Day ½:
Our first afternoon and evening we spent checking in and wandering around the neighborhood, Chistye Prudy. We sat at a cafe for a little while before eating dinner and finally calling it an early night.
Day 1:
Our first full day in Moscow we spent getting train tickets to St. Petersburg and then wandering in the old part of the city and the trendy Arbat district. The Kremlin was closed, so the most well-known things were put off until the next day. Arbat Street is a lovely pedestrian walkway that unfortunately is now a tourist trap; there are a lot of souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants catering to the foreign crowd. We spotted our first Starbucks of the trip and bought some nice things. In the evening we broke down and ate Korean food. However, only one girl in the entire restaurant spoke Korean, poorly at that, so it was interesting trying to order. They did have a menu entirely in Korean though, which made it even more curious that they had no Korean speaking staff. Afterward, we walked along the Moscow River (where the city gets its name from) and caught some amazing views of the city at night! Once we got to the Kremlin, however, the way was blocked because of a previous demonstration or parade or something, so we ended up going about 30 min. out of our way just to get back on the main street. It was a nice, relaxing day that allowed us to see a lot of the city.
We reserved this day for sightseeing, specifically the Kremlin, the main sight in Moscow. The Kremlin in Moscow has been around since before the 12th century, but the Kremlin as we know it today was built by Ivan the Great in the 15th century. It has acted as the center of political power for rulers from Ivan the Terrible to Stalin to Putin. It is home to some of the finest treasures in Russia (the Armory) and the spoils of the war with Napoleon (over 100 canons captured after his campaign faltered at Waterloo). It also acted as a backdrop to shows of Soviet nuclear power during the Cold War. When you first see the Kremlin, it becomes immediately clear why a ruler would choose it as his base of power.
Entrance to the Kremlin
Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
It is most known for the red brick that it is constructed from, and the numerous towers that line the walls. Inside the Kremlin are many well-known churches and some government buildings. While inside, we were not allowed to walk on the streets, only on sidewalk paths. There were a multitude of police men who would blow their whistles if you stepped out of place even for a moment. The gardens are lovely to walk through and the churches are breathtaking. However, because they only allow a few buildings to be opened to the public, it doesn't take too long to go through.
Cannons and the giant Tsar Cannon
The best part of the Kremlin is the Armory, where they exhibit treasures, textiles, church wares, and of course armor from Russia's history. Some of the collections there are phenomenal, especially the gospel books that are carved gold with inlays of pearls, emeralds, diamonds, and other jewels. There are also Faberge eggs, crowns, and carriages that belonged to the royals.
Outside of the Kremlin is the Red Square. When we first walked to the area, it was closed off and people were not allowed to walk through. After we finished at the Kremlin, it was open to the public and you could go and hang out. In the Red Square are Lenin's Mausoleum (which we didn't see on account of another traveler saying it wasn't worth it), the State History Museum, St. Basil's Cathedral, and Kazan Cathedral.
St. Basil's Cathedral. Some nice Korean tourists were nice enough to take the first picture for us.
Lenin's tomb and Kazan Cathedral
State History Museum and Kremlin Wall
This is how far Russia has come since Communism - Sbarro, McDonald's, and a sushi place next to the Kremlin...
After a lengthy hang-out in the square, we decided to grab a cup of coffee at the swanky GUM (pronounced “Goom”, not the chewy, minty thing) Department Store. This place is definitely high end, with marble staircases and glass ceilings (but the bathrooms are still decidedly Soviet). It's fun to walk around, but way too expensive to buy anything!
GUM
In the evening we ate Belorussian food, which consisted of potato pancakes, sausage, stuffed cabbage, honey liquor, and of course beer! Towards the end of the meal we were entertained by some live music.
Day 3:
Today was a light day because we went to the ballet in the evening at the famous Bolshoi theater. We wore our 'ballet' outfits (as in, not regular jeans and sweaters that we have been wearing haha) all day, so spent most of the time lounging in cafes, bookstores, TSUM Department Store (another place similar to GUM), and in general enjoying our time in the city. For early dinner we had Chinese food, but in a restaurant! We had sesame chicken, fried noodles, dumplings, and yummy fried sesame balls filled with red bean! It was great to have something other than potatoes! We went to the main Bolshoi theater by 6 o'clock to find our seats. However, after three people instructing us where to go, the usher lady told us we were in the wrong theater! Apparently there are two Bolshoi theaters, the old one that was recently renovated and was showing an opera, and the “New Stage”, off to the left of the building, where they were showing the ballet.
Outside and inside the Bolshoi
After figuring out where we had to be, we easily found our seats and sat down to enjoy “Giselle”. The story is about a peasant girl named Giselle who falls in love with a man who happens to be a Count. Her friends and the other village people celebrate their love, and her mother is happy for them to marry. However, a local huntsman discovers the Count has been secretly hiding his identity, and reveals the truth. Unfortunately for the Count and Giselle, he does so as the Count's fiancee and her father appear with other nobles. Giselle is heartbroken and as in any good ballet, she dies. In the second act, a spirit and other female ghosts grant the Count one last night to spend with Giselle before she passes on.
Our last day in Moscow was spent seeing the State History Museum and doing nothing, since in the evening we were going to take a night train to St. Petersburg. The State History Museum is an interesting place, where each of the rooms is decorated similar to the time period it covers. It stretched from Paleolithic times to pre-Soviet times. It was most interesting to see the military uniforms from the Napoleonic wars, and the firearms from the same period. However, by this point Richard and I were pooped from looking at churches and museums and other historic things, so we spent the rest of the day in cafes. It also was very cold that day, -5 C, the coldest it has been on our trip so far.
Another Lenin, this time at the train station in Moscow
If we did Moscow again, we would probably condense everything into two days, and would go in the spring or summer so we could spend more time in parks and on the river front. However, since we've seen all the big sites, we would probably only spend one day here during a warmer period to enjoy the things we didn't get to see.
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