Old on the outside

Much of Russia's physical landscape is tired and worn. The building we live in was built in 1959 and intended to last 30 years and then be replaced. Many of the old communist plans never came to pass. So our building is literally falling apart. Nevertheless people will completely renovate their apartments (taking credit from the bank as many can not really afford such extravagance) and their world will look brand new from the inside.
Spare the analogies in your mind to a clean heart on the inside. What about the foundations hey? That's another analogy worth considering. What is the point in so much money being put into facades when a building will not last the distance?
On our way home from Krasnoyarsk we found ourselves in a new train carriage. And like much of Russia it was not new on the outside, a new coat of paint yes, but not a new train. However I have to say that I think the trains are good quality and do not need to be replaced. The train tracks can be bumpy at times though.
We were pleasantly surprises to spend a night in such a nice train. I found myself thinking "Russia really is a new place, but then much of it is still quite old." It is hard to explain, but there are just moments like this, when you are inside a shop or a cafe or a wealthier persons apartment that you could believe you are in a western developed country, but then you only have to step outside to realise that this is very far from the truth. Enough of my meanderings.