In sharp contrast to the Baltic Binge were our Russian Rations. The Big Red Machine has come a long way since the days of the lengthy food queue, but if you're seeing the country on a Contiki tour you don't really encounter the gourmet stuff. Our guide warned us at the border that Russian tourist accomodation was expensive so we weren't to expect much for our included meals. But the guide had a habit of lowering our expectations so we thought we'd end up being pleasantly surprised.

Our first meal in St Petersburg started with local beer and delicious salad of tomato, cucumber and dill. "Woohoo!" everyone crowed, "They have vegies here after all!". Little did we know that was the first of around fifteen tomato, cucumber and dill salads we would be presented with over the coming weeks. The scent of dill still makes my stomach flip like a cossack.

We also ate a lot of mysterious crumbed meats accompanied with fried potatoes. It was fun to poke at the pinky grey strands and ask your dining companions, "Chicken? Horse?". By the time we got to Warsaw my mouth was full of ulcers and my gums ached. But who cares when the vodka is so cheap?

My favourite meal was one morning in St Pete's, when an expressionless waitress plonked the following breakfast before me:

The next day the little sausages were accompanied by cold peas instead of cold corn. Don't go thinking we didn't appreciate the variety!