GARDEN PLATE:

I can't believe it - I have just looked up my diary & on the 21st of June, 2010 (!) I was with my guide, being escorted through the Red Square, the Kremlin, St. Basil's, & after giving her instructions as to what I wanted, Maria took me to a shop where ......I BOUGHT THIS PLATE ! Having arrived in Moscow three days before, I'd already done the river cruise & ogled over their fabulous Metro system, which we spent half a day exploring.
I had been a widow for two years & thanks to modern technology, had found a Russian Travel firm in London on the Internet. I still had itchy feet & through "Real Russia" booked a berth on the Trans Siberian Railway, departing next day. It was a trip I'd always dreamed of doing, but my lovely man refused to be part of it. So off I went, sharing my twin compartment with a 25 year old, beer drinking, Aussie male ! I felt desperately sorry for him, it must have felt like going on holiday with your grandmother, but we got along just fine. You could hardly swing a cat & cleanliness was not one of the Russians strong points, but I'm never one to complain. The first day I wet some old newspaper & gave the window a good scrub over - giving it the fright of its life. I won't bore you with the in & outs (although it was never boring to me ) we clickety clacked our way across Russia, Mongolia, Siberia & on the 7th day at 13.04 exactly as my itinerary said we would, we rolled in through the smog, to the Beijing Railway station. I loved it all but I was truly thankful Max wasn't with me. He would have hated it - especially the toilets ! A fabulous journey, but not one for the faint hearted.