Red Square

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Incredible day. Went to Red Square this morning, it was FANTASTIC. Went early while the Square itself was still closed so that was a pisser, and then we found the line for Lenin’s Tomb. Waited in line for probably an hour and a half, argued with two different English speaking tourguides that we didn’t want to pay, then went to the Tomb. It was surreal. Imagine Disneyland for a kid who’s been completely obsessed and studied everything about Walt Disney for three years. It was amazing. Dead silent in the Mausoleum, with guards everywhere watching so you don’t snap pictures. I can still see his glowing skin under the bright lights at the coffin, against the total blackness of the rest of the mausoleum. Now that I’ve seen him it’s like…what else do I have to do while I’m alive? What other ridiculous thing is left on my task-list? What could possibly top seeing Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin? Or, to continue the conceit, now that I’ve hugged mickey mouse, what is left? Anyway, after Lenin’s Tomb, we went behind to see the busts and graves at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis. In it are Stalin, Voroshilov, Budyonny, Chernenko, Andropov, and others I can’t possibly remember now. They have the big granite busts. The other graves in the wall include (without busts), most notably, Yury Gagarin, the FIRST MAN IN OUTER SPACE. It’s surreal to think that I saw all these incredible graves today. Later I’ll go to the Novodevichy Cemetery and see the other important and famous graves, but today was unbelievable. I saw the body of Lenin, the memorial to Stalin, Budyonny and Voroshilov, and the grave of Gagarin. Amazing. I should just kill myself now cuz there’s nothing that can top this. The pictures I’ve loaded here and on facebook just can’t possibly do the experience justice. I’m sorry to gush, but HOLY CRAP did I have a day full of amazing and unbelievable history.

Oh yeah I also ate at the Red Square MacDonalds. This was an experience less life changing than the others, but still fun and amazing. To be eating French fries (Kartoflya Fri.) at the foot of red square, behind the State Historical Museum and under the monument to Zhukov (who pretty much saved the world in the 1940s) is just ridiculous and fantastic.

OH YEAH. As we were walking to MacDonalds, there approaching the entrance to Red Square were the continuing members of the Communist Party with flags and signs. These poor old people; I’m sure many of you at home are ready to call them crazy but at least during the control of the Communist Party they received pensions and could count on the Party to provide their retirement. Now, in the era of democracy and free market capitalism, they’re completely impoverished and receive a worthless sum from the government every month for their pension. It’s hard not to understand their plight; either political oppression with dependable pensions, or poverty with political liberty. Which would you pick? Would you choose starvation or living with your grandchildren over the right to publish dissentious novels? What say you, America?

After MacDonalds, we went to St. Basil’s. Inside this landmark was amazing, beautiful, breathtaking and surreal. The pictures hardly can describe. I got a couple souvenirs, but not much cuz they were expensive. This was like the Magic Kingdom.

After St. Basil’s, we watched the military procession in the Square for a while and then left, and took the metro back to Sportivnaya Metro to go to the stadium and the Festival’ Piva (beer). Went inside, looked around for a while, found a table with one guy at it (Aleksandr(Sasha)) and sat down. He talked to us about how the women dancing on stage would be topless later in the night (they weren’t) and tried to tell us a joke but our Russian wasn’t good enough to understand. Sasha talked to us pretty much all afternoon long, no matter if we understood him or not, what with his colloquial Russian and gold teeth and penchant for spitting when he talked. Rob met a guy with a boston college t-shirt and talked to him for a while. The guy was Russian, never went or even saw boston college. Drank a good amount of Baltika, trading rounds (with Sasha volunteering to buy us a round and us including him in the rounds afterwards) and finally we all decided to leave and found that Doug was missing his passport. Waited for him to leave while I bought another beer (Nevskoe, not Baltika. Not as good as baltika either.) Then we got on the metro and headed home. Went to the Mall/grocery after the subway and I got some vodka and more potato chips. Wish I’d bought some more but didn’t think about it at the time. Afterwards walked home with the boys. Later Julia and Reggie came over and we watched Eurotrip.


So in conclusion, an AMAZING day: Red Square, Lenin’s Tomb, St. Basil’s, and a beer-festival to close off the day. Wow. What a weekend.

Hugs and Kisses,
Mark Markovich.

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Comments

[Andrew]

Europtrip is probably the greatest way to end that day. I'm glad you had "a very special day for a verrrry special boy"

[ellen bowman]

so how can you get around if the metro is closed?
is there a bus system? do you have a bicycle or is that not practical in moscow's weather? dont forget to keep taxi money in your sock in case you get mugged..... e