A train voyage through Russia.
Who has not travelled in Russian trains has not met the real Russia. Everyone knows about the Trans-Siberian Railway, those who like to read books know about Anna Karenina who threw herself under the train, while more serious literary fans also know about Yerofeyev’s Moscow-Petushki travels.
Huge distances and a lot of time zones await passengers, but fans of this year’s World Cup really have something going for them. For the first time in the history of this great competition, transport for all fans who have purchased tickets for matches, as well as for numerous media representatives, is free and well-organized. There are 728 trains which connect the 11 cities where matches are played. And, it is all free. Good news for fans’ budgets.
And fans like the trains, although travel is in most cases fairly long, four hours for example between Moscow and Nizhniy Novgorod, over ten hours to Kazan, and two nights of the rough train ride to Sochi, where many Croatian and Russian fans will soon be going.
In the fan train from Kazan to Moscow, I met neither Tolstoy nor Vronsky, but I did meet football fans from Argentina, France, Croatia… and many other countries who mostly tried to forget the defeats of their national teams or drink cheap Russian beer to celebrate victories and sing dear songs. Interestingly, the trains are multinational and crowded and full of tolerance. They are also neat, with clean toilets and charming conservative interiors. The compartments smell after football fan socks, sweat and beer, but my God, we are human, and people in Russia can endure everything.
In front of the carriage number 15 – I am welcomed by kind female conductors with fresh makeup. There is also a translator in case something goes wrong. But everything is all right, I can speak Russian after all. I show them my accreditation and passport, everything is checked and the official procedure is concluded. Since this is a night train, my bed is in the central compartment under the number 19. The compartment is comfortable, air-conditioned and with a small table and one 220 V power socket for charging mobile devices. Also waiting for me is a set of linens, blankets, a pillow and a towel. I take my place on the lower bed (out of the total of four, two up and two down).
Looks like I came too early, the carriage is still empty, in the distance I hear Spanish language, then German and Russian. Tired fans are arriving. They have to walk a lot to the stadiums, there are countless points where a security check is performed, and even if they would like to drink a beer or a cocktail, they cannot buy them because sales of such drinks near the stadiums are forbidden. They are left with sodas and water, but if they manage to take a bottle of cognac or vodka with them for the long train ride, that is not forbidden. Croatian fans say that, although vodka is not as good as Croatian brandy, it can still hit you.
The first to arrive was Masha, a Moscow lawyer who is in love with Croatia. She was born in Kazan, but now she is travelling to Moscow to welcome her Croatian colleague Danijela from Split. Ten minutes before the departure (scheduled for 23.14), two fans in Argentinean jerseys arrive. Argentineans, surely, you would think and be wrong. The father and son are from Israel and they immediately commented on the performance of the Croatian footballers who humbled Messi and his team. They say Croatia deserved to win.
I met my companions with whom I will spend more than ten hours and the train started silently… The conductor came with cheap tea, about five kuna a cup. There is no much choice, like everywhere in Russia, you can get green or black tea, but fruity teas do not exist! In fact, she offered us coffee as well, but given my previous experience, I opted for the little green tea. That is precisely what I said in Russian since Russians love diminutives…
I have become friends with birches. There are so many of them along the way that you have to become friends, whether you want it or not. While the train sailed through the warm Russian night in socialist speeds, the Argentinean songs could be heard for a locked compartment further away. They were happy songs, so we opened the door to hear them better… We were drinking beer, singing quietly, the trip is long and you have to kill some time. Then I heard in the hallway loud Hungarians with their cruel language, Polish, Chinese…
Galina from Russia was especially pleased that she met a journalist from Croatia. She watched the match in Kazan together with her son Alexander and was still under the impression. “To us Russians, these free train tickets are very welcome. Tickets for the matches are about 9,000 rubles (900 kuna) and I would pay a return ticket to Kazan more than 6,000, so this is a good investment – train trip and football,” said Galina from Tula. The city is known for its honey gingerbreads, with the finest gingerbreads from Tula often being offered in Aeroflot aircraft. And of course, how could I return to Croatia without Russians giving me a present. They put in my hands five packs of Tula gingerbreads and chocolate. Of course, I could not refuse! We kissed each other and wished a good night.
While some passengers were singing, in our magical compartment we ate kebabs, plums, bananas and honey gingerbread. We talked in English about various topics, from politics to football, Ronaldo and Messi, Modrić and Perišić, and the landmarks in our countries. Two hours later, I met a group of Columbians in the corridor. In their compartment, I drank several glasses of vodka. To sleep better. It is a dear nation to me, especially since I visited their beautiful country two years ago. When they realised I was from Croatia, they did not hide the delight with our victory over Argentina… We are quite popular now…
Then I returned to my compartment and soon fell asleep, just like my fellow passengers, tired with hot air which not even the air-conditioner could cool down. I remember dreaming that night, I love travelling by train… Russian trains awake romance and feeling of adventure in my mind. In fact, that feeling is rarely gone from me, but somehow after a train ride, it appears just like an aphrodisiac, with a desire for distant lands and continents.
We were awoken “violently” by the conductor, the proud owner of the key which opens all compartments – exactly one hour before entering the Kazanskaya station in Moscow. A trip to the clean toilet, although with some waiting in line, and then again watching through the windows and admiring the beauty of birches. The train soon ended its long voyage to Moscow, I said my goodbyes to my companions who wished good luck to me and to the Croatian footballers.
Fans from all over the world dispersed to all four sides of the world. We will never meet again, but memories will remain forever. We will remember the world cup, slim birches, great football and tasty honey gingerbreads from Tula.
All photos Slobodan Kadić
