Advertisement
Published: September 13th 2005
Edit Blog Post
Tchaikovsky
So I've always wanted to here the finale of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture performed with real fireworks and explosions; what better place than in Moscow, and here is Piotr's face projected on the building just before. Moscow, the nerve center of the Russian Federation whose landmass constitutes the majority of Asia and formerly extended all the way to the edges of W. Europe; this is the epicenter of the former communist experience where you can find the buildings of the former, but still infamous, KGB, the Kremlin, and the tomb of their still preserved icon Lenin planted firmly in the middle of the Red Square. I noticed immediately upon arrival that Moscow moves fast; it is a city that’s going somewhere and boasts a more reliable subway than any I have ever seen. I could swear that there is a train every 30-45 seconds. It’s a city that’s also struggling with its identity as it attempts to dismantle the pillars of socialism and move towards a market economy; however, from what I can tell not everyone feels that this is the right direction for the nation. I would probably feel the same way if I was one of the people that got left behind when the former Soviet empire collapsed. You can see it in their eyes here, in the way they move. Many of the older people look defeated; you can see it in the way
Gotham-esque
This is the HUGE celebration of Moscow's 858th B-day at Moscow State University located on a hill overlooking the Kremlin they move. The system has beat a lot of people down, they are still living in the drab sameness of Communism while the nouveaux rich have made incredible amounts of money on the opportunity that the gray economy provided during the transition phase.
Quick story to illustrate, one of my friends here just began her University studies in Mathematics and Informatics, quite a difficult field but one in which Russians are known to excel. On the first day of her lectures her professor begins with the normal formalities and then her informs that class that he is in the market for a new bag, and therefore there will be an exam next week, not a major regularly scheduled exam, but a special one. Ah, but it’s not to test the students knowledge as you might think, it’s to fatten the professor’s wallet—he will be charging $50 USD for an average grade and $100 USD for the equivalent of an A. And yes he just announced this to the entire class, and no he will not be reprimanded for it, it happens frequently. How would you like to attend University in a system like this?
This type of thing
is illustrated throughout the city. I mentioned previously that I was meeting my friend here that I know from Slovenia. Anyway, I am staying at her flat which is at the end of the Metro line; we’re staying on the eighth floor of a building that is truly like every other, in a place surrounded by buildings that look just like the one next to it. The flat itself is nice in a cozy sort of way. The thing is there doesn’t seem to be a lack of land around; I see open land and trees all around me. But unfortunately people are confined to these drab apartment complexes. Yes, they are very cheap, they are controlled by the government or some extension thereof, and the people aren’t necessarily obliged to pay their rent every month. I don’t fully understand the system, but it’s evident that the government still has a lot to do with the everyday lives of the people. This is contrasted with the opulence and striking architecture and beauty of the center of the city. The Red Square is nothing less than impressive and is bordered by the imposing Kremlin, the almost gaudy St. Basil’s cathedral, and
Inside the Kremlin
Golden crosses lurk everywhere inside the Kremlin the ancient Soviet shopping icon GUM (гум). Ah, and let me not forget the supremely somber tomb of Lenin, where die hard Soviets still come to pay their respects. I found the thought of visiting the tomb of Lenin—wait, let me correct myself here, it’s not just the tomb of Lenin but the preserved body of Lenin himself that you get to view—so anyway, I found the thought to be rather humorous, to see an old deceased Soviet icon still preserved in all his previous glory. The experience really is somewhat cinematic. As you enter the tomb there are soldiers everywhere keeping people quiet, in line, and without their hands in pockets (got in trouble for the last one). You then descend into a dark chamber with ominous lighting to see the icon himself suspended in a glass chamber, swathed in velvet, and looking very much like he had a bad run-in with a horror movie makeup artist. You simply get to file past Mr. Lenin, and make a meager but hopeless attempt to imagine the man wielding his former Soviet power.
I don’t think anything captured the Soviet soul as well as the art museums I visited while here; Moscow has two excellent museums, The Pushkin Fine Art Museum and the Tretyakov Art Gallery. I had not previously been exposed to much Russian art, and even though I don’t normally like 18th and 19th century art which seems to mostly consist of portraits, I found the way Russian artists portrayed their subjects to be much more mysterious, darker, more shadowed, and the lines on the subjects faces or the look in the person’s eyes seemed to tell a lot about the time and the circumstances under which these portraits were made. I think what I noticed most in all Russian art is that shadows and darkness play an integral part; it seems to make the pieces more emotionally striking and even a little more ambiguous. If anyone’s interested a few of the artist I enjoyed were: Borovikovsky, V.G. Perov, I.K. Aivazovsky, A.I. Kuinkji, M.A. Vrubel, V.I. Surikov, N.N. Dubovskoy, and V.A. Serov.
So what is Moscow? I’m not sure. Yesterday I was trying to describe my impressions as I was sitting in a coffee shop on the main avenue of Tverskaya ul. I came up with a lot of words and a lot of thoughts, but none seemed to really capture what the city is like. It is a place in transition, one that is alive but that is a little confused, that is definitely nostalgic but wants to modernize, is nationalistic and is still full of military (for what reason I don’t know) but wants to be welcoming, is approachable and mysterious at the same time. In that sense, it is a juxtaposition of things, but maybe that’s why Moscow is fascinating and exciting.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.043s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 11; qc: 26; dbt: 0.0268s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Casey
non-member comment
Wow, The pictures are pretty breath-taking! I went to Deep Fork this evening and thought of the brunch we never had! Ah, you just owe me! Just playing... Travel well, but most importantly travel safe! Much love...