Sit back and relax as I take you on a wondrous journey that transcends Russia, one third of the globe, from east to west.. Imagine sitting in a comfortable seat, looking out at the spectacular scenery and cities on your seven day journey.

I am talking about one of Russia's most famous delights and adventures; the one week excursion on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow in the west to Vladivostok, of the Far East region of Russia. It is the longest continuous rail line on earth --almost ten thousand kilometers (about six thousand miles).

Traveling across the Russia on the Trans-Siberian train give you the opportunity to see with your own eyes everything that you might have heard about this mysterious land of expansive forests, beautiful cities and the wilds of nature.

Your journey will allow you to see beautifully designed architectures of hundreds of churches; amazing sun rises and even more spectacular sunsets. Your journey will allow you to view Russia in all her natural splendor as your adventure takes you through 7 time zones.

Your journey begins when you board the train in the opulent and cavernous station of Moscow. During your adventure you will have many stopovers in almost 100 different cities both large and small. The Trans-Siberian train stops several times a day, from just a few minutes to more than a half an hour. You will get the pleasure of interacting with simple Russians during the short stop-overs. These Russian stations are often mini markets and you can see there everything from wild berries, farm sausages, delicious smoked fish to different souvenirs and hats made from the fur of red, black, and white foxes.

You will have an opportunity to observe different architectural styles of the various towns and train stations. Most of them were build during the middle of the last century of the Stalin era and at the end of the 19th century.

You will travel through one of Russia's oldest cities, called Yaroslavl which was founded by Yaroslav the Wise in the year 1010. Another city, Yekaterinburg, was founded in 1721 by Catherine the Great. This is the city where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed in 1918.

The experience will also propel you through numerous tunnels, some of them more than 2 km long. Feel and see the experience of riding in your rail car on a bridge which is 2500 meters long over the deepest lake in the world, the Baikal which is said to hold one fifth of the world's fresh water.

Along the way you will see the biggest Siberian cities of Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk , watching the vast Siberian taiga which is the largest remaining forest in the world.

The train will also stop in the city of Ulan -Ude which house the Tibetan Buddhist monastery - the center of Buddhism in Russia.

Finally you will arrive in Vladivostok, the last city of Russia Far East.

Vladivostok is they gateway to Korea, China and Japan.

During the Soviet era, Vladivostok was a secret military base and was completely closed, not only to all foreigners but even to the citizens of all regions of the then, Soviet Union. You needed special permits just to visit relatives that lived in Vladivostok.

After 1992 this city was opened to all and now anyone can see this beautiful sea port on the hills, named the " Russian San-Francisco"which is surrounded by the gorgeous Gold Horn Bay.

Although the Trans Siberian Railway end in the sea port of Vladivostok, your journey does not need to end there. You could travel on to Russia's eastern neighbors, Japan, Korea and China.

Have a wonderful journey!