Paid a visit to my Russian friend so we could talk Russia, we spread a big map out on the floor and talked practicalities. So, we talked about loos and electric sockets and taxis and food on the trains, and she has given me some small change for those little essentials on arrival and I have recorded her saying, in Russian, such useful things as “Can you show me where the station/toilet is….” which should fulfil my every need and if I don’t manage to learn them I can always whip out my phone and play it to some poor unsuspecting passerby………………She has reassured me greatly that – contrary to popular belief and edicts supplied by guidebooks, websites and travellers tales – its NOT necessary to drink vodka til you drop, all the time, or risk being deemed persona non grata. This is a huge relief.