Saturday was a very long day. I got up before six, and left the apartment at 6:30. Before I left, Nina M told me that because of the wind, the temperature was 7 degrees (Celsius). I of course, had (have!) no idea what 7 degrees Celsius relates to in Fahrenheit, although as the day before had been somewhat nippy at 14 C, I assumed that meant cold. But, the last time I was in Russia, I learned that anything above 0 C was tolerable. Back in the US I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to the cold, but here there simply is no room for that. If it is above freezing, I should not complain. Hmmmm, watch me complain now. Let me set the record straight by saying that 7 C is pretty damn chilly, especially when you are not really dressed for it. I knew that it was going to get into the upper 60s and lower 70s (Fahrenheit) in Moscow, and I had no desire to be lugging about all sorts of sweaters and coats and such. So, I was really rather under-dressed for the 7 C weather that faced me when I left my apartment. As a result, I ended up getting on the wrong trolleybus (intentionally, in the hope that it might end up where I needed to go, or at least get me closer), because I had no desire to stand on the side of the road waiting for the correct bus to come along. I ended up having to hoof it the last few blocks to the train station, but at least the movement kept me warm. The train, of course, was the opposite; the heat was cranked up to an unbearable level so that it felt like Florida in there!
Anyhow, we arrived in Moscow a little after 10:00am, and immediately hopped on the metro in search of a certain bookstore. Our Russian teachers had described a specific bookstore wherein we were each supposed to purchase specific textbooks for our Russian language studies. Unfortunately, while we found a bookstore at the appropriate location, it was a new bookstore, which was not nearly as into selling textbooks as its predecessor. We decided to visit Dom Knigi (a large and well known bookstore, located in another part of Moscow) later on in the day, and then walked to Gorky Park. I should mention here that it was yet another absolutely perfect day. The sky was bright blue, without any clouds, and the temperature was right on the cusp between cool and warm. In other words, wonderful!
The purpose in going to Gorky Park was not to go to GP itself, we merely needed to cut through GP to get to the other side. Unfortunately, entrance to GP costs money, and even though 50 rubles is less than two dollars, I do not like the idea of paying an entry fee simply to use a shortcut. But, I was not the leader of our group, and the decision making was not up to me. I have heard GP described as the Russian Disneyland,although anyone visiting GP with those expectations will be sorely disappointed. I would describe it as more of the Russian equivalent to a county fair. The park does in fact have things that I would be willing to bet came from retired US county fairs, such as fair-type booths and rides, as well as small rollercoasters, although I do not think that I am brave enough to ride on any of them! (Due to equipment quality, not the type of ride.) To me, the most interesting thing in the park is Buran, the Russian space shuttle. It looks a lot like the US space shuttle (someone obviously sold them the plans). I think (I need to refresh my memory of this, to make sure) that the Russians launched it once and then simply decided that it was a waste of money. They opted for cheaper methods of getting people and equipment to and from space, and parked Buran in GP, as a nifty tourist attraction. Unfortunately, the section of GP where Buran is located was closed, so we did not get to go in it or anything, although we did get to see it from a distance, and I took several pictures.
The purpose of our walk through GP was, as I mentioned, a shortcut. We needed to get to a spot where we could catch a boat down the Moscow River to Red Square. The boat ride took about thirty minutes, and cost about $6.50 or so, and I highly recommend this ride to anyone visiting in the seasons when the Moscow River is flowing. The views along the ride are beautiful and interesting, especially when the Kremlin and St. Basil’s come into view. After the boat ride, we walked around Red Square. I took many, many photos of St. Basil’s Cathedral (which they have freshly repainted, making it look even more like some candy coated fairytale castle), several of which turned out quite well. Lenin was closed for the day, so we did not get to see him in the flesh. I did not mind (I have seen him before. Looks like you would expect: Lenin, but dead.), although I think that several members of the group were quite disappointed. In the Red Square area you can now pay to have your photograph taken with a look alike of Lenin, Marx, Tsar Nicholas II, or Ivan the Terrible. I do not recall that being an option last time around. It was somewhat tempting to pose with Lenin, although I did not want to be that much of a tourist!
After Red Square, we walked a little through the Alexandrovsky Garden, which is located very close to Red Square. In both Red Square and the Alexandrovsky Garden we saw many wedding parties. Wedding traditions in Russia are very different from in the US, and I must say that I prefer the Russian way of doing things. First, you go to the official wedding place (I am not sure what it is called), where you are officially married. Then, you, your new spouse and all of your friends and family walk about the city (often while drinking champagne or other booze products) and take pictures in front of all of the well known landmarks of the city. Of course, they still seem to shell out the big bucks for the ridiculous and ubiquitous poofy white dress, but the whole wedding atmosphere seems substantially more laid back and fun than traditional American weddings which are simply stressful ordeals. For myself and the rest of the Americans in my group, it has seemed odd when every Friday and Saturday there are all these brides, running about the cities!
Anyhow, after leaving the Alexandrovsky Garden, we walked to the Arbat (an area known for artists and musicians, many of whom were dissidents during the Soviet period, and which has many shops and cafes... and which is, of course, popular with the tourists), where we had lunch and then walked to Dom Knigi to buy our Russian textbooks. Y and I are using the same book, and I must admit that it seems rather intimidating to me, as the entire book is in Russian. There are no English language explanations of anything. I expect that my Russian class will be quite challenging. But our individual Russian lessons will not begin for a few weeks, so I get to wait and see.
After leaving Dom Knigi, we were all fairly exhausted. We had done a lot of walking and were ready to sit for a while. Unfortunately, it was not yet time for our train, so instead we sat in a park across the street from the Bolshoi Theater (currently closed for restorations) in front of a very large statue of Marx, resting and chatting until it was time to go to our train.
One of my favorite things about Moscow (and St. Petersburg) is its Metro (subway) system. The stations are incredible. Created as palaces for the people, they feature statues, carvings, mosaics, paintings, chandeliers, and all sorts of other fanciness that would most certainly not be featured in your average public transportation station elsewhere. Before coming to Russia this time around, I decided that I was definitely going to make sure I took pictures inside the metro stations, but that is easier said than done. Since you have to use a flash, as soon as you take the picture everyone in the station knows you have done it, and they all turn to stare (glower) at you. It was somewhat embarrassing. I only got one picture.
Anyhow, we arrived in Moscow a little after 10:00am, and immediately hopped on the metro in search of a certain bookstore. Our Russian teachers had described a specific bookstore wherein we were each supposed to purchase specific textbooks for our Russian language studies. Unfortunately, while we found a bookstore at the appropriate location, it was a new bookstore, which was not nearly as into selling textbooks as its predecessor. We decided to visit Dom Knigi (a large and well known bookstore, located in another part of Moscow) later on in the day, and then walked to Gorky Park. I should mention here that it was yet another absolutely perfect day. The sky was bright blue, without any clouds, and the temperature was right on the cusp between cool and warm. In other words, wonderful!
The purpose in going to Gorky Park was not to go to GP itself, we merely needed to cut through GP to get to the other side. Unfortunately, entrance to GP costs money, and even though 50 rubles is less than two dollars, I do not like the idea of paying an entry fee simply to use a shortcut. But, I was not the leader of our group, and the decision making was not up to me. I have heard GP described as the Russian Disneyland,
The purpose of our walk through GP was, as I mentioned, a shortcut. We needed to get to a spot where we could catch a boat down the Moscow River to Red Square. The boat ride took about thirty minutes, and cost about $6.50 or so, and I highly recommend this ride to anyone visiting in the seasons when the Moscow River is flowing. The views along the ride are beautiful and interesting, especially when the Kremlin and St. Basil’s come into view. After the boat ride, we walked around Red Square. I took many, many photos of St. Basil’s Cathedral (which they have freshly repainted, making it look even more like some candy coated fairytale castle), several of which turned out quite well. Lenin was closed for the day, so we did not get to see him in the flesh. I did not mind (I have seen him before. Looks like you would expect: Lenin, but dead.), although I think that several members of the group were quite disappointed. In the Red Square area you can now pay to have your photograph taken with a look alike of Lenin, Marx, Tsar Nicholas II, or Ivan the Terrible. I do not recall that being an option last time around. It was somewhat tempting to pose with Lenin, although I did not want to be that much of a tourist!
After Red Square, we walked a little through the Alexandrovsky Garden, which is located very close to Red Square. In both Red Square and the Alexandrovsky Garden we saw many wedding parties. Wedding traditions in Russia are very different from in the US, and I must say that I prefer the Russian way of doing things. First, you go to the official wedding place (I am not sure what it is called), where you are officially married. Then, you, your new spouse and all of your friends and family walk about the city (often while drinking champagne or other booze products) and take pictures in front of all of the well known landmarks of the city. Of course, they still seem to shell out the big bucks for the ridiculous and ubiquitous poofy white dress, but the whole wedding atmosphere seems substantially more laid back and fun than traditional American weddings which are simply stressful ordeals. For myself and the rest of the Americans in my group, it has seemed odd when every Friday and Saturday there are all these brides, running about the cities!
Anyhow, after leaving the Alexandrovsky Garden, we walked to the Arbat (an area known for artists and musicians, many of whom were dissidents during the Soviet period, and which has many shops and cafes... and which is, of course, popular with the tourists), where we had lunch and then walked to Dom Knigi to buy our Russian textbooks. Y and I are using the same book, and I must admit that it seems rather intimidating to me, as the entire book is in Russian. There are no English language explanations of anything. I expect that my Russian class will be quite challenging. But our individual Russian lessons will not begin for a few weeks, so I get to wait and see.
After leaving Dom Knigi, we were all fairly exhausted. We had done a lot of walking and were ready to sit for a while. Unfortunately, it was not yet time for our train, so instead we sat in a park across the street from the Bolshoi Theater (currently closed for restorations) in front of a very large statue of Marx, resting and chatting until it was time to go to our train.
One of my favorite things about Moscow (and St. Petersburg) is its Metro (subway) system. The stations are incredible. Created as palaces for the people, they feature statues, carvings, mosaics, paintings, chandeliers, and all sorts of other fanciness that would most certainly not be featured in your average public transportation station elsewhere. Before coming to Russia this time around, I decided that I was definitely going to make sure I took pictures inside the metro stations, but that is easier said than done. Since you have to use a flash, as soon as you take the picture everyone in the station knows you have done it, and they all turn to stare (glower) at you. It was somewhat embarrassing. I only got one picture.
1 comment:
Nice blog, Nice pics.made me a bit nostalgic bout russia.lived there for 11 yrs.keep posting.thnx
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