Cristina Muniesa Espada
Kazan Railway Station
This summer I did what's called the Siberian Route with seven of my friends. At one of the stops in Russia, we had to lie on the ground for four hours in the station waiting for the 2 a.m. train. I took that time to take a tour of the station in order to get some good pictures. I put my tripod on the ground while several people gathered around, all Russians. They looked a little surprised at what I was doing. After I had taken several photos a security guard came up to me, so I figured, since I don't understand Russian, I guess it wasn't funny to him at all that I was there taking pictures, but I wanted to continue because of the atmosphere of the station.
I tried to explain that it was photography, which was why I was on this trip around the country and please let me take pictures around the station. All an odyssey, with Russian-Spanish dictionary, camera in hand, and giving everything to give me permission to photograph. After half an hour YOU GOT. These Russians are very hard-headed as far as permit issues go, and more when you're a tourist and you can not speak the language.
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