is a prison car kitchen?

Inside the prison car

A prison cell.  Many more slept here than it looks like there are bunks for.
I think the cars were supposedly built for 8 inmates but usually held up to 16.

They probably did that by putting some of them crosswise.

The prisoners toilet.  They could only go on schedule and under guard.

Instruments in the hospital car

An operating table.  There was a drain in the floor below this, I suppose for blood.

Another part of the hospital car.  Recovery room?

The Communist hammer and sickle.  You can see the engine has been freshly painted.

Here it is on the engine

Trains during the Communist era all boasted big red stars in front

Very spiffy.

I think these are steam engines

This car was for carrying molten metal.  It revolved to keep it liquid.

A snow plow

A snow plow that somehow moves the snow on a conveyer

We drove back to the city and toured the Opera and Ballet Theatre, which was the largest theater in Russia until the Bolshoi in Moscow and the theater in St Petersburg were recently renovated. The size of the coat room alone is pretty mind boggling.  We saw a bit of a dance rehearsal taking place on the larger stage. Like many other Russian sites, there was an air of faded grandeur about the place.  It managed to be simultaneously impressive and sad.

On the way, we passed many aging Communist era apartment buildings.  I think these were built during the Khrushchev regime to meet the nearly overwhelming need for housing at that time.  During the Stalin era, many apartments and other large buildings were constructed, most very sturdy and many rather beautiful in their way.  Khrushchev era buildings were thrown up hastily with no effort to make them either lasting or attractive.  Today the country is burdened with hundreds, maybe thousands of these shabby eyesores.  These were the tiny apartments we read about that often held several families, with a bath down the hall and only a tiny kitchen they had to share on a schedule.

Things are looking up today.

The Stalin era Opera and Ballet Theatre opened in 1945

The theater entrance

Doorway detail

The current playbill

A rehearsal on the main stage

The main theater's seating with its elegant classical details

The dome

The hallway outside.  Everything is on a very grand scale here

A more intimate small theater

The chandelier 

The stage

This is just a small section of the coat room--space for coats, hats, and even boots

We left the building and walked outside through the large square in front.  Russians seem to love monuments, and this square has its share.

This isn't quite a monument but more of a timer counting down to something to do with a future Olympics.  

I don't know what any of these represent, but they are interesting representations in the Soviet style

Leaving the front of the building, we enjoyed this modern city as we made our way to the bus.

Formerly the home of a wealthy merchant, I think this is now a government building

Soviet style building

Entrance to the Metro.  That they have a Metro means the population is over one million.

Back at the railroad station, we see a pleasant outdoor waiting area.

Back to the train, we actually had to wait for it to return to the siding where we had left it.  Walking toward the track, Tim Littler pulled out his phone, and I heard him asking, "Where's my train?" At least with him around, we knew it would show up eventually. On board, we were served a late and most welcome lunch--the usual very nice salad and delicious soup. Afterward, we saw a National Geographic movie about the last days of Nicholas II, the last Romanov tsar, and his family, because tomorrow we will be in Yekaterinburg, the place where they were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Tonight it is our turn to be invited to the special Caviar Dinner that everyone goes to eventually. What to do! Caviar certainly isn't on our vegan diet, and we don't especially like it, but when in Russia... 

LATER:  Yum, yum. I enjoyed every mouthful of my caviar cheat. LOL.