Russia and TransMongolian Train– Yekaterinburg

I took a third class overnight train to Yekaterinburg. Though crowded, the hygiene standard was still decent even in third class. My kind bunk neighbors were patient enough to show me what do here. In Russian sleeper trains, you do have to make your own bed and take it down. (Don’t forget to take it to the cabin attendant before you are leaving!) On a hot day like Kazan, the third class train was actually a good idea. Because the train carriage is entirely open, you get decent airflow through the cabin which can cool the carriage down. The cabin attendant also came to collect trash once so be prepared to throw away as much as possible when he/she comes through.

The third class looks chaotic but it is actually not bad at all! I highly recommend this if you are looking to strike up a conversation with real Russian people

Yekaterinburg is the fourth largest city sitting on the border between Europe and Asia, on the Ural mountains. In fact, the obelisk that marks the divide between the two continents is just 17 km outside of Yekaterinburg which you can visit. (No buses or metro goes there right now. You just have to take a taxi and flex your Russian negotiation skill.)

Two other things Yekaterinburg is famous for: the murder of Nicholas the Second and his family and Russian Malachite. There are two sites to visit if you are interested in the former, Church of All Saints and Ganina Yama. Church of All Saints is relatively easy to access. A lot of bus lines go by it. This is the site where the Romanovs were murdered. This is quite a magnificent church even just looking at the architecture itself. It is conveniently located on the red line walking tour, which is a line drew on the streets to guide tourists to the most important sites in Yekaterinburg.

Church of All Saints. This is the location of the former Ipatiev House where Nicolas II and his family was killed in its basement.

Interior of the church has a small museum dedicated to those who were killed

The helpful redline that assisting in navigating you through all the important sites in Yekaterinburg

Here are some other sites that were also on the red line.

Ganina Yama, on the other hand, is not so easy to get to. There is only one bus that leaves the Kosmonavtov Prospect metro station around every 2 hours. Otherwise, a taxi might be the way to go. I recommend downloading the Yandex taxi app, works like Uber. I found Ganina Yama particularly tranquil and peaceful compared to the hassle and bustle of the city. The deep woods provided just the right atmosphere for the place with a saddened past.

As for the rare stones produced in the Urals, Yekaterinburg has several museums for this. Museum of Jewelry Cutting and Geology Museum both focused on the gemstones produced in the region. The Museum of Jewelry Cutting also displayed some of the finished products like so below:

The beautiful lizard art piece made out of the now rare Russian Malachite produced right here around Yekaterinburg

A map of France made entirely out of gemstones. The cut of the gemstones was so precise that there are no gaps between each of the pieces used to mark the provinces

A decoration plate made for the Tsarevich Alexi

The Museum of Jewelry cutting also had some interesting souvenirs you should check out. The price was cheap too.

Another site I recommend that was not on the red line tour but worth all your time is the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center. This is a museum that employed lots of technology and rare testaments to provide information on Russia’s first democratically elected president.

The infamous atomic bomb command button which signifies one’ control of Russia

The exterior of the Yeltsin center

It’s strange to think that Putin is only Russia’s second democratically elected president and U.S. is already on our 45^th. The museum also included Yeltsin’s note on his rationale for selecting Putin as his successor. If you can read Russian (or use Google translate), here is a piece of his rationales.

The highlight of this Yekaterinburg trip for me was actually attending the ballet at the State Opera and Ballet Theater. I was fortunate to get tickets for the night’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet” a signature performance at this theater. This was my first ballet watching experience in Russia. I was in complete awe of the ballerina’s skills and the writing of the acts. The theater itself is also a work of art. Photographs were prohibited so you should just come and see for yourself the grace and beauty of Russia ballet.

The State Opera and Theater House at night

The stage

The upper seats

The orchestra sits right under the stage

View from my seat