SPb, Days 7, 8 & 9: Whirlwind

Ack! So much to catch up on. I knew that Kim and I had been busy since arriving in SPb, but I didn't realize just how busy until I started making a list of things to cover in this post. We have been dutiful and diligent tourists!

We took the train from Novgorod to SPb first thing the morning of the 14th. It was a four hour ride and we arrived in SPb at lunch time. The whole group headed out to eat some delicious Russian food, and then we went our separate ways.

Already I could tell that SPb is quite different from Moscow. First off, there were tourists everywhere. There were many moments in Moscow where I felt like the only tourist around, but that feeling would be impossible here. Also, the buildings were very different. In Moscow many of the buildings looked dilapidated, with paint peeling and stone crumbling away. A lot of them were very boring architecturally: drab concrete rectangles. Compared to this, and compared to most cities around the world I'm guessing, SPb looks like it's right out of a fairy tale. All of the buildings in the old part of the city were constructed in the same time period so there's a certain uniformity. They're grand and majestic. The hundreds of canals around also add to the beauty. (Even after four days I'm still in awe.)

Kim and I spent the afternoon walking around an old monastery and a few very old cemeteries. The gravestones were all works of art, each a little different. The main reason we headed here was to see the graves of a couple famous Russians: Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky, in particular. The photo below is of me and Kim at Dostoyevsky's grave. They were a little difficult to find as we are still not masters of Cyrillic and the engraving on the tombstones is in fancy scripts. We saw the graves of another couple famous composers; of course Kim knew who they were but I didn't. I took photos anyway. :-) In most museums you have to pay extra to take pictures, but not in a graveyard so I snapped away!

Next up was our last organized "local interaction" outing. This time we were off to the home of a Russian family in a "condo" building in the city. I'm calling it a "condo" building as the families own their flats, but share services. This is not like at home where you share a pool or gym or garbage chute with your fellow condo-ers; here they share the kitchen and bathroom. In about the 60s, housing was a huge problem in Soviet Russia. Khrushchev promised that each family would have a home. This was accomplished by taking larger apartments or flats and dividing them into four or five smaller spaces (like the size of a one bedroom apartment or smaller) and making the kitchen and bathroom shared. To hear it is one thing, but to see it is another.

Our hostess, Svetlana, was very welcoming and cheerful as she led us down the unlit hallway to her family's home. The flat was basically one large rectangular room with very high ceilings and a couple smaller spaces sectioned off for bedrooms. She had a long table set beautifully for the 13 of us - and we all fit around it! Svetlana must have slaved away making pancakes (blinis) for us as there were at least 50 prepared. Blinis are similar to crepes, just a little smaller. You can eat them with anything: sugar, jam, condensed milk, cheese, ham, etc. this time we had them with jam, sugar, condensed milk and sour cream. She had also prepared tea with fresh herbs, which she diluted with hot water from her samovar. (Side note: The samovar is a fixture in the typical Russian home. It's like a coffee urn used to hold hot water, tea, or coffee. And, interestingly, it's forbidden to leave the country with one. Huh.) While we pigged out we chatted about many things. Svetlana told us about her dacha, or summer house. It seems she, her husband, and their daughter spend almost all summer and the spring/fall weekends there. It was very interesting to get to see inside a "typical" Russian urban home. There are two photos of our meal below: Svetlana serving and me and Kim on the couch relaxing.

That evening I went out with the gang for some drinks - vodka of course. And we ended up at a small Russian club that I'm pretty sure we only got into because we were tourists. (Backwards again...I thought they would want to keep the tourists out?) It was light again before we got back to the hotel and I had just a couple hours before hitting the pavement again...

The next day was full of sights! We cruised down the main drag and visited the Kazan Cathedral, walked around a bookstore that used to be the headquarters of the Singer sewing machine company, and took in the overwhelming gourmet store. They sold everything from cakes to cheese to $700 tins of black caviar. I could spend a fortune and gain a ton in this store. We behaved and left empty-handed.

Then we were off to drool at the beauty of the exterior of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. This amazing church was modeled after St. Basil's in Moscow, but it looks quite different. It got its name because it was built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was assassinated. It was originally closed to the pubic as it was meant to be a private place of mourning. The Bolsheviks opened the church to the public; however, as it wasn't built to withstand the traffic, the interior quickly deteriorated. After all churches in Russia were closed in the 1930s (thanks Stalin), it was used to store potatoes and theater sets (weird). Restoration began in the 1980s...it took 24 years to build the church and 27 years to restore it. How lucky we are it has been restored because it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen - inside and out. (You'll have to wait for pictures until after I get back.) Kim and I left the inside until the next day as we didn't have our church-going attire (i.e. pants and scarves for our heads).

Instead we made our way to the Russian Museum (creative name, eh?). This museum was labelled as a "must see" by my guide book, and we were both glad we took the time to visit it. Again, the building itself was beautiful, and it houses a massive collection of Russian art, from medieval church icons to contemporary pieces. We are proud to report we visited all 85 rooms! And even better is we were ready for more...

Our last stop (or my last stop, as I went home for a nap and Kim carried on...) was a house in which Dostoyevsky lived. It was a small museum but really interesting. They had decorated the flat as it would have been when he lived there. There were many of his personal items on display, including his hat, cigarette box, a spoon, and a clock that was stopped the time and date of his death. The "literary" part of the museum was only in Russian so we didn't get much out of it.

That evening we met up with the group for our final dinner. Our guide had made a reservation at a Georgian restaurant and it was delicious. A lovely end to the tour. But my favourite part was yet to come...

A midnight boat ride (that actually started at 1 am)! We weaved our way through the canals of the city out into the Neva River. The city looked amazing lit up. Every night (spring to fall) between 1:30 and 2:30 the big bridges over the Neva are raised to let the ships pass to and from the Gulf of Finland. The bridges are all lit up and this makes for quite the sight. To top it off we had some bubbly, chocolate and classical music playing in the background. It's a good thing we stayed close to home the night before; otherwise we could have been stuck on one of the islands. The ships pass in one direction from about 2:30-3:30 and the other direction from 3:30-4:30. The bridges don't get lowered until about 5 am. I wish I'd had it in me to stay up one night to see what kinds of ships passed through, but I'm not much of a night owl these days. We were half-asleep by the time we got home from our cruise but it was definitely worth it.

The next day was jam packed, and most of it we did in the rain. Our first stop was the Bronze Horseman, a symbolic SPb monument of Peter the Great, the mastermind behind the city. The Bronze Horseman was made famous in a poem by Pushkin. While there is some controversy surrounding the importance of the statue, it is said to represent the spirit of SPb.

Next we headed to the park to frolic with the Buddy Bears who are currently visiting SPb. The United Buddy Bears are life-size decorated bears that represent peace, understanding, and tolerance. More than 140 countries participated by painting a bear. The bears have been on tour around the world since 2006. We managed to find the bear for each of the countries we are visiting (except Iceland?). Kim and I were slightly disappointed with the Canadian bear, but I suppose he represents our vast lands and waters.

Finally it was time to enter the Church of our Saviour on Spilled Blood. We were just as amazed by the interior as the exterior. It was a true explosion of colour, blues and reds and golds. I wish I could attend church in such a beautiful place (although I prefer the sitting tradition of the Protestants versus standing for services as the Russian Orthodox believers do).

Of course we had to tour the metro. The SPb stations are not as impressive as the Moscow ones, but they still put our boring and usually ugly North American stations to shame. Kim and I were very happy to be warm, out of the rain, and sitting down at this point.

We finished the day by getting lost. Ha. It took us forever to find our last sight of the day, Nikolski Cathedral. This Cathedral was different from most we have seen and we were glad to have finally found our way. After stopping to grab a couple geocaches we trudged back to the hotel, soaking wet and ready for bed.

Three more days in SPb (July 17-19) before heading back to the capital!

Photos below are: the gourmet shop, me and Kim with the Canadian buddy bear, me and Kim at Dostoyevsky's grave, me outside Spilled Blood, the gourmet shop again, me and Kim on our way to Spilled Blood, and two of our evening at Svetlana's.

TTFN

Day 6, Novgorod: Soggy

(This is actually my second attempt as I somehow managed to delete what I'd written previously. Ugh.)

So, the overnight train (not soggy). I think the overnight train is quite popular in Russia, at least between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. This time, traveling with our tour group, we were in 2nd class. Kim and I were quite glad to have a "guided" train ride with our tour before having to manage on our own (although we splurged for the 1st class tickets for our solo ride). In 2nd class, there are four bunks per compartment, two upper and two lower. Because of the way the bookings worked out, Kim and I were in a different car (you can easily travel between cars) and we shared with a Russian couple. They didn't speak English, so needless to say conversation was sparse. I volunteered to take the top bunk, only fair considering my years of experience with ladder-climbing and bunk-bed-sleeping. :-) We got ourselves organized and then headed over to the next car to have a drink with the gang. Afterwards it was straight to bed.

The train ride was quite smooth, but it didn't help us sleep any better. I managed to doze off, but each time the train stopped I woke up. Also, it was really hot and the air conditioning only works when the train is moving, so I was cold with the AC on and sweating when it was off. We arrived in Novgorod at about 6:30 am, headed to the hotel for a shower and some food, then met our local guide for a walking tour of the city.

Of course, after a week of beautiful weather we were in for some rain...and rain it did. Although we spent the entire day in the rain, we didn't let it dampen our spirits. :-)

Novgorod is a very old city and quite an important one in the history of Russia. It was a main target for the Nazis and one of the first cities to be rebuilt after the war. The city was the first settlement of the Norsemen and has been around since at least 862. Things like this always remind me of how young Canada is. In the summer there is usually an archeological dig taking place, and to do any new construction in the old part of the city, one must first pay for an archeological survey as the soil is rich with artifacts. Novgorod is built on a marsh (very soggy), a feature that helps to preserve the wooden, metal, and even fabric treasures underground. (I would have thought it would be the opposite, but I'll have to trust the guide on this.)

The first stop on our tour was Yaroslav's Court, the old market place in Novgorod. Nearby are five very plain stone churches. At one point many years ago, the traders in the market place were trying to prevent the regular ruin of their stalls and goods by fires and asked the priest if they could build stone warehouses. At this time, stone could only be used to build churches. The priest denied the request, so the tricky men built "churches" and used them as warehouses. Five of these still exist today, although they look like they are sinking. They seem to have been built one story into the ground but it's actually the ground that has been growing up around the churches. (In fact, our guide told us that Novgorod is still growing up like this and the city has measures in place to protect its history.) These buildings are now true churches. Novgorod has over 40 churches and a population of about 200,000. That's a lot, but not as many as Suzdal per capita. One of these churches is particularly interesting. Apparently, in the olden days, if a girl was having trouble finding a husband, she could run around the church three times, counter clockwise of course (?), and soon enough she'd be married. While many of us on the tour joked about this, no one actually made a run for it. I was slightly afraid of what kind of husband I might end up with. :-)

And, true to Russia, no tour is complete without visiting a Kremlin. So off we traipsed in the rain, across the foot bridge to see the Kremlin. The two highlights of this stop were the Millennium of Russia Monument and the Cathedral of St Sophia. The monument was constructed in 1862 to mark the 1000th anniversary of Novgorod. It is shaped like a bell and features many of Russia's important historical figures (except Ivan the Terrible who razed the town and killed thousands in his quest to convert the citizens from their heathen pagan ways to the Orthodox church). The cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Russia, dating from the 11th century. Some parts have been reconstructed; however, part of the original structure remains.

Finally it was time to take a break, warm up, and dry off. We had the afternoon free to explore, so Kim and I ventured back into the soggy marsh of Novgorod in the soggy drizzle and....who would've guessed....went geocaching!! We took tour friend Gary along who was delighted to find his first geocache (or geocan as another tour member called it). After the quick find we headed back to the Kremlin to check out a big ol' bell tower. Finally home to dry off, nap, and head out again.

The last item on the agenda for the day was a trip to the local bath house, or banya. Typically Russians visit the banya a couple of times a week and stay for a few hours each time. I was a little nervous about this instance of "local interaction", but we had our guide Natalia to hold our hands (or beat us with birch whips as it turned out). The baths are divided by gender and nakedness is required. (A couple girls from our group tried to get in with suits on but were strongly encouraged to go nude by the very forceful banya employee.) Once inside what I will call the wash room, we each filled a plastic basin with warm water and used it and our own soap to wash off. We rinsed and repeated. Next it was into the sauna, which I found to be much hotter than a typical North American sauna. We sat inside until we couldn't stand the heat any longer. Back in the wash room we scrubbed ourselves down again and had a quick rinse under a very cold shower. At this point I was feeling really relaxed and content. It was so nice to be warm after a day out in the cold rain. Into the sauna again we went, but this time we brought the whips with us. It's customary at the banya to smack yourself or your fellow bather with hand-picked bunches of birch branches. They use the ends of the branches with the leaves still on. The bound end of the bundle is about one or two inches in diameter and the whole bundle is about 1.5-2 feet long. Natalia assured us that it didn't hurt and thankfully she was right. It was more of a pleasant sting. We took turns swatting ourselves and each other until we were out of breath and spent. It's quite exhausting to do this in the extreme heat of the sauna. We exited the sauna, rinsed off, and took a break in the much cooler change room. Once our body temperature had returned to normal, we ventured back into the heat for round two of the birch beating. Finally we showered, got dressed, and waited for the boys. Their stories were a bit different from ours; it seems the men hit a little harder and even bust out the nettles for maximum effect. And of course drink beer while doing so. They tried to get some details out of us about our side, but as the saying goes, what happens in the banya stays in the banya. :-) I will say that it should not be the scene of any man's fantasy. Despite feeling nervous about the whole thing, I really enjoyed the experience and felt refreshed and tranquil afterwards. I can see the Russian version of myself making the trip to the banya regularly.

We cabbed back to the hotel to change and regroup and then head out for supper. Walking home after dinner, we were all thrown off by the amount of daylight at 11 pm. This change is hard to get used to!

Off to Saint Petersburg (SPb) in the morning (July 14). More to come from the Gulf of Finland. :-)

Photos below are: me in front of St
Sophia's, me in the market place, and me and Kim on the footbridge in the rain.

TTFN

Days 4 & 5, Suzdal: Peace and quiet

Today (July 11) we hit the road and headed to the small town of Suzdal for a two-day stay. As the bus wound and bumped its way out of Moscow, the scenery changed from urban sprawl to smaller towns and lots of forests. The types of cars on the road changed too - no longer were we seeing big fancy black SUVs. It was about a four-hour ride on a major highway, but there were many stop lights and the speed limit was only about 70. It was interesting to watch what was going on on the shoulders of the road; if they're not being used as additional lanes it's because there's at least one broken-down car blocking the way. There must've been at least 2 cars pulled over with the hood up every 10 kilometers. Most of the group was able to fall asleep despite the erratic movements of the bus.

We arrived at our guest house, dropped our bags and hit the streets. Suzdal is a small historic city within the Golden Ring, a ring of ancient cities northeast of Moscow. Suzdal is known for its churches: there are 33 churches for a population of about 10,000.

Our first priority was getting a bite to eat and some mead, or honey beer. I very much enjoyed my small flavorful glass, but I'm not so sure I could drink more than a little bit at a time as it is quite sweet and thick (and not that cold). Suzdal is known for mead and there are vendors selling it in the market place and on street corners.

Next we headed to Resurrection Church. We were unable to enter the actual church (no shorts allowed and women must cover their heads), but for a small fee we were able to climb a very steep staircase and enjoy the view from the top of bell tower. It was perfect timing as there was a lady in the tower at that moment ringing the bells. There were many bells, each rigged with a string, wire or foot pedal and she performed quite the choreographed dance in order to produce a beautiful melody. We wandered through the market place, bought some fresh blueberries, strawberries, goose berries and red currants from the babushkas (old ladies/grandmothers) then made the long walk home to enjoy our snack.

That evening we went to the home of a Russian woman and her husband for a real feast of traditional Russian food. Our hostess was quite delighted to stuff all 11 of our faces full with soup, crab and vegetable salad, delicious buns with egg and herbs inside, chicken cutlets, rice, lightly pickled cucumbers, sweet dessert buns, tea, and....vodka, of course. :-) She was so thrilled to have us in her home and we were equally happy to have the opportunity to interact with the locals and pig out on yummy Russian food. We booked our tour through a company called Intrepid, and these are the types of unique activities the company is known for. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. After dinner we strolled through their large garden, complete with a guided tour (by her shirtless husband) of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It was a slow crawl back to the guesthouse.

The next day began with a walking tour of the town. We met our local guide at the Saviour Monastery of St. Euthymius which was founded in the 14th century. Again we arrived just in time to hear a bell beautiful concert. Other highlights included a view of the monastery prison used to detain religious dissidents and the lovely and very organized and well labelled garden. The monastery grounds were immaculate and quite colorfully decorated with marigolds, petunias, geraniums, and other annuals.

From here we hopped onto a crowded local bus, where we were the object of many a curious stare. You'd think the locals would be used to this considering tourism is the #1 industry. We got off at the Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life. It's an open air museum, with old wooden buildings done up as they were centuries ago. Kim and I both instantly started singing songs from Fiddler on the Roof in our heads. This attraction wasn't at the top of my list, but it was interesting to see the poor peasant home and the wealthy man's home. It was a big step back in history, as are all of the things done on this trip. I still find 1000 year old sights difficult to wrap my mind around. It reminds me how young Canada is.

Our last stop on the walking tour was the Kremlin in Suzdal. This Kremlin didn't have a stone wall, but rather a dirt embankment to protect the city. It was a wonderfully relaxed day in Suzdal, but then it was time to hop back on the bus to Moscow to get an overnight train to our next destination, Novgorod.

We had some time to kill at the station, so we grabbed a beer and guarded our bags while taking turns going for food.

Photos below are me with my honey beer, our quiet street in Suzdal, a view of the convent in Suzdal, and me and Gary (a fellow tour member) with our Baltika 7s at the train station. We only got told once by the police to hide our beers.

More about our train experience and a day in ancient Novgorod in the next post.

TTFN

Day 3, Moscow: Ouch!

We have both witnessed and experienced many painful things today and in the last few days. Here goes:

1. Getting slapped at the Metro, by the Metro, twice.
So, after navigating the metro yesterday morning, Kim and Cheryl thought they could handle taking their bags on the subway to change hotels. They were mostly right. As the duo arrived at the metro station, suitcases in tow, clever Kim noted the entry lane labelled with a suitcase and pointed out that perhaps this would be the ideal location for them to swipe their cards and leisurely stroll through the gate. Defiant Cheryl guffawed at the idea of using a special lane and proceeded to not-so-gracefully swipe her pass and fumble through gate unscathed, at which point she heard a surprised yelp from her comrade. Clever Kimberly, following defiant Cheryl, had not been so lucky as to pass through the jaws of the metro unharmed. Before clever Kim had the chance to gracefully glide through the gate, menacing sharp-toothed metal (plastic) claws descended upon her legs, blocking her way. The ever so friendly (sarcasm) metro employee hurried over to quite politely and gently (sarcasm) guide clever Kimberly, in perfect English (sarcasm), through none other than...the luggage lane. The moral of the story? Hurry up or, better yet, act cleverly in the first place. But never fear, clever Kim escaped with only a small bruise and a subtle fear of the metro entrance. Thus ends slap #1.

Slap #2: A slap heard 'round the world.
As mentioned above, to enter the metro, one must swipe one's card at the gate and wait for the green light. If all does not go as planned, the gates close to prevent one from entering. In case #2 of Kim versus the metro, unfortunately the metro wins again. However, instead of the steely spikes in slap #1, she experienced the blunt force of plexiglas on the knee and elbow. Luckily she's survived to tell the tale (i.e. co-author this part of the blog entry); however, the physical retaliation of the metro has put the fear of God into us both. :-)

2. Smacking a police officer then running away. This isn't as bad as it sounds and I didn't smack him intentionally. Kim and I were walking back to the hotel after a very long day and I suppose I wasn't quite as spatially aware as I should've been. I was swinging my arms and swung the left one hard into someone. I turned around to see who I'd assaulted, and it was, of course, a police officer. Luckily he wasn't upset and we were able to scurry away without invoking the wrath of the Russian police. Phew. I was a little worried he'd march over and start going us a hard time.

3. Witnessing an incessant yelling fit by an irate Chinese woman in front of one of the main tourist attractions. This includes the arm smack laid down by her fed-up husband. This all took place at our tour group's meeting place. When we arrived a woman (not in our group) was yelling angrily at about five men sitting on the edge of a monument. She continued to yell for a good five minutes before wandering over to a man on the other side of the monument, assumedly her husband. They exchanged some angry words and as she went to return to her original spot, the man gave her a good slap on the arm. This didn't prevent her from continuing to make a scene. The group agreed that she was very entertaining in a "we're embarrassed for you" kind of way.

4. Sweating our butts off last night because we didn't realize we had air conditioning. Enough said. Four-and-a-half university degrees don't get you much common sense sometimes. (I did a happy dance when I discovered a remote with the words "fan" and "cool" on it.) Our second night sleeping was much cooler than the first.

5. Being a tourist. Today was our hardest day yet, and it falls under the "ouch" category as our feet were ready to fall off by the time we got back to the hotel.

We started the day off by heading out on the metro to see some amazing skyscrapers, three of seven similar buildings nicknamed the Seven Sisters. They were built by Stalin to fill Moscow's skyscraper gap, as he felt Moscow was lagging in this department when compared to America. While the seven are quite similar, each has it's own character. They have also been nicknamed the wedding cakes due to the tiers and the icing-like look of the stonework. So far we have seen five of the seven, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Transport Ministry, a couple of hotels, and Moscow University. One of these buildings was also the site of our first and only geocache find (as of now) in Moscow.

After a morning on our own, we met up with our tour group and headed in to see the old preserved corpse of Lenin. We all kind of wondered at the irony of the whole situation and why the Russian people would idolize a man who started off one of the darker periods of their history. Nonetheless this was a very unique experience. We'd all read scary tidbits about the viewing: no talking, don't put your hands in your pockets, no stopping as you walk by...and we could take nothing but a wallet in with us. The line was surprisingly short and quick moving. In just a few minutes we'd descended into the dimly lit mausoleum and were making our way around an almost 100 year old dead body. (Lenin died of a stroke in 1924 and has been resting in the Red Square ever since, save a quick vacation in Siberia during WWII.) He looked quite fake, straight out of a Madame Tussaud wax museum. I almost expected Michael Jackson or Elvis to be around the corner. Lenin's left hand looked a little worse for wear, but all in all his wipe down every few days and almost yearly wax and chemical treatment have been doing him well. It felt like we blew through the mausoleum, but I was ok with that. I didn't need to stare at a pickled body for any longer than that. We were lucky to get in as it had been closed for about two weeks before our arrival.

Next we headed into the Red Square and received a mini history lesson from our dynamic and knowledgeable local tour guide Olga. She pointed out the buildings around the Red Square (more on some of those later) and explained some of the more pivotal moments in Russian history. She was very easy to listen to, despite our aching feet and sweating brows.

Then off to the Kremlin. Kremlin is the Russian word for fortress. The one in Moscow consists of a high redbrick wall with about 20 guard towers. Inside are many churches and government buildings (the parliament, the senate, the president's offices). Also here is the world's largest bell, commissioned by Russian empress Anna Ivanovna in the 1730s. As the bell was cooling, cold water was poured on it and an 11-ton chunk broke off. As a result it has never rung. Beside the Tsar Bell is the Tsar Cannon, which funny enough has never been fired. There is a pile of cannon balls in front of it; however, they are just for show as they are too big to actually fit in the cannon.

When walking around the Kremlin you have to stick to the sidewalks and roped in areas; otherwise, military men with loud whistles and fancy batons will wave and flail until you get back in bounds. None of us discovered this the hard way, although it was amusing to watch other tourists get put in their place. :-)

Our final stop in the Kremlin was the Armoury, a collection of the most precious treasures in all of Russia. There were many formal coronation dresses, thrones, carriages, obviously lots of armour and weapons, and other treasures belonging and given to the royalty. Kim and I were most excited to see the Fabergé eggs, bejeweled Easter eggs exchanged by the tsar and tsarina at Easter. The tour was amazing, but by this point our feet were aching and we were tired, thirsty, and hungry.

After a quick stop to refuel, Kim and I headed off to find another of the Seven Sisters, an adventure that ended in an extremely long walk home. We made it back to the hotel and crashed.

Tomorrow we are off to Suzdal by bus. More to come after our relaxing stay in this important historical town.

Pictures below include two of the Seven Sisters, the Russian police in the Red Square, the Tsar Bell that has never rung, and a very exhausted Kim and Cheryl by the Moscow River.

TTFN

Day 2, Moscow: Fancy

So today's theme is fancy. It all started this morning when Kim decided to wear a skirt, and I put lipstick on. I'll relate our adventures to what is "fancy" and what isn't.

1. The mullet. This one is also a "lesson learned" from yesterday: the mullet is alive and well and quite fancy here in Moscow. They seem to come in many shapes and sizes, on many different types of men and boys (and women too). It's all business in the front and party in the back here in the capital.

2. Russian women. The dress code here is a bit more formal than at home. The average Russian woman, young or old, is wearing a skirt or dress, high heels or fancy flats, makeup and jewelry. Sporty/casual/touristy Cheryl does not fit in. That's ok, I'm walking far too much to kick it up a notch in the fashion department.

3. The Metro. Kim and I spent the morning riding the subway (less than $1 per ride!!). We took one of the main lines that loops around the downtown and got off at every stop. The stations are really quite elegantly decorated and each has its own character. You feel more like you're in a grand palace than riding the subway. Trivia: Over than 9 million people ride the metro in Moscow each day. That's more than NYC and London combined.

4. The State History Museum. The building this museum is in impressed a very tired Kim and an exhausted me more than the actual artifacts inside. Each room is decorated differently and has high beautifully painted ceilings and massive doorways. No photos allowed though. Security was a little tight getting in but our bags contained nothing suspect. We breezed by the ancient tools and fossils, enjoyed the portraits of famous tzars and emperors, loved the collection of icons (in the Russian Orthodox sense), but what really had us in awe was how much the museum contained. Considering the turbulent history of this country, it's perhaps nothing less than a miracle that so many items were kept safe. Ten points for Russia.

5. Our hotel. We checked out of our hostel and checked in to the hotel where our tour group is staying. Although it's not particularly fancy, it's a step up from Godzillas. We have our own bathroom and reliable WiFi. There's a little bar on the main floor, where I'm sitting now enjoying a beer after a long day touring.

6. The paint jobs on some cars. I've noticed what I hope are some interesting ads painted on cars like the one in the photo below. Also in this category would be the car completely covered in skulls and one that looked like it had been painted in chalkboard paint. Funny thing is none of these cars have words on them, so maybe they are just extreme fashion statements?

7. Buskers. We were walking down a pedestrian mall and I guess I was a little too close to this mime-clown busker. He got me good by snapping a Chinese finger yo-yo in my face. I made a spectacle of myself by jumping and letting a little yelp escape. Not fancy, but made it on my list nonetheless.

8. Getting dripped on constantly. Again, this contributes to my un-fanciness. Not sure what the mysterious liquid source is, but Kim and I keep hoping that the falling droplets are just from air conditioners. I've decided I don't want to look up to find out for sure. After all, is ignorance not bliss?

On that note I'll sign off. We were out wandering and relaxing until 11:30; obviously we are beat and tomorrow is a big day.

TTFN

Day 1, Moscow: Lessons learned

Today was a big day! Up at 4 (darn sleep schedule) and now heading to bed at about 8. I'm loving Moscow. It's incredibly diverse, old buildings that seem to be abandoned but aren't, cars that should have been abandoned but somehow still run, the very rich and the very poor, and the expensive and the cheap. Wow. Kim and I trekked our butts all over town and now we are exhausted...but looking forward to another full day tomorrow.

For now I'll sum up some experiences by sharing the important Muscovite lessons I learned today.

1. Unlike in many cities, in Moscow, the strategy of taking two rights to arrive at a destination and then taking another two rights to return to the start afterwards DOES NOT WORK. Do not be fooled by the squarish looking block on the map. You will end up "lost" and wandering far out of your way to get back on track.

2. The Cyrillic alphabet, although it shares some characters with our alphabet, is completely different. While pronouncing things as they seem to read and giggling about it is highly entertaining (and probably won't get old), it won't get you anywhere in the long run. LEARN the ALPHABET.

3. The little red man with his hands on his hips (see below) means DO NOT WALK, and the countdown is telling you how long you have to wait before the friendly green man with the sexy strut (see below) gives you the go ahead.

4. Super is a super adjective.

5. When a cashier is yelling numbers at you, just keep putting down more different bills and coins until she stops. Then count your change CAREFULLY.

6. Surprisingly, Russian food can be quite tasty. (More to come later in a special food and beverage issue.)

7. The pigeons here are even dumber (or smarter?) than those at home. They are not frightened by anything.

8. Lack if sleep will make you loopy and will cause fits of laughter over things that just might not be all that funny.

9. It's hard to go to sleep when it's light out. Channel your seven-year-old self to help with that one.

That's all for now! Other photos are: Kim's little beer and my big beer, St. Basil's Cathedral in the Red Square and me with a creepy statue at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

TTFN,
C

It's 4 am...

Arrived safely in Moscow and no problems to report. I managed to get some sleep on the first flight, despite my seatmate who was suffering from a severe case of ADD. Had to kill a couple hours in Frankfurt, and I managed to sleep a bit more, lounged across four chairs in the waiting area.

My flight from Frankfurt to Moscow was great, despite a minor delay. So much leg room, an empty seat beside me, and food that actually tasted like food! Didn't know flying could be so good. :-)

Made it through customs quickly, grabbed my bag, then met my wacky "super" driver. His name was Alexey, and he just looooooves America. I think he was a little disappointed to hear I was not from the great US of A. He quickly took me to his super car (not so super, but he had an interesting collection of random figurines and stickers which I can assume were gifts from previous passengers), told me we had super far to go, that there's super traffic in Moscow and then asked me if I liked Michael Jackson. I said yes, to which he replied, not surprisingly, "super".

It was a very interesting drive and I'm sure I was wide-eyed and mouth-a-gaping for the duration. More on my impressions later.

I arrived at the hostel, had a shower and got some sleep. Woke up around 3 and now I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of Kim. She should be here any moment, fingers crossed.

I'm not sure the sun ever set as it was still light when I drifted off at 11 and now it's 4:30 and practically completely light out. This and the jet lag will definitely play with my internal clock.

As for now, I'm safe and sound and ready for the real fun to start! TTFN