After my first trip to Moscow, I’ve decided I need to go back about 15 times before I leave to see everything I want. Our weekend trip was packed with activities, but I still feel like I’ve seen nothing of Moscow’s glories. But in a city of almost 10 million people, it figures.
On Friday, we drove up from Vladimir and checked into our hotel (one of the premier during the Soviet times, but pretty shabby and dirty by now). We then went to the Kremlin, where we walked around outside for a little too long (resulting in an entirely numb Amy) but we did get to see the biggest cannon in the world and where Putin works. We also saw a slew of churches, all very beautiful and very different from the western style churches I’m use to. Afterwards, we visited the Kremlin Armoury, which is full of examples of tsarist Russian gems. A few of my personal favorites included a carriage sled used by the royal family, fur-lined crowns, and the Faberge egg collection. Later in the night we went out to a bar/club, full of ugly balding Russian men and beautiful Russian women, who seemed very oblivious to the fact that these men were so unattractive (this, I’ve heard, is how life works for Russian singles).
On Saturday, we visited Lenin Mausoleum, the resting place of Lenin’s waxified (or otherwise sustained and unrotting) dead body. It’s even weirder than it sounds, trust me. Then we headed over to the Tretyakov Gallery, which houses the largest collection of Russian art in the world. (Strangely enough, many Russian painters felt the need to paint Italy and the surrounding Mediterranean life. This, of course, made me feel very silly/sick for coming to Russia instead of say, Sicily. I’m so jealous of you Sarah.) Later in the evening, we attended a classical music concert at the Moscow Conservatory, where we heard the musical stylings of one Sergei Rachmaninoff. (It is rumored that the first time this symphony was preformed, the conductor hated it so much that he conducted it drunk… o Russia)
On Sunday, we visited the World War II Museum, which was pretty impressive, especially considering the fact that Russia suffered far more causalities than any other country fighting. All in all, a very good trip, but there is still so much more to see. I know I’ll have to go back at least once, hopefully when it’s warmer. But at the same time, being in Moscow made me appreciate living in Vladimir, which I wasn’t expecting at all. Moscow really is a pretty dirty city, and not at all as picturesque as say, Petersburg. Regardless, it was a great weekend, and if you want to receive any of the thousands of postcards I bought, send me an e-mail, or just e-mail me anyway, because I love them just as much as I love you.