More singing by the train chorale. Not too loudly, since some people are dozing. My fanning varies in its intensity, but it makes some difference. Eventually Irene wanders off to spend some time near on open window. Periodically the train stops, sometimes at a station, other times for no apparent reason.
Women pass through, carrying baskets or buckets, looking for a place to sit down.
It is true. There are seven of us sharing space for six. Outside, the flat landscape is mostly forested, with evergreen trees and occasional large stands of birch. Passing through the vast expanses of woodland in western Russia, one wonders why people panic about global deforestation. In this forest and meadowland country there are occasional towns and cultivated fields.