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Published: June 15th 2009
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…And Moscow Lives Up To It’s Expectation
The first signs of
Moscow the next morning are a bit of a mixture. Sure... there are some of the communist style building you see in all the movies but there is also a lot of parkland dotted throughout the suburbs. This is emphasised when we check in to our hotel (which is the same hotel that was used for the athletes in the 1980 Olympics) and from the 26th floor window there are huge areas of forests and parkland as far as the eye can see.
Straight into it, we jumped on the metro to
Red Square. The underground stations are a work of art unto themselves with statues, mosaics, sculptures and giant marble columns, each station coming out of the darkness different and intriguing. The only downfall being that not a single word of English is written anywhere. Out of the central station we are greeted by the
Bolshoi Theatre and as we walk around the corner we get our first glimpse. Through a massive archway, St Basil's Cathedral can be seen in the distance with the Kremlin and Lenin's Mausoleum looming on one side and a giant department store,
"Gum", on the other. The archway is part of another building, the National Museum, creating a imposing, almost claustrophobic feel about the place.
With a couple of hours to explore, a quick peek inside
St Basil's Cathedral rewards with some old and faded frescos and not nearly as impressive as the outside. A wander through
Alexandrovsky Gardens next to the Kremlin was much more rewarding with open grass and fountains.
A boat tour from below Red Square is definitely a good option so we found out. It takes in nearly all the main sights of Moscow in one hit as it passes St Basil's and the Kremlin,
The Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour, the Statue Of Peter The Great, Sparrow Hill Park and the Novodevitchy Convent, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Up early the next morning, we were back at Red Square to visit
Lenin's Mausoleum before taking a guided tour of
The Kremlin. There is actually more than one Kremlin in Russia because translated, the word means castle or fort. So in saying, the Kremlin isn't all one building but a collection of buildings inside the walls. Housing the President's offices, a couple of cathedrals, a
barracks, the Armoury, and the old communist party headquarters which is now a theatre and exhibition hall, as well as some gardens, the complex is enormous.
Having a bit of a nothing day the next day as the train to St Petersburg didn't leave until 10pm, a few of us decided to head out for a couple that night.
I've never felt that bad before in my life!!!! I don't know what they do to their beer over here but thank god there was nothing planned for the next day. Of course the vodka probably didn't help either.
Back on the train for the last time for an over-nighter at a measly 8 hours and we arrived in the "Venice Of The North"
"To me, travel is a triple delight: anticipation, performance, and recollection." - Ilka Chase
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amy denning
non-member comment
WOW!!!!
i am SO JEALOUS!!! the architecture looks amazing!!!