Moscow

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Arrived in Mocsow airport 24 hours after leaving Sydney.
The airport is 20kilometres from Moscow and it took 1 1/2 hours to reach the hotel. Moscow Leningradsky Hilton. It is one of the seven sisters of Russia. After WW2 Starlin 7 "sky scrapers" built by prisoners. They are all similar and look a lot like buildings in New York of the same era.
Traffic in Moscow terrible and parking unbelievable. Too many cars not many rules.
First day we visited the oldest Monestry in Russia still run by monks very visual religion. Lots of icons and lots of saints many many mmmmmmmm. They are covered in frescoes and gold gilt and massive chanderliers.
Russia did not have castles, so their monestries were used for all the communities during war. All history is about war,revolutionstion, murder etc.etc.
After lunch we drove part of the way home and the our guides took us on the Metro. We have 29 in our group and we saw 8 railway stations. Our Russian guide Serg was at the front and Tim our Scenic guide was at the back madly counting. Serg said you get on the train like a bullet and go so many stations and we will get off. Very scarey, 29 Australians with no knowledge of Russian language and millions of Russians getting on and off the trains with us. Their stations are beautiful and ornate and always clean.

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