Moskovit experience

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Hello everyone,

Moscow is one amazing place. The people, the culture, sights and life make it a fantastic town with a already very different attidudes in spite of its proximity to Europe.

Arriving in Moscow is a bit of a riddle but once on the Metro network the destinations are clear and the stations true masterpieces. It is fast, reliable and comes every few minutes so really enables an easy access all across town.
Having been warmly welcomed by my host family the first evening was spent discussing and planning the next few days. In spite of personally not having really known these people and being merely distantly related they made me feel welcome as ever. Thank you again...

On friday morning I left towards the Kremlin to visit the hub of the russian federation and see the so mythical and talked about locations. The buildings seem either to be post WW2 soviet concrete contructions or builtiful craftsmanship including impressive chruches and cathedrals, elaborate and baroque details to contructions and impressive ironwork (including a 202 ton bell which broke in its final stage of cooling). I then discovered the Red Square which appreared less impressive as I had foreseen but nonetheless impreialistic at sight with St Basil Catherdal (the famous russian church with all the odd onion-shaped domes) at the southern tip and the dominating Kremlin wall.
I there met a friend of mine with whom we enjoyed a quiet lunch in one of the many little court yards near the center. We also enjoyed some firstly unnatrual looking sparkling drink which apparently was the only availble sweetened beverage in ex-USSR.
I then walked across town from the Kremlin to Universitet (hill from which Napoleon watch Moscow burn in the 1800´s) passing by the collossal main cathedral and seeing at the distance the huge Colombo like statue of Peter the great. There are many very loxourious 4x4 cars populating the streets of Moscow and they aggressive driving requires constant wariness when crossing streets thought generally whith the many streets and constructions the sound is not too bothersome.
The same evening with the son of this familly that was having me we went to appreciate the Moskovit nightlife. A lot of fun and in spite my utter ignorance in the russian language I was able to comunicate with several people including some charming young ladies. always good... :D Moskovits drink a LOT, tought due to a lot of practice (evedently) few where drunk or bothersome. With two hours difference to Geneva the night is never very long and by the time we left at 5 am light flooded the streets merely 5 hours before it left it.

The second day was also a lot of fun, thought I WAS LATE: Sorry again..... I completely slept in the mornind and therefore completely missed my appointment with the same friend. Terrible for a person but then even worse for a Swiss. Following a 40 min marathon to get to a new meeting point, we left the city centre to join the subburbs of north moscow. On the way we bought plenty food (sincerely in Europe enought to feed half a courntry) and supprisingly nearly all of it disapeared. We played bascket ball (amazing fun), russian pool (interesting but harder), PS3 fight game (which I have proven time and time again that I am really NOT good at... :D), poker and more eating and drinking made it a really enjoyable day and evening. Despite the weather not having been sunny over the period of stay in Moscow, it allowed more pleasent wandering and not unbearable temperatures.
The next day, after having gotten up slowly, and still having eat some more (i´m HUGE now.. :D) and played some more ps3 we regained Moscow and bought my train ticket to Volgograd. Nearly one hour cue, for less than ten people and by chance just after that ticket handler had dealt with us did she close leaving the remainder of the people waiting fruitlessly. The train is meant to take me 21 hours.... 😞 This is really where my trip beggings of adventure.

Today I still visited some sights and got lost within the many streets of moscow and had thankfully visited the red square on friday as today the entrile plazza was completely closed (preparing some event). Police and military all over with very tight security but a certain indifference reigned probably by experience and non expectation. The vastness of the police force is astonishing and the decorated soldiers pproudly dislay they aquired medals. A huge proudness seems apparent.

I am now preparing my luggage for my onwards train journey and planning of attempting to start fullfilling my long time dream of learning russian. Maybe one day i´ll get there. Because besides the cycrilic alphabet, once you have in roman letter, it still remains russian hence completely baboozeling me.

Enough for today but hopefully I will still write from Russia before entering central Asia.

best of greetings to you all and congratulations for having managed to read this BOOK... :D

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Great to hear that all is going so well so far...long may it last!