http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

The joint project of Google and the Russian Railways lets you take a trip along the famous route and see Baikal, Khekhtsirsky range, Barguzin mountains, Yenisei river and many other picturesque places of Russia without leaving your house. Let's go!

We just left Moscow. 150+ hours lie ahead of us. Who knows? The landscape does not look the tiniest bit barren, it must be spring in Russia. The scenery looks like the Ruhrgebiet route from Essen to Oberhausen. My girlfriend likes it. We grab our sandwiches and make ourselbes comfortable in front of the train window. Somewhere between Fryazevo and Elizavetino the rumble of the wheels subsided, but no worries, it'll be back. The tea is good. We just passed a group of railway workers in orange. - hardy types. Watch it! Whew that was close.

A couple of weird looking and deserted construction site just passed by. I had to go to the bathroom so I halted the train. Back with a snack of carrot cake and coffee the journey starts again. Cozy stations sitting in large forest terrains invite to step outside and talk to the locals, but the train will not wait for us. Fire up the engine, Dimitri, here we go again.

I get my copy of The Brothers Karamazov by Dosotevsky out of the backpack and start reading. After a while I sense a sullen aloofness in the couple next to me. They have stopped talking and are eyeing me closely. Either they are Russian and ashamed they never read the Master or they just detest the idea of a German reading one of their national treasures. I have not farted in two hours, so that can't be it. My friend Georg suggests playing a game of Skat - Germany's most popular card game, that is played by 3 people. Georg is divorced.

I am shaken by a thunderous noise that seems to come from the rails about 100m in front of the train, making its way directly towards us.