Even though I paid the extra, all be it not much more I don’t think it equated to any more sleep than a budget bus, just a little more space. The boarder crossing happened midway through the night, the Estonian side taking all our passports but promptly returning them. The Russian side required us all to disembark and take our luggage through customs. The stern faced immigration officer was as close to smiling as England is to wining the world cup, after thumbing through my passport several times she grudgingly gave me a stamp and waved me through.
St Petersburg’s bus station is a few clicks out of town, but it being the morning we thought we would walk. I was with Lucy and Silvia, two English girls from the previous hostel and going to be at the same next hostel, or so I though. There was a low cloud cover generating constant drizzle which eventually broke out into rain, then absolute lashings. We took cover in someone’s driveway tunnel. In conversation I asked how long they were staying at Atmo hostel, they were slightly confused telling me they’re staying at Apple hostel. It was lucky we cleared this before we reached the hostel and luckily both were pretty much in the same direction anyway.