A little jaunt to Moscow....Day 3.

As promised, our third and final day in Moscow :)

Knowing that we would have to wander the streets of Moscow til 10.30pm when our train left, we took advantage of the late check out at the hotel and had a lay in. Luckily, reception (i.e. the guy who sometimes sat in the kitchen, using the wifi) agreed to keep our bags til 9pm so we weren't weighed down.

What better way to end a trip to Moscow than a visit to the souvenir market?! Admittedly, going on the coldest day of the week (a nippy -8!) was probably not the best idea! We were frozen -especially our hands! Gloves are not an option when handling Russian dolls and beautiful lacquered boxes - way too fiddly. Luckily, we managed to warm up half way round with a tea inside. I would love to share all the souvenirs I bought with you guys, but most of them are Christmas presents for the family (I will schedule a post so you can have a peak once they are all opened). For now, here are some of my favourite pics...

Just one of many stands of Russian dolls..

Soviet leader Russian dolls...and of course Putin lurking in the back

Even Cheborashka (famous soviet cartoon star) has a Russian doll...

Beautiful Russian Гжель

 Dolls in Traditional Dresses called Sarafan's

Samovar, for traditional Russian tea drinking...

 Kitch Russian decor in the cafe

Never been so grateful for warmth...

 Russian traditional trays - to go under your samovar of course!

 Beautiful lacquered boxes

and last but by no means least - my personal favourite - cold war chess....the US vs the USSR!

By the time we had browsed and bought everything we wanted to at the market it was already 3.30pm! As I am doing my dissertation on the memory of WW2 in Russia (here known as the Great Patriotic War), I wanted to take a peak inside the famed Great Patriotic War Museum in Victory Park. Everything I had read about it talked about how grand and imposing the building was - they weren't wrong. You definitely can't miss it.

The famous obelisk monument.

These monuments (dozens of identical ones) line the path up to the museum and are separated in to sections according to the year of the war that they commemorate. Each one is dedicated to a specific significant front and the battalions who fought there.

The view from the Museum looking back towards the Obelisk.

Though we didn't have time to look around the museum, the nice security guard let me sneak in to buy some books on the topic. I'm sure I'll have fun reading those in between placements in January - I'm sure I'll do a dissertation post at some point (just to share the agony of 5000 words in Russian!).

By this point we were pretty hungry but decided that we couldn't visit Moscow without going to the Arbat (Moscow's most famous street!). Combining the two seemed the best option, so off we went in search of shelter and copious amounts of whatever dishes were on offer. After traipsing in and out of restaurants with no tables, we stumbled across a branch of the american diner chain 'Johnny Rocket's'. We were greeted with a sunny 'HELLO' shouted by the staff and were treated to dance routines every half an hour for the duration of our stay...and the food was DIVINE. Huge american milkshakes, burgers and ketchup with a smile (literally)!

An obscure thing to come across in central Moscow but delightful none the less.

I wish I could say that our return train journey was as delightful as the start of the evening...

Arriving at Kazanskii station, we were greeted with absolute BEDLAM! The station has a lot of international departures to Kazakhstan and beyond, so some of the passengers were literally dragging their lives possessions around on carts and in to luggage carriages! There was a lot of shouting and a lot of dodging obstacles before we finally got to our carriage.

We bundled back in to плацкарт and found ourselves surrounded by lots of rather large, loud Russian men. As the train pulled off, they proceeded to prepare themselves for the long journey ahead. They covered their table in newspaper and produced a whole cooked chicken from one bag or another. The biggest jar of pickles I had ever seen and then a large bottle of vodka added to their ever growing picnic...one bottle of vodka turned in to two and it was well past 2am when they finally decided they would go to sleep....

Just when we thought that our prayers had been answered, they began to snore. I have never in my life heard such a noise! IT DIDN'T EVEN SOUND HUMAN! For the next 5 hours until we pulled in to Voronezh station, I tossed and turned whilst contemplating suffocating the perpetrators with pillows.

After a snowy mile and half walk home from the station, I was greeted with smiles and warm breakfast with just enough time for a nap before work.

A little jaunt to Moscow...Day 2.

I fully intended for my Moscow posts to be on consecutive days...then life sort of got in the way! Nonetheless...here is day two of our little venture for your general enjoyment...

After the night's fancy revelries, the 9.30 alarm was ceremoniously ignored. When we finally peeled ourselves out of bed, had breakfast and got ready, it was midday. I felt like we had wasted half a day but in the end we saw everything on our loosely planned itinerary.

First stop was the Kremlin. The Russian for Kremlin is кремль, which also means citadel or fortress in generally, so there are many kremlin's in Russia but the one on Red Square is of course the most famous. Fortress they said, and fortress it turned out to be! 'Helpful' tourist signs on Red Square pointed us every which way, and we searched for the tourist entrance to no avail. Earlier in the day we had laughed about Lonely Planet listing 'The Kremlin Wall' as a free Moscow activity - 'its just a wall!' we said...little did we know we would see every inch of it just trying to get in! At one point, we considered scaling it but as we all know, I'm not the tallest person in the world. 

There was a hallelujah chorus when we saw the guarded entrance only to be told entrance tickets were on sale back towards Red Square :| Not impressed! 

After finally breaking in, we were surprised to be faced with numerous gold domed cathedrals. Considering the Soviets weren't to keen on religion, it seemed a miracle that they were all still standing! 

My angelic pose...

 Beautiful mosaic doorway

 Love the Old Russian script...

 We had the obligatory pictures with the Tsar Cannon...

And marvelled at the size of the Tsar Bell...

We saluted the War Marshals who received the Soviet star of honour...GO MONTGOMERY! (UK represent!) 

But the highlight of the day for me, maybe even the whole trip (except the Bolshoi, of course), was our visit to the Diamond Fund (Сокровища Алмазного фонда). 

Its such a shame that we had to surrender our cameras at the door because the exhibition was truly breathtaking - natural diamond and gems of all shapes and sizes, huge gold nuggets in their natural forms all alongside the treasures of the state diamond collection, from the Tsars coronation regalia to diamond encrusted medals of valour. We were taken on a guided tour of the exhibition by a jeweller who told us not only about the diamonds on show but also about the clarity, cut, colour and history behind each piece which made each cabinet come alive. Here are some of our favourite treasures courtesy of the Diamond Fund Website:

 Sam's Favourite Crown

 The Catherine the 2nd coronation regalia (which she only wore the once!)

Quirky camel gold nugget!

As a Brit and a massive fan of the Royals, I probably shouldn't say this, but I enjoyed the Diamond Fund exhibit much more than the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. High treason, I know!

Our last sightseeing stop of the day was the Temple of Christ the Saviour, as recommended to me by my Host Mum, Galina. It is the biggest church in Russia and the tallest orthodox church in the world...pretty impressive huh? 

The church we see today is, in fact, the second to be built on this site. The first was consecrated in 1883 (after taking over 40 years to build!), but it was destroyed under Stalin's reconstruction of Moscow in 1931 (as I said, the soviets weren't fans of Orthodoxy!). The Church we see today was consecrated in 2000 after a long hard campaign for its reconstruction.

 I loved that sitting on/crowded around the arches of the doorways were saints and angels...

I wasn't sure what to expect from such a modern church but I was pleased to see all the grandeur and tradition of old style Russian churches had been carried over to the new build with grace! Unlike a lot of the churches we've visited since being in Russia, this one is less of a museum and more of a working place of worship. I was happy to be greeted by that friendly burning candle smell when we came in from the cold. Unfortunately, cameras are also banned inside - but trust me, it was beautiful (think gold leaf, mosaics and intricate icons!)!

Our trusty guide, Moscow in My Pocket had, thus-far, been a helpful friend. So we decided, for the evenings adventures, to pick our destination from its list of eateries and drinking establishments, aided in our choice by its helpful budget guide (the more euro signs, the more expensive the restaurant!). With Moscow firmly in Our Pockets, we headed out to the metro with the prospect of budget tex-mex and cocktails.

It turns out the Moscow in My Pocket is, in fact, the most useless city guide in the entire world.

The restaurant we picked out had closed down...windows boarded up and all. We remained, however, hopeful and trusting...how unfortunate, we thought...poor restaurant recently gone bust, poor Moscow in My Pocket not knowing!

All was merry...we found a new restaurant. It even had Mexican offerings...

A delightful time was had by all...wine and fajitas just like we planned. 

Onwards to Moscow in My Pocket recommended cocktail bars...with my map reading askew, we ended up at our second choice destination rather than the first 'dive bar' we had planned to frequent. Not to worry...Margaritas awaited...

Alas, Moscow in My Pocket again came up trumps...the bar had not just closed down, it had been bulldozed! The address led us to a snow dusted building site... FAIL!

We ended up in a 24 hour American diner drinking Belini's watching the Men's World Curling Championship Finals...we sure know how to party!

Not quite the evening we planned...but an adventure all the same!

Come back tomorrow for our third and final day of our little jaunt to Moscow...

A little jaunt to Moscow...Day 1.

Time is flying here in Voronezh! It feels like only yesterday that I was telling you guys that our tickets had been purchased and here I am now, with only 17 days left in Russia, letting you in on the delights of our trip - I really can't believe it! So here we are...72 hours in Moscow...

Our adventure began on the 083B - the night train to Moscow. We opted for 3rd class tickets...the infamous плацкарт! Плацкарт is set out in groups of six beds in a carriage without partitions (those are a luxury for 2nd class and above!). Some dub it the ultimate Russian cultural experience, and I can see why...58 people in a confined space all eating, sleeping and drinking together. It must be an eye-opener on long haul journeys but for the fast train (12 hours or thereabouts) you don't get much time to become acquainted with your neighbours...

The train to Moscow was pretty uneventful the return journey, however, was interesting...but that can wait until later. 

DAY ONE

Arriving in Moscow at 9.05am, we managed to successfully navigate the metro and the snowy streets to find our hotel (after the standard couple of wrong turns) and dropped off our bags. It was decided that first stop would be Red Square, after a warming, traditional Russian breakfast...

*note the sarcasm ;)*

After only a 15 minute walk, we reached our destination, confronted with the looming red façade of the State History Museum. Entering through the archway we were expecting to be greeted by the much-photographed view of St Basils but instead found this...

Who doesn't love a bit of Louis Vuitton?...apparently this installation has caused a bit of a fuss - no one quite knows who authorised it and how long it will be before the authorities remove it for obstructing tourist photo-ops! Fun for now though!

For us, there has always been a bit of morbid curiosity about seeing Lenin laying in state in his mausoleum on Red Square. 

His body has been on public display there since his death in 1924. After learning so much about him, and the impact he had on Russia, we thought it rude not to pay him a visit. 

After putting all electronic devices in to lockers, we made our way inside the mausoleum. It was all very solemn, black marble walls with armed guards every 10 metres or so, one of which told me off for having my hands in my pockets (Sorry, Lenin!). In the chamber itself, Lenin lays peacefully in an elaborate display box. You climb a couple of stairs to be able to walk around the box with Lenin at eye level. Woe betide you if you try to stop to take in the spectacle...you will be hurried along by the stern faced guard of honour.

It is a very strange thing to describe to you all. On one hand, he doesn't look real at all - evidence suggests that up to 70% of him is now wax - but at the same time, it looks like he could quite easily open his eyes or turn his head to look at you! Very strange indeed. After politely having a look at the graves behind mausoleum (where Stalin and other Soviet greats lay), we went to retrieve our belongings and continued on our merry way...if slightly perturbed. If nothing else, it was nice to put a face to the name...

Second stop was St Basils...the iconic landmark of Moscow. After numerous attempts at failed selfies, we managed to get a fellow Englishman to take the traditional tourist snap for us!

The interior is just as beautiful as the exterior...here are some of my favourite snaps from inside...

Russian orthodox churches never fail to impress me. I am not religious but their beauty, grandeur and jewel-like colour schemes are breathtaking! 

A short wander took us to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier in Alexander Gardens - Moscow's famous war monument. 

As with many WW2 monuments in Russia, it boasts an ever burning flame, but what makes this monument special is its guard of honour. It is watched over by the presidential regiment, who at 2pm perform their very own changing of the guard. We arrived at about 1.45 and decided it may be worth the wait...

The sounds their rifles made when they hit them in time with their marching was pretty ominous, and from what I saw of their brand of marching I feel I can safely conclude that these guys could do a mean can-can. 

Knowing that our ballet at the Bolshoi was starting at 7pm, we thought a bit of late afternoon relaxation, beautifying and wine drinking was in order. We grabbed some sushi sets and off we went.

Wine, tickets and ferrero rochers!

Determined not to miss out on getting a programme as I had at the Mariinsky in St Petersburg, we set off early, leaving plenty of time for in theatre photo sessions!

The ballet itself was pretty spectacular - just the scale of the sets and some of the tricks they pulled out of their sleeves (at one point the Sylphide disappeared up the chimney, at another she disappeared from sitting on a chair). The dancers were all fantastic, most notably a little girl who joined in with the corp de ballet scenes...she can't have been more than 8 or 9 but she kept up with all the choreography that the adults were dancing with ease (no modifications required). We gave her the biggest cheer...I have a feeling we may have seen the first tentative steps of a future Bolshoi prima ballerina! 

After the performance, we thought we would take the opportunity to take a look at Red Square by night...ГУМ, Russia's answer to Harrods looked so festive that we couldn't resist having a peak inside!

ГУМ is celebrating its 120th birthday this year...as a result the arcades are lined with mannequins showing the changing fashions that ГУМ has sold since its opening all those years ago...

...we certainly had some fun!

Birthdays were not the only celebrations on the cards...it was also well and truly decked out for Christmas...

After a night of travelling and a delightful day of sightseeing and dreams come true, we decided to call it a night, toddle on home to finish our bottle of wine and prepare for day 2...coming soon ;)