Fantastic start to the journey
Football fans have been loving the action With tickets for the greatest show on Earth booked, our journey to the FIFA World Cup was plain sailing.
The Tartan Army may not have qualified for the tournament, but that hasn’t stopped a small contingent of Scots heading to the biggest party on the planet.
Having met up with the third and final member of our Russia-bound Perthshire crowd in Helsinki on Monday, a 150 km per hour train took us to one of the most controversial countries to ever host the World Cup.
With fan ID’s replacing visas for ticket holders, we waited anxiously for the border guards to check our passports.
But after a quick glance at our lanyards, we had a stamp in our passports and were racing through the forest towards St Petersburg.
The train, which followed the Baltic coast, was chock-a-block with football fanatics from as far as South America, all bursting with excitement and hoping their team would do their country proud.
Three and a half hours after leaving Finland, we hopped off the train in windy St Petersburg. The tourist hotspot was alive with World Cup fever which began with young volunteers helping fans find their way around.
After checking in for three nights, we made our way to the fan fest at Konyushennaya Square, where 15,000 fans gathered in the shadow of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood to watch Tunisia take on England on half a dozen gargantuan screens.
We strolled through security as Ferjani Sassi slotted home the equaliser from the spot - a memorable moment.
Watching the giant screens in the evening sun were thousands of Egyptian fans, waiting on the Pharaohs taking on the hosts just a couple of miles away at Zenit’s stadium the following night.
And the electric atmosphere in the ground as Russia triumphed 3-1 over the African side poured out onto the streets, with singing and partying continuing until dawn.
Many people were put off visiting the World Cup by fears over heavyhanded authorities, and the police and military presence is very visible.
However, even the officers in frightening camouflage uniforms and the police with batons hanging from their belts have joined in the celebration, taking part in kickabouts in the street and even lending their megaphones to vociferous fans queuing to enter the Fan Fest.
While many locals were nursing hangovers after virtually guaranteeing progression from the group stage, we wandered out to the ticketing centre to collect our hallowed passes.
And with another quick flash of the Fan ID, we walked out with our golden tickets printed there and then. Easy peasy.
The Fan IDs have provided fans with an exceptional opportunity to explore Russia without the hassle of a visa. With the cheapest tickets costing less than a standard tourist visa, and allowing fans to explore the biggest country in the world for seven weeks, the FIFA World Cup has opened the door to the mysterious and often undocumented state.
So after three nights, we are making our way to Moscow for a quick stint in Europe’s biggest and busiest city on our trip down to Volgograd, where we’ll see Japan take on Poland in their final group game next week. ●Pick up next Friday’s PA to read how Ross and Co get on.