RUSSIA: The Kremlin & Moscow at Night

Europe » Russia » Northwest » Moscow
October 8th 2020

Published: October 8th 2020

I was not born a Cossack...nor a Tatar of the Golden Horde...a horseman of the outback nor the Snowy River. I learnt to ride when I was four...but born to the saddle I was not. We lived in Castle Hill...in those days a rural outer suburb of Sydney...our father the local doctor. Led to the stalls with my big sister for our first riding lesson...stable door swinging open...a massive glossy-brown ... Read Full Entry

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Photos: 105, Displayed: 21

8th October 2020

Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro

Stalin's highrises
If I ever visit Moscow again I will make sure to spend time to see all of Stalin's highrises. They are really spectacular. /Ake

9th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Stalin's highrises
There are seven such buildings known as the Seven Sisters, Ake. We stayed in one during our Moscow Blues schmooze as a bit of luxury before hitting the Old Silk Road. They dominate the Moscow skyline.

10th October 2020

Home and Away
Bob Carlsen

Great blog...
about a fascinating city. In 1998 I toured the Kremlin with my hosts, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Russian Air Force and his wife. They were wonderful people, as are most Russians. So now your time in Russia has ended, and I look forward to your Silk Road adventure.

10th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Great blog...
Visiting the Kremlin in 1998 sounds intriguing Bob. I presume Russia was not as affluent as it appears to be now. Having a Lieutenant Colonel and his wife as tour guides should have ensured you received a special showing. Any highlights?

10th October 2020

Tommy No Papers
TWR

Moscow
"Gotta love the Tzars...the common folk may have had no money...but the Tzars always seemed to have plenty!" If the "Tzars" of this world would share more willingly, a lot of the problems of this world would cease to be. Fun to hear about your gallop through Moscow. So true about how different nationalities are treated differently around the world. I think that the Brazilians are also received rather well! Looking forward to hearing about Uzbek!

10th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Moscow
So many things to gotta love in Moscow. Hope my blog inspired you to put Russia on your Wish List, Tommy. It is truly spectacular in so many ways. And I hope the music video captured your inner soul.

10th October 2020

starship VT
starship - VT

Magnificent Moscow
Dave, I'm envious of all the sights you were able to see in magnificent Moscow both at day and at night!! I love horses and would have loved to see the horse guards. Your descriptions and photos are wonderful and captured so much that they made me want to visit the Kremlin, the churches with their onion domes, the palaces and fountains and so much more. Great blog!

10th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Magnificent Moscow
I also love horses, Sylvia, even if my first lesson was a terrorfest! Russian horse culture is yet another facet of the Russian psyche, the Cossacks a great example. Glad you have been joining my Russian ride. At least another chapter to come as there are still a few more days before our flight to Tashkent is due to depart.

11th October 2020

Home and Away
Bob Carlsen

Great blog...
I think that you had a more in depth tour of the Kremlin than I did as you had a professional guide. Mine was still a great experience. After we visited the Kremlin we went to the mall under Red Square and ate lunch at Sbarros. That's where I learned about their economy. At the time there were two economies; one based upon Western standards and one that remained from the Soviet time. Only those who traded with the West were in that economy; everyone else was in the poorer economy. A typical salary for the middle class as $100/month. A nuclear scientist was paid about $400/month. What I paid for pizza for the three of us was way beyond what someone living in the poorer economy could afford. At the time I was Program Manager of the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation program for cleaning up Russian submarine nuclear reactor core waste in the Kola Peninsula, together with Norway and Russia...interesting times!

11th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Great blog...Part 2
Thanks for more insight Bob. While mine was a dance in Putin's pastures with my eyes ever wide open, your time in Russia would have been thought provoking and revealing in ways I could but dream. Look forward to you telling me more about those times, as your life has been more than interesting. Say Hi to Linda from Denise & I.

11th October 2020

gangopa
tab gangopadhyay

The Horseman of Castle Hill!
Yeah, interesting to read your childhood fun with the horses, Dave...and it's a nice segue to the blog picturing the history of Moscow. I was actually imagining this to be the first page of a book while reading, trying to place myself as a reader who does not know Dancing Dave, but curious into the history of Russia. I suggested you a long ago and I still hope some day I will be able to order it from amazon for a nice afternoon read! Great blog Dave and will wait for Uzbekistan to come!

11th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

The Horseman of Castle Hill!
I picture your Calgary as covered in snow Tab, but your climate may not be dissimilar to Moscow where the seasons bring the full range of colours and moods. Thank you for commenting on the personal touch I started this blog, which from your own publications you also employ. Russia really touched our hearts. It was not just a destination...its history, art, music and culture really intrigued. But I cannot finish my Russian blogs without exploring Moscow Blues with some history that must be told.

12th October 2020

Laila the Tuareg
Denise Hooper

Bitter sweet...
Bitter sweet feelings... here we are 2020 & restricted from travelling even within our own country & there we were 12 months ago immersed in the fabulousness of Russia - how sweet that was - thanks for the reminder . BTW - The HU - Wolf Totem - OMGoodness now on repeat!

12th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Bitter sweet...
Ah my love...how do we capture our dances in Putin's pastures so they endure? I feel a far away look each time our memories of Russia come flooding in...a glass more than full...spilling over with so much to see and offer. And music is so much part of the national psyche. I've got The HU on repeat as well...powerful track from the descendants of the Golden Horde that for centuries terrorised Russia...Enjoy.

12th October 2020

Liz Garraway
non-member comment

Oh, the memories.
Drawn in once again to the memories. You certainly know how to bring them alive again, David. I don't know what I had expected to see in Moscow or anywhere along journey but it would not have been anywhere near as interesting as it turned out to be. We were a bit cheeky arranging our party and commandeering the tables. Oh the faces when people arrived and had to find a different table to sit at that night. Looking forward to your Moscow Blues.

12th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Oh, the memories.
Thank you Liz for spending the time to comment. And thank you to Simon & you for your contribution in making this trip so memorable. We certainly had a blast and it far exceeded our expectations. We hope our paths cross somewhere some place. Keep well and thanks for keeping in touch. Oh the faces come alive...gotta smile!

21st October 2020

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

An expert story teller
I thought we had responded to this one but I guess not. You had an amazing trip and your word pictures paint the scene. Thanks for weaving in the history with your story telling and observations. I can picture you riding a horse... oh wait... I've seen you riding a horse! Eager to get to Russia and follow in your footsteps.

22nd October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

An expert story teller
Ah the memories MJ...as you know it is not only the photographs that preserve the memories...but also the stories one tells.

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RUSSIA: The Kremlin & Moscow at Night

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