Without doubt Ekaterinburg is my favourite Russian city to date. We arrived early evening but only a few of us had chosen to get off the train here. The others carried on direct to Moscow. Personally I think they made a mistake as this has been the highlight of my trip so far.

First priority after a well needed shower was to get some real food. I found a restaurant directly behind my hotel and although the menu was in Russian and the waitress spoke little English I managed to order dinner and have the best chicken Kiev I have ever had. I’m not a big fan of chicken Kiev so even I was shocked at how good it was.

The following morning I had a city walking tour which I thought was only supposed to go for 3 hours. Instead it went for nearly 10 hours and was one of the best tours I have ever been on thanks to my guide Zhanna.

Zhanna showed me the main square of the city and the city dam before heading up to the church that now sits on the location where the Romanov family killed and into the cellar where it all happened. We visited the Black Tulip Memorial to the war in Afghanistan, the military museum and had lunch at Iset hotel which was built in the shape of a hammer and sickle.

The Church that now sits above the cellar where the Romanovs were murdered

The Black Tulip memorial. When we were there a babooshka walked past and said that it was a pointless war and she didnt understand why people died for it

After that was probably a visit to one of the weirdest museums I have ever been to – the Ural Mineralogical Museum. What made it strange wasn’t the exhibits but the entry. Zhanna banged on a tall metal gate which then slid open. There was no indication that this was a museum at all. She had to sign a book to say that she had been told that the museum was under renovation and then we walked around a parking lot to a darkened entry. After walking down a darkened stairwell  we found ourselves in a hall with the lights off and two women sitting in the corner talking. One of them turned the lights on and I got to look around. I was the only person in there. Somehow I doubt that anyone else could find the place even if they tried.

After the museum, we sat in the park near the opera and ballet theatre opposite Cafe Rendevous and it’s replica of the Eiffel tower. Despite the name and the tower it was a Khazak cafe and not French.

Next on the list was a trip out to the Asia, Europe border with our driver who happened to be a retired Aeroflot pilot. I think he had forgotten that he was no longer in the air as he seemed to be practicing some hard landings whenever he stepped on the brakes.

Balancing between Asia and Europe

On our way out to the border we stopped at a memorial to 17000 people who were found in graves near where the Moscow highway is. These people were all killed during Stalin’s time and were people who had been exciled to Siberia. Most had died between 1937 and 1939.

At the border, Zhanna presented me with a certificate and a bottle of champagne to celebrate. For someone who doesn’t generally drink, i figured I would only cross over like that once so why not celebrate it.

Next stop was the forest grave site of the Romanovs. This is the location where the bodies we’re burned and had acid poured over them. The site is now a Russian Orthodox monastery and the clerical view is that no remains were found there as they say the bodies were totally destroyed. DNA evidence proves differently. Have to question why the Russian Orthodox church has created a memorial and built a few churches on the site if that is the case.

This is what remains of the mine shaft where the Romanov remains were found

A 30 minute drive back into town and I got to say goodbye to Zhanna and our driver. I have not enjoyed a day more in a long time. I got to see bits of history that I remember from high school and was amazed at how much I remembered

My final day in Ekaterinburg was spent checking out the shops in the city centre and catching up with Betsy and Warren for a late lunch before jumping on the train for a 26 hour journey to Moscow.