The south of Russia is full of large but friendly villages where long-time residents never turn down a photo with an old neighbor.
The south of Russia is full of large but friendly villages where long-time residents never turn down a photo with an old neighbor.
Antonina Stazenko, the president of Rodina farming co-op in Besskorbnaya, Russia, checks up on the claves at her dairy farm.
Antonina Stazenko, the president of Rodina farming co-op in Besskorbnaya, Russia, checks up on the claves at her dairy farm.
A fishmonger on the train platform
A fishmonger on the train platform
A lemonade stand at a railroad-side market
A lemonade stand at a railroad-side market
Women selling corn at a railroad-side market
Women selling corn at a railroad-side market
A woman sells snacks on a platform. It is typical to see local vendors with home-made treats (and contraptions to hold them) on a railway journey.
A woman sells snacks on a platform. It is typical to see local vendors with home-made treats (and contraptions to hold them) on a railway journey.
A new church in the village of Komsomolskoye, in the Republic of Mordovia, Russia
A new church in the village of Komsomolskoye, in the Republic of Mordovia, Russia
Children play at one of the stops between St. Petersburg and Saransk
Children play at one of the stops between St. Petersburg and Saransk
Excited soccer fans from Samara pose with their city's soccer club flag on their way to a Russia-Finland match in Helsinki. They made a point of taking pictures with other passengers and local attractions at every stop on the way.
Excited soccer fans from Samara pose with their city’s soccer club flag on their way to a Russia-Finland match in Helsinki. They made a point of taking pictures with other passengers and local attractions at every stop on the way.
Children in the aisle of a sleeper car
Children in the aisle of a sleeper car
A man sells watermelons in Besskorbnaya, in the Krasnodar region of Russia. The name of the village translates to "without grief."
A man sells watermelons in Besskorbnaya, in the Krasnodar region of Russia. The name of the village translates to “without grief.”
Traveling in comfort: a compartment in a sleeper car
Traveling in comfort: a compartment in a sleeper car
Passengers relax in a railroad station cafe
Passengers relax in a railroad station cafe
Women sell sunflower and pumpkin seeds at a railroad-side market
Women sell sunflower and pumpkin seeds at a railroad-side market
Many railroad stations across Russia are still decorated with social realist art
Many railroad stations across Russia are still decorated with social realist art
A woman sells dry, salted fish at a roadside market in Krasnodar
A woman sells dry, salted fish at a roadside market in Krasnodar
An auto-parts store in Besskorbnaya, Krasnodar
An auto-parts store in Besskorbnaya, Krasnodar
A woman tends to a gaggle of geese in the village of Besskorbnaya, Krasnodar
A woman tends to a gaggle of geese in the village of Besskorbnaya, Krasnodar
A man stands in front of a sleeper car. Some are divided into four-bed compartments, others are more communal with beds arranged around an open center isle.
A man stands in front of a sleeper car. Some are divided into four-bed compartments, others are more communal with beds arranged around an open center isle.

Photo essay: Russia by Train

Originally published by GlobalPost

Over the past two summers, my family has taken train trips to central and southern regions of Russia. There is no lack of visually interesting material along the way. Train travel remains the cheapest and most convenient method of transportation across the vast distances of the largest country on Earth.

Stops at various stations can last from five minutes to several hours. Passengers leave their cars to buy fresh (and sometimes not-so-fresh) cooked potatoes, pies and fish usually sold by local women from makeshift concession stands. Station-side markets offer fruits and vegetables as the train crosses into southern regions. In the trains, tea is served in glasses with metal holders called podstakanniki.

Tea, fried chicken and hard-boiled eggs prepared at home in advance are as inseparable from long distance train travel as the tracks themselves. The photos in the slide show above were taken on various legs of my family’s journeys and at our eventual destinations.