The joy of an overnight flight.

The 10:30pm flight from Heathrow to Moscow can be marked by a couple of things:

• Aeroflot UK staff haven't heard of the IOC accreditation being used as a Visa, so there's a slight delay...
• Son, that ain't hand luggage, that's luggage
• The heat. The incessant heat. Word to anyone on the flight, bring some water with you.
• When they say 'the flight is open for boarding' that's your last announcement. So everyone gets on. Don't go expecting ordered rows or zones. When they say get on board, you can stample grannies. I think. But not babushkas, cos they will stample back...
• Dinner is a choice of beef with vegetables or chicken with porridge. That could be a translation issue as the meal is actually chicken with boiled oats. Ahh, right. Well you gotta try these things.

The arrival in Moscow is marked by a greeting from OGOC volunteers:

They see us to immigration where the use of IOC accreditation as a Visa is a new thing... And then to the departure area for the Sochi flight.

You have to admire Mastercard who have guerilla marketed Moscow airport...

Once we land in Sochi we can see an array of volunteers at the validation booth:

Well, they're standing right next to it. So, having collected my bag, I approached them. And no, this is not the validation booth you're looking for. You have to go to the one in International Arrivals. So there's basically 10 folk in brightly coloured tracksuits, ahh the 70s, keeping each other company.

So we're met by Stan from NBC and he takes us to International Arrivals and we get Validated. I'm one of the lucky few that seem to have been processed correctly. Some of the others have had their picture covered with the RFID token, so now need a new badge or some extreme surgery.

Outside the weather is typically Winter Olympics:

And Sochi looks exceptionally welcoming... We drive around and through Sochi in a brave attempt to see something less grey but fail and go to the hotel. Which is exceptionally soviet modern in appearance. So modern that not all of it is complete.

We're dropped off at Building One but our rooms are in Building Two [yeah, see? soviet] and so we trog over there. We're each given a key and wander off to our rooms. Now, it's whenever o'clock as far as I can tell and there's a bed with my name on it, so the brain's having a wind down so instead of making the correct decision it decides 'Oh, they've given us jumpers' but then the dormant [majority] part kicks in and adds 'and boots, and toothpaste in the bathroom'. So I end up back in reception - or whatever you're going to call the lobby with a desk in - to get a less occupied room.

Now, the rooms are small. They could actually benefit from one less bed. And one more cupboard cos that would bring the number of cupboards to one. There's hanging space and a shelf or two, but no actually cupboard. Or anything resembling drawers.

Or a safe, which is perhaps the most concerning...

It is however, sparkly new and clean.

It even has tea and coffee making facilities. No tea or coffee, but facilities.

So tomorrow and it's off to the IBC; the NBC offices closed 5 minutes after I got here so I couldn't get a NBC pass for the various areas. And frankly you would not have wanted me typing - as can be witnessed here.

Finally Megafon have a Sochi offer for phones. It's called the "Welcome to Sochi" plan and gives a SIM with 3GB data and an international calling plan for 1200 Ru, £25 or so. The Megafon store is situated between the domestic and international arrivals halls and I'm sure the NBC staff will let you go get one. It does take a while, mind. But then anything with a computer does. There's free WiFi in the hotel too. It's quick at the moment, but then there's only about 10 folk here...

Evening Update 

The restaurants are reasonably priced with smaller dishes [the Russian restaurant served a nice rabbit stew in a small bowl] and some beer. The drawback is that they can't charge to the room nor do they accept American Express.
There is also an Italian restaurant, but I haven't found it on the grounds I don't have a map of anything.