‘It was tremendously exciting when our train arrived at Virballen. As we approached, I could see the fence that marked the Russian border, decorated with flags and the sign of the Imperial Eagle.

The train stopped in the station, and we all had to get out and show our passports to a policeman. They checked our luggage too: two of Papa’s books and my little pack of patience cards were confiscated by Customs, but we did not mind too much. Afterwards they marked each of our trunks with a white cross and gave us our passports back. There was a while to wait, and so Papa and I ate a very curious meal at the little eating place in the station, before we got onto another train – and then we were over the border into Russia at last!’

– From the diary of Alice Grayson