Moscow

We just returned from Moscow. We arrived on Thursday evening and met up with our friends, Megan and Cameron, and apparently made record time through passport control, customs and driving to their apartment. We promptly made our way to the bar for some beers al-fresco and to meet up with a few of their friends.

Saint Basil's Cathedral

Friday morning we were awakened by the sound of helicopters flying over ahead with huge Russian flags hanging down from chains. They were followed by planes and fighter jets (think Russian jets from Top Gun). As they flew over head, there were tanks, missile launchers, trucks and the Russian version of Jeeps rumbling down the main boulevard towards Red Square.

We were in Moscow on Victory Day-what a sight to see.

After the official military parade, we got a taste of a Soviet demonstration, a pro-Soviet rally, that is. Apparently, there are thousands of Russians, mostly pensioners who have seen their pension payments dwindle to next to nothing rallying to push for a rollback to the Soviet days of government. We saw not only older, but many younger Russians in the rally too. My personal favorite photo is an older man holding a framed portrait of Lenin. He looks like the "bitter-beer face" guy from the Keystone commercials!

One of the Seven Stalin Sisters

After a little lunch and the Soviet Rally we headed over to Red Square with our friends and Chris' Russian coworker. WOW is all I can say about the beautiful city. Of course, being a child of the eighties, I always thought that Moscow was just a jumble of Soviet Era cement block buildings, but I was mistaken. Red Square, the Kremlin and most of the pre-revolution buildings are even more ornate than most castles in France. The architecture of Moscow needless to say, was absolutely amazing. Yes, there were those utilitarian Soviet-era buildings but even the "Seven Stalin Sisters" (built during the Stalin regime, hence the name) were amazing. We ended the evening at an Uzbek restaurant which was quite interesting. I had a rice pilaf-style dish with mutton, chestnuts, apricots and prunes. Chris had the dumplings but the cheese pies and dill Uzbek-style "quesadilla" appetizers where the highlight of the meal.

The State Historical Museum

A view of Red Square from St. Basil's Cathedral

Saturday morning we were treated to an American breakfast by our hosts. It was so delicious and just what we needed to get started on our second day of site-seeing. We embarked on a two hour river boat ride of the Moscow river. In fact, the city was named for this river so the city is built around it's banks and some of the best sites are viewed from the river. We took tons of pictures and enjoyed the sites. After a snack at an Indian restaurant, we wandered down a pedestrian street called starry arbaht. We did some shopping and picked up a few Russian treasures and got to see some local culture which included an opportunity of a photo shoot with a monkey. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped off at the Pushkin square McDonald's. It was the first one in Russia and the largest one I have ever seen. Over 30 registers and a coffee bar and lounge too.


View of a Palace inside the Kremlin

Christ The Savior Church

Another of the "Seven Stalin Sisters"

Saturday night we went to a typical oligarch Russian restaurant. The upper class in Russia is very, very wealthy and the prices at this restaurant definitely reflected the new found money this small group of Russians have recently acquired. Oh, and not to mention the women also reflected an upper class of beauty too! We had a great meal with our friends and another couple. I tried Borscht and Stroganoff, typical dishes of Russia, which were amazing. Chris tried tobacco chicken, yes, tobacco chicken. It actually tasted really good although I am skeptical that there was actually tobacco in the dish. After dinner we went and smoked a hookah pipe (sheesha or caledon in Russian) at a little place around the corner from the fancy Russian restaurant.

Although the Russian language was a definite barrier for us, it was an amazing place to visit and I am so glad we had this opportunity. We are grateful to our friends who were living there and able to take us around the beautiful city and show us such a great time.