On working days, trains from the Russian capital to the Ukrainian one and back run half-empty. Quite a different picture on the eve of the holidays and after them.
Tourists travel from Moscow to Ukraine, relatives separated by borders, thousands of migrant workers return from their earnings ... And then all these people go back to Moscow. It was problematic to get tickets from Moscow to Kyiv and back during the New Year and Christmas holidays - even in a sleeping car!
“No one will change their place with you, I guarantee!” the conductor said
To leave Moscow for Kyiv, I miraculously managed to book a seat in a compartment carriage. True, on the top shelf. In the evening I go into the velvet-lined carriage of the Ukrainian train, lay out my things, and settle down at the table with a book. But the matter is approaching the night and it is time to climb to your place. I get up and suddenly I understand that ... this is beyond my power. In the new model car, the top shelf is much higher than usual, at the level of my head.
“And you use the ladder,” the elderly spouses-fellow travelers advise me.
I went to the ladder, and instead of it - a short retractable lever. To become such and even stay on it, you need to be at least a candidate for master of sports. And although I swim in the pool, unfortunately, I have no ranks. What then to say about people of advanced age or with limited physical abilities!
“Yes, if you slip on something like that, you won’t pick up bones,” the woman says. - And you try to climb onto the shelf, standing on the table.
I follow her advice, I become. So what? All the same, I won’t climb without help, since my height - sixty meters - is not enough at all. I called my husband and told him what the situation was. He doesn't believe: “Don't invent. I know that you don’t like to ride on the second shelf, but there were no other tickets, we barely managed to get one.” And he advises to approach the conductor - to ask him to help to exchange with one of the male passengers. I'm going, please.
“I would be happy to help, but no one will change with you, I guarantee,” the guide said.
I'm getting my husband back.
- What should I do? You will spend the night on the bottom shelf, then you will sleep during the day, - soothes.
I go into the compartment, and the fellow traveler, apparently, has heard our entire conversation and says to me without ceremony:
“No, dear, you will not sit at my feet. I want to stretch my legs, and not stretch them out, having arrived in your Kyiv. We get with my husband from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. And from Kyiv we still have to go to Chernihiv.
Her husband, I look, is already asleep, snoring, so as not to participate in resolving the situation. Suddenly it dawns on me: I’ll put a suitcase on the table, stand on it and thus “add” myself growth. The idea worked, and now I'm in my place according to the purchased ticket. Only suddenly I clearly understand that I can’t get off for anything without outside help. My feet don't even reach the table.
I look at the passenger sleeping on the bottom shelf, and he seems so small to me. I want to call my husband, to say that I am already at the top, but I can’t get the phone out of my coat pocket - the distance between the shelf and the ceiling is such that it’s impossible to sit down or sit down properly.
Sleep in such conditions is out of the question. How, I think, will I get a passport to show it to customs officers at the border? Or suddenly you have to demonstrate the contents of the suitcase? But the worst thing is how to get off this shelf in Kyiv. At least call a representative of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with a stepladder! I can hardly reach my cell phone. I collect my husband and share my worries.
- Well, what can I tell you? he says. - In which case you will ask the customs officers to help or a guide.
And wished me good night. But where is the peace? I start feeling for the railings on the shelf, but there is not much to hold on to. Thoughts one another creep into my head more terribly. One awkward movement is fraught with a broken leg, arm, or even all limbs at once.
The car was “modernized” with velvet and an electronic display, the passengers on the bottom shelf really began to breathe more freely. But for those who ride on the top shelf, and for quite a lot of money (the ticket cost about a thousand hryvnias), such a trip is a real test! After all, apparently, in the old-style cars, everything was calculated by engineers, taking into account the height of a person and his physical capabilities. And when these standards are violated, we are no longer talking not only about comfort, but also about the safety of the passenger.
To relive such an extreme once again, I confess, I would not want for anything in the world
The customs officers looked at the documents faster than I had time to formulate my problem. All that was left to do was wait for the morning. Time passed slowly, but still nearing arrival. First the snorer woke up, then his wife got up. I asked the man to help me down.
- He can not! - the woman immediately stood up for her husband. - He has sciatica.
“Then please call the guide.”
- You need, you call.
But how can this guide be called if he does not appear on the horizon? And if you do not call, then all the passengers will leave and the train will go to the depot with me! Well, shout to the whole car: “Sentry! Help!"?
Luckily, the idea popped up again. I ask fellow travelers to give me their pillows. I put them on the table and try to reach with my feet. Fortunately, the woman nevertheless “insured” me, probably from those considerations so that I would not collapse on her cakes, which she and her husband had taken out from under the seats in advance. I guess the first astronaut wasn't as happy coming back from space as I was when I landed on a pile of pillows.
Here our guide “woke up”. “Who wants tea, who wants tickets?” - shouts, when many passengers already in fur coats and sheepskin coats pricked up to the exit. And I, to be honest, didn’t feel like tea or coffee. I was happy only from the fact that I remained alive and unharmed.
By the way, getting tickets to Moscow on the way back also turned out to be very problematic. Only the top shelves were offered at the box office. But I confess that I would not want to experience such an extreme once again for anything in the world. With great difficulty, I managed to get a ticket for the Friday evening train with a seat below. The most surprising thing was that I was traveling alone in the compartment, without understanding: why are there so few tickets at the box office?
A weak back is a problem for many. And pull-ups and their variations will help solve this problem. Consider some types of pull-ups, and emphasis on different muscle groups when performed correctly.
Wide grip to chest
It is one of the most difficult exercises in terms of proper technique.
Technique: The grip is wide. When pulling up, try to touch the bar with your top pectoral muscles, maximally reducing the shoulder blades and relaxing the biceps. Back bend required. After a short pause at the top, return to the starting position.
Accents: top of the latissimus dorsi, round, infraspinatus and trapezius muscles.
Wide grip on the head
If mobility shoulder joints leaves much to be desired, then you should not abuse this option of pull-ups in order to avoid injuries.
Technique: The grip is wide. When pulling up, your torso should be strictly perpendicular to the floor. Elbows point straight down.
Accents: top and middle of the latissimus dorsi, round, infraspinatus and trapezius muscles.
Medium straight grip
This is the most traditional pull-up.
Technique: Grip at shoulder width. When pulling up, try to touch the top of the chest with the crossbar, while bringing the shoulder blades together. At the bottom point, stretch as much as possible, fully straightening your arms.
Accents: back muscles and forearm flexors (biceps and brachialis).
Medium reverse grip
A lighter version of the previous exercise, since the flexors of the arms take on most of the load.
Technique: Grip shoulder width apart, palms facing you. When pulling up, try to touch the top of the chest with the crossbar, while bringing the shoulder blades together. At the very beginning of the movement, try to take your shoulders back down.
Accents: latissimus dorsi, biceps.
Narrow straight grip
If you have problems with the mobility of the wrist joints, then this type of pull-up will be quite difficult to perform.
Execution technique: The grip is narrow. Bend in the back and when pulling up, try to touch the bar with the bottom of the chest.
Accents:
Narrow reverse grip
A lighter version of the previous exercise due to the fact that the biceps, which takes on most of the load, is usually stronger than the shoulder muscle.
Technique: The grip is narrow reverse. Arch your back and as you pull up, focus on pulling your shoulder blades together and pulling your shoulders back. At the top, try to touch the crossbar bottom chest.
Accents: bottom of the broadest, biceps.
Neutral grip along the bar
Pull-ups are performed using a V-handle attached to the
crossbar.
Technique: When pulling up, bend as much as possible in the back, tilting your head back, try to touch the handle with the bottom of the pectoral muscles.
Accents: the bottom of the latissimus dorsi, dentate and shoulder muscles.
To strengthen the grip, you can pull yourself up on a thick bar or by gripping with two or three fingers.
Pull-ups on one arm
As a rule, if you are able to pull up on two hands about 25 times or with a weight equal to 2/3 of your weight for 1 time, then pulling up on one arm will not be for you.
Traveling is not only troublesome, but also quite expensive. The desire to save money can affect the passenger's choice of the type of carriage when buying railway tickets. Traveling in a reserved seat will cost significantly less than in a compartment. But the differences don't end there. It is better to understand the features of such a trip before issuing a travel document.
Shelves in a reserved seat car
The first major difference is the layout of the shelves. Sleeping places are installed not only across the car, but also along the opposite wall. As a result, the total number of seats increases to 54. Despite this, only 52 seats are usually available for use. Numbers 53 and 54 are closest to the conductors and are often used by them to store blankets or bales with a supply of linen.
The car is divided into 9 compartments. Each compartment includes 4 shelves located in the "semi-compartment" and 2 "sides".
Numbering
The bottom places have odd numbers: 1, 3, 5…, and the top ones have even numbers: 2, 4, 6, etc.
The countdown starts from the side of the working vestibule on the left side to the end of the car. Seats 1 to 36 are in a semi-compartment.
The numbering continues from the non-working vestibule towards the titanium. Seats 37 to 54 are located on the side shelves.
Luggage location
In each of the nine compartments, in addition to the sleeping compartments, there are also luggage racks. They form a kind of third tier. The distance between the second and third shelf is 600 mm. Because of this circumstance, the passenger who bought the top seat is forced to travel lying or half-sitting. But at the same time, he has the opportunity to spread his luggage over his head.
For the "lower" passengers, there is also a space reserved for storing the passenger's personal belongings. For greater convenience, the shelf can be raised during use, fixed in this position, and then lowered.
Passengers traveling on "sides" have the same opportunities as people traveling in a semi-compartment. They can conveniently place the things they carry next to their place in the luggage area.
Table
In the semi-compartment there is a table designed for eating. FROM inside countertops have a bottle opener.
The side lower shelf is designed in such a way that, if desired, it can easily be expanded into a table and two adjacent seats.
Rules of conduct during the trip
According to Russian Railways, passengers of a reserved seat car should be well aware that the purchase of a ticket is a confirmation of their consent to the conditions of carriage. This means that each passenger has the right to use the seat for which the travel document is issued, at their own discretion. This allows the owner of the lower seat not to allow the upper neighbor to sit on his shelf.
If necessary, passengers in the upper seats should contact the conductors or the foreman with a request to find a free space below for rest or a snack.
At the same time, passengers are asked to be more considerate and understanding towards each other.
Important! Semi-compartments No. 3 and 6 do not have vents. Having issued travel documents for places 9-12 and 21-24, it will not be possible to arrange airing during the trip.
The problem disappears if the car is equipped with air conditioning. When using it, conductors prohibit keeping windows open.
Side shelf
The length of the sidebar in a reserved seat car depends on the tier. The lower one is 1 m 75 cm, and the upper one is 1 m 72 cm.
The width of a shelf in a reserved seat car does not exceed 60 cm.
Often people tall give preference to the sides. There is an opinion that it is possible to sit comfortably on them without putting your feet into the aisle. This allows you not to be afraid that one of the passengers will catch on the legs hanging from the shelf.
The bottom place is a kind of transformer. The shelf can easily be turned into a table by first removing the mattress with bedding from it. The side seat in the reserved seat is perfect for a trip of a company of two people. You can eat and sleep without engaging in unwanted conversations with random fellow travelers. This option is also suitable for a parent carrying a child. The table will help to quickly organize a place for organizing children's leisure. Sitting opposite each other, you can play with pleasure board game taken from home. Drawing, coloring and guessing crosswords is also more convenient while sitting at the table.
The height of the lower place is 80 mm. It is this parameter that affects the concept of "softness". To slightly compensate for the inconvenience of the passage at the top, a softer shelf with a height of 88 mm is installed there.
An important advantage is the price of "side" tickets. The lower sideboard usually stands like the top shelf in a compartment. And the side seat of the second tier is even cheaper.
Tickets #35, 36, 37 and 38 are always the cheapest. They usually have the same value. This is due to their proximity to the toilet. Unpleasant smells, sounds of running water and slamming doors can deprive the passenger of the feeling of comfort and leave unpleasant memories of the trip for a long time.
Upper shelf in the reserved seat
Buying a top seat has consequences that you should be aware of in advance.
Important! Buying a ticket for the second shelf always helps to save money. But there is a very simple explanation for this fact.
The trip at the top has a number of inconveniences, which not everyone can come to terms with:
- climbing up is difficult and inconvenient for many; especially for the elderly, pregnant women, passengers who have problems with overweight;
- dimensions of 1 m 68 cm do not allow tall and tall travelers to sit comfortably without bending their knees; otherwise, the legs end up in the aisle and become an obstacle in the way of everyone who wants to pass by;
- Is it inconvenient and even dangerous for mothers with children to go upstairs? not occupying a separate place;
- it is difficult to transport a pet;
- the upper shelves are considered a traumatic zone; the consequences in the event of a fall can be very serious;
- the height of the luggage rack in a compartment car is at a small distance from the shelf of the second tier, the passenger is forced to travel in a lying or semi-sitting state;
- to use the table, it is necessary to apply for this to the lower passenger, although communication with strangers is far from pleasant in all situations.
However, a ticket "upstairs" can be a nice help on a family trip. Parents, tired of entertaining their offspring, often allow them to lie down in their place. If the age and behavior of the child do not inspire confidence and threaten to turn into an injury, then dad and mom can take turns climbing the top to stay out of reach for a while.
How to climb on the top shelf in the reserved seat
Despite all the nuances listed above, the top seat attracts the attention of many passengers. Some inconveniences can be easily avoided by paying attention to the following:
- recently, all upper masses in trains are equipped with handrails-holders according to the instructions. Also, the conductor must have seat belts. Small children can be transported using a special arena. He will warn the child against falls and bumps;
- it is also worth thinking in advance about how to climb onto the top shelf in the train. If a physical form leaves much to be desired and jumping onto the shelf pulling yourself up on your hands is not enough strength, then you can look for alternative solutions, for example, using special steps.
These devices are located near each seat between the first and second shelves and are easy to use. It is enough to stand with one foot on the lower shelf, put the other foot on the stand. At this time, you can grab a metal structure that supports the third tier with your hand. Remaining held with one foot on the stand, bend the opposite at the knee and stand on the toe, bent knee throw up. At this point, you need to hook your hand on the restrictive handrail, pull yourself up and pull in the other leg.
The simplest and safest device to help you climb up is a table.
Stepping onto it from the bottom place is very easy to get to the second shelf, holding on to the shelf sticking out of the wall for things. Of course, this method can only be used if the passengers sitting below do not mind such actions.
Bottom shelf: pros and cons
For many people planning a trip, acquiring lower seats is considered a priority. An indisputable advantage is their convenient location and the possibility of unhindered use of the table.
It should be noted that in ordinary non-branded trains, conductors do not make bed linen. Passengers, after boarding the carriage, do this on their own. Of course, organizing the sleeping space is much more convenient below. In this case, you do not need to stretch your arms, stand on tiptoe and disturb the neighbors who are nearby.
Locker
The presence of a luggage storage box makes the lower seat more privileged. The locker can be used by passengers on the upper floor, provided that the owner of the lower seat does not object to this. This rule continues to apply even if the luggage box is not completely filled and there is free space in it.
All the advantages of the bottom shelf are also disadvantages at the same time. Upstairs neighbors keep trying to go down and spend part of the way in a comfortable sitting position. They go to the toilet, they want to eat, drink and claim space near the table.
The situation does not go beyond as long as all participants in what is happening observe patience and tact. In case of misunderstanding, as well as in a situation where personal space is violated, it is necessary to draw the attention of the conductor, and, if necessary, the head of the train, to what is happening.
Aggressive behavior, nervousness and becoming personal do not solve the problem and exacerbate it. Spoiled mood and negative impressions can affect the course of the entire trip and ruin the holiday experience as a whole for a long time.
A conscious choice of a shelf when buying a ticket will help not only save money, but also make the trip as convenient as possible.
I never went to the toilet on the train, only once in my childhood, but I don’t remember almost anything there. And I always wondered what it would feel like to drive on the top side? It certainly was something!
I traveled from Serov to Yekaterinburg one night. I got on the train at one in the morning, everyone was already asleep. It was 45 minutes before the train left. And here I am standing near my shelf, and there is nowhere even to sit down. Everyone is already sleeping on the lower shelves, why not sit on your feet? After standing for 10 minutes, I went to the conductor to ask for bed linen. At first he said that he would give it as soon as the train started! That is, it is necessary to go and stand at the toilet for another 35 minutes before departure, like a ram in front of a new gate? Is there nowhere to sit?
After listening to this argument, the conductor gave me linen. I cover the linen on the shelf, and here it is the moment when I have to climb in!
There is a climbing pedal only on one side of the shelf opposite the toilet. I put my feet on these pedals, and? Then how? Of course, you can fall like a fish on a shelf with your stomach, and spinning like a snake, crawl through to the end. But it turns out that you are lying facing the toilet, which means you will have to somehow move from the position lying on your stomach to the position on your back in the other direction. Not suitable.
Then I had to stand on this pedal, kneel on the shelf with cancer. The back at the same time was tightly pressed against the third shelf! And now I'm standing in this position, and I'm glad that it's night, and everyone is sleeping, and no one sees me! And I know that I'm stuck. How to lie down?
Then I sat down on a shelf, and at the risk of falling, twisted my legs forward. Now here I am. Damn, the shelf is narrow! You lie like in a narrow coffin! The same feelings.
At this time, the lights in the car were still turned off. Here is a picture in front of my eyes.
And this plate flashes at a speed of once a second! Once, and the picture changes to this:
And here it is all flashing continuously! After looking at it for a few minutes, I decided to close my eyes.
I close it and before my eyes flashes "Busy. Free. Busy. Free."
On the other hand, you are always aware latest news toilet. Busy or free! Do I need it?
I turn to the window, and I notice with pleasure that I am just lying at the panoramic window. The window goes from my head to my feet. This is a plus.
You lie, look, and as if you are flying on the ground. Wherein
for some reason the picture is still rotating. What is near the horizon floats clockwise to the right, and what is closer to you floats to the left. That is, the feeling that you are constantly hovering above the rotating earth. Unusual experience.
This is not the only plus for the top side shelf near the toilet. It also has a 30% discount.
Let's say the ticket costs 2436 rubles for a good place, not by the toilet. But this upper side shelf near the toilet will cost 1,745 rubles at a discount. For some, there is a noticeable difference.
I found only two pluses for this shelf - a panoramic window in front of the nose and the price.
All day long I rode electric trains and walked around Verkhoturye, so I instantly fell asleep satisfied. After a while I hear: "BOOM!!!". I wake up and realize that someone went to the toilet, slamming the door with a swing. I fall asleep again, and again - BOOM !!! And so all night.
You sleep from "BOOM" to "BOOM". Can't you close the door quietly? It felt like everyone was trying to slam her as hard as they could! Although at night "BABACH" was rare.
But at 6 am, the clapping began almost continuously. I woke up, opened my eyes, and saw this picture. 06:00 Air temperature - +25 degrees.
The door slammed with a bang in the morning about once every minute. Sometimes more often. I don't know how to sleep in such a roar. But maybe you know how to sleep at the sound, like cannon shots.
Moreover, when a person leaves the toilet, he involuntarily looks at your face. Or go ahead.
That is, you constantly see not only the flashing of this hated sign, but also the face. I also noticed that when leaving the toilet, people have the same facial expression. Post toilet such.
But this view will open if you look sideways and down. My neighbors were five elderly men. Women carriages preferred to lie in the middle and at the beginning of the carriage.
Getting off this shelf is very difficult. Personally, I jumped off, pulling myself up on my hands. One hand on the next shelf, the other hand on my shelf. There was a man sitting downstairs and I almost fell on his neck. That is, my butt whistled somewhere at a distance of 10 cm from his face. During the flight, my jeans also moved down to half of the priests. I hope at the time of the flight of my half naked ass, he looked out the window and saw nothing! Next time, if I ride on a ledge like this, I'll wear suspenders like an old grandpa...
That is, it is also not easy to go to the lower side shelf near the toilet. The only thing you don't have to do is get in and out. And so all the same charms and disadvantages. And it will be more expensive.
Finally the trip came to an end. The train arrived at the final station - Yekaterinburg. I collect my belongings and walk along the carriage to the exit. The trip was a little fun hell. 
I pass by the titan of the train "Priobye-Yekaterinburg"
For the first time in my life, I jumped out of the train with relief and jumped!
However, when I entered the city, I greatly regretted that my journey by train and train was over, and so I wanted to go somewhere else!
