One thing I had been really excited for was to see the Russian architecture. I've always wanted to see the crazy dome topped cathedrals. Apparently anytime one of the cathedrals was built, the Czar would blind the artist who designed them to ensure that they would not be built anywhere else. I've never seen anything with so much attention to detail and such ridiculous color schemes.
When we got on the first train from Moscow to Yaroslovl, I was pretty excited to be riding a train in Russia. This first train ride was in one of the first class cars and was only a few short hours long. Had all the train rides been like this I think I would have enjoyed the trip a whole lot more. Much to our surprise, the rest of the rides were in economy cars where there are no rooms, doors, or privacy. Just your bunk in an big communal space among all the other bunks. Some rides we lucked out and had fairly pleasant company. Other rides we were stuck with loud crying babies, creepy old men eating sardines out of cans, or angry military guys who didn't seem too happy about sharing a train with americans. To make things worse, the rest of the train rides for the trip were anywhere from 15 to 21 hours long. In total, we spent about six and a half days riding on trains. Everyday was train-taxi to show - play - taxi to train. Had we been set up on a more efficient means of travel and actually had time to explore the country the trip may have been a lot more enjoyable. Instead, we just sat on trains. 
No lanes, no speed limits, no rules. Being in a cars in Russia were probably the most unsafe situations I've ever been in. The taxi drivers will speed in between cars with spaces so tight I'm surprised anyone still has mirrors attached. The one night we actually drove to the next show in a 12 passenger van stuffed with two bands and their luggage and equipment, we actually got side swiped by a drunk driver. I doubt there is even any kind of system to getting a drivers license there.
The one redeeming part of the the tour was the shows. No matter how terrible travel, food or human interactions, the shows were always awesome. We expected maybe to see thirty to fifty people every night. The average turn out actually ended up being about 150 and one night we even played a Russian MTV sponsored venue with huge jumbo trons and drew over 400 people. It was pretty unbelievable and made all the downfalls of the trip somewhat worthwhile.
I've never felt so relieved than to get to the airport in Moscow and begin the journey home. Twelve shows, eleven cities, countless hours in transit, a diet of nothing but water and potatoes, and all after just playing a months worth of shows in Europe, I'd never felt more ready to go home. Home to familiarity, to people who understand my language, to waking up in the same place more than two days in a row, and to waking up to the most beautiful girl in the world.
As tough as it was I can't say it was totally not worth it. It turns out that we actually made history on this tour. Not only were we the first foreign band to play more than five consecutive shows in Russia, in over half of the cities we were the first foreign band ever to play there. I may have hated it, but nobody else can say that.
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