This was part 4 of the Siberia train trip we took from June 25-July 9, 2016. The original blog was published in TravelPod. This is an “Encore” of the blog. Hope you enjoy it.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NkHK69qEdVYZi4Nv2
All the years we looked at Moscow with disdain and fear, so it was quite a surprise to see how beautiful this city is under a sunny blue sky. The historical red square is full of magnificent buildings with colorful dome tops. Restoration efforts are everywhere from art galleries to Orthodox churches. The traffic was madding in Moscow because of all the repairing of streets and construction going on in preparation for the 2018 European Soccer Cup. In the outskirts of the city modern high rises soared with unique architecture designs. Shopping malls full of internationally known name brand stores (here capitalism definitely overshadowed communism). Russian people have experienced plenty of hardships under various political regimes but they are very resilient. The Russians we met told us that life has improved from the very difficult period of 1990s after the breakup of the USSR. The embargo in 2014 after Putin’s takeover of the Crimea, however, has impacted the lives of many Russian citizens.
The Kremlin was only a small fortress in 1147. In the XVI century, the Moscow Kremlin acquired its present-day look under Ivan III. The Red Square, a 1600 ft long plaza was full of tourists. It is surrounded by museums, Cathedrals, Lenin’s Mausoleum and the famous department store GUM. The twisted onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral (1552), of course, is the most recognizable building in the square. We stayed two extra days in Moscow after the rail trip ended and went back to the Red Square in the evening when the whole place took on a enchanted quality under the night sky. Russian families with children, along with tourists, walked around taking pictures,eating ice creams and enjoying the evening.
We venture out to visit Izmaylovo Crafts Market which is about 7 km away from our hotel . Since we were forewarned about the unreliability of taxi drivers in Moscow, we decided to try Uber. I have the app on my iphone but never used it before. Within 3 minutes after entering our pick up and destination location, one driver came up, took us to Izmaylovo and the fee (about $4) was charged directly to my credit card. No mess, no worry even though we could only communicate with our driver with a smile and “Spasiba “, (thank you in Russian). It was so easy we used Uber 4 more times while in Moscow and St. Petersburg. What a convenient way to get around in a foreign country. I am a firm believer of Uber now.
Izmaylovo was another surprise with its unique and intricate ethnic buildings from various regions of Russia. We found many craft booths, along with flea markets and excellent food stalls. We spent a very pleasant afternoon in this cultural place.
We met our local tour guide and she took us to Novodevichy Convent. This convent was founded by a Tsar in 1524 and was known as the convent for ladies of noble birth. Today there are still about 30 nuns and priests residing inside the Convent. Behind the Convent is a cemetery where many famous Russians were buried. In addition to politicians like Yeltsin and Brezhnev, generals and astronauts, many painters, dancers, opera singers, musicians, actors and writers are also buried in this national cemetery which shows a very high regards for art and artists in Russia.
We took the world famous Moscow subway back to hotel. It was opened in 1935 and each station has a different theme and unique decorations. However, all station names and announcement were in Russian (no English in sight) which could make it difficult for foreign tourists to use the subway without a translator.
Our last morning in Moscow was spent at Tretyakov Gallery. The gallery was founded by Moscow merchant Pavel Tretyakov who collected over 2000 paintings by Russian artists between 1832-1898. He donated all the paintings, along with his home to the city. These paintings opened a unique window to Russian’s daily life in the 19th century. It also included paintings of famous writers like Leo Tolstoy and Pushkin.
In the afternoon we enjoyed a river cruise and we saw many sunbathers and bicyclists along the banks of the Moscow River. In the evening, we took in the visually stunning National Dance Show “Kostroma”. The program showcased many Russian folklores in fantastic costumes and exquisite dance routines. We enjoyed our experience in Moscow and our impression of this city changed dramatically after seeing this very interesting place.