Beijing to Moscow by train – ornate Mongolian restaurant car

The ornate Mongolian restaurant car 

on the Beijing to Moscow train

Although all of the accommodation carriages on the 'express' from Beijing to Moscow stayed on for the whole journey, the restaurant cars change every time you move from one country to another. We had three restaurant different restaurant cars – one in China, on in Mongolia and one in Russia. 

Although perhaps surprisingly we had the best food served in the Russian restaurant car, the Mongolian wiped the floor with the competition in terms of ornate decoration as these two pictures show. 

 Details of the decor in the 

Mongolian restaurant car

Horses in the Gobi Desert

Moscow – what a surprise!

We spent two nights in Moscow and really enjoyed our time there. We must have grown up on too many Cold War stories as we thought Moscow might be grim. But it wasn't at all, with a very lively food and wine scene. 

There are a few photos from around Red Square and its often magnificent buildings. 

 

By Gum! – Moscow's big department store

The adventure (3): two fine wines – one Chinese, one Russian

Two fine wines:

Although we didn't drink a bad wine while we were away in China and Russia, there were few highlights in China. Here is the best wine we drank in China and one of the best we had in Moscow.  

Tasya's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Grace Vineyard 
Our best bottle of Chinese wine 
drunk in a Hong Kong restaurant

2014 Cabernet Franc
Villa Victoria, ANAPA Valley 

In Moscow we chanced upon the excellent Wine & Crab restaurant, not far from Red Square. Here we had to try this very enjoyable Cabernet Franc.