Friday May 28th – Welcome to the Kremlin

Apparently, the fog in the plane cabin was caused by condensation and was part of pressurization. I had never seen that before.

As my 5 hour red-eye flight breaks through the rain clouds,  I can see vast green pine forests surrounding the airport. We safely touch down at 8am and some passengers start clapping for the first time on my trip.

Its about 12 degrees Celsius and whoa it feels chilly after Dubai.

Immigration is polite and Russian women seem in general to be prettier than the other women I’ve seen on my trip.

Russian is a Slavic language, using a Cyrillic alphabet, similar to Greek.

Here is an example:
Смоленская метро, Филёвской линии

Good luck.

After fending off a crowd of hungry taxi drivers, I ask a janitor where the metro station to Moscow is.
I say “metro” in my best Russian accent, and he goes on and on and finally points.  “Spasiba” means thank you.

On the train, the countryside is pleasant-looking with thick forests.  It is very green and the trees are beautiful.

It is a 30-minute ride to the first metro station, which looks like an old Roman Catholic Church inside.  It has packed with people and located deep underground with old trains.  I figure out my stop and emerge above ground.

The hostel has no sign.  It is hidden in a courtyard on the side of a main street, on the 5th floor.  I feel like I am in a Jason Bourne movie.

Ack, people are smoking indoors again.  The staffs speaks English and are very helpful.  No hot water for a few days due to Russian laws.

After picking up some nectarines in a small underground market, I walk along the Moscow River feeling the light rain as I notice an amusement park and the large tourist boats.

In the middle of the river is a towering monument to Peter the Great.  Being at least 200ft tall, the incredible brown and gold colored metal statue is surrounded by fountains. 

Next along the river is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior a large white church with gold onion-shaped towers.

Almost to Red Square, I stop at a famous 4-horse fountain with plenty of photographers.

The entire area is nicely manicured with flower gardens and brick walking paths.

I pass a couple of attentive guards watching over an eternal flame memorial for fallen soldiers.

coming upon a pair of giant black gates leading into Red Square (the Kremlin).

As my eyes see the St. Basil’s Cathedral for the first time, I am awe-struck. 

Wow.  The colors and gold are breathtaking and the architecture is so beautiful.  It is just amazing.  Everyone is taking photos.  I cannot stop looking at it.  I later learn that the architects in 1521 were blinded after its completion so nothing else would rival its beauty.  (ouch)

Lenin’s tomb is on the right as I walk on the gray bricks toward the cathedral.

To think I almost decided to skip Russia a second time, this visit and visa were well worth it.

After lunch and walking more around Red Square, I cross the Moscow River, past a park full of wild teenagers, then by a chocolate factory to a sculpture garden.

After passing an old art museum, another sculpture garden, and numerous embassies, I arrive at Gorky Park.  There are lots of trees, rides, a roller coaster, and many boisterous off-duty military (Para-troopers) in green hats.  I learn they are celebrating a yearly holiday, in which they will get drunk and belligerent and pass out in the fountains.  I later see this on the evening news.

Back at the hostel (mostly Russians), there is fuzzy TV but the bathroom is first class with a sauna.

I talk to Daniel about setting up their AK-47 police tour for Monday.

Saturday May 29th – Polar Bears and Lots of Gold

It is nice and sunny today, 72 degrees and perfect outside.

My laundry is done for me for $9.

As I arrive at the Moscow zoo, I am greeted by costumed characters and lots of Shrek advertising.  It is busy today.  My inclination is to get a map and I realize, what is the point?
(Can’t read it)

There are raccoons, monkeys, flamingos, a snow leopard, horses, seals, a dolphin show, elephants, giraffes, polar bears, birds, tigers, and lavender balloons.  Most of the balloons are floating away in the sky.  (The world Lavoro is on everything)

After exiting the zoo, I head into the city center, past numerous embassies and the famous Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Stalin planted this one type of tree in Moscow and now there are little pieces of white cotton fluff floating in the air all over the city.

Back at the Kremlin, the mullet hair cut is alive and well, for both men and women.

Just past the Bolshoi Theater and giant former KGB headquarters, is the tiny and uneventful Museum of Moscow History.

Moscow has lots of WWII architecture with most of the buildings being built between 1930 – 1955, almost all of which are brick and stone.

I arrive back at Red Square and visit the wonderful Historical Museum.  It covers ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, Ivan the terrible in the 1500s, and all the way up to the present day.  It is very Russian Orthodox with most of the pieces from 18-1900s.

There is one room that contains only gold artifacts: coins, swords, chalices, bibles, jewelry, crowns, medals and more.  It is amazing to be surrounded by so much gold.

Outside, a few tourists are taking my photo as I sit and review my map.

I pause while looking at the crazy sculptures at the Museum of Modern Art on my way to a greenbelt with a photography exhibit of amazing photos from all over the world.

A-ha, Billy Idol, Rod Steward, Boy George, Guns n Roses, and Matisyahu are coming to Moscow in concert.

At the end of my journey, there is a long busy promenade, with monkeys, bands, fortunetellers, shops, and artwork on display. 

Back at the hostel, I have dinner and hang out with a Romanian / Austrian going to school in St. Petersburg.  She thought I was Russian.  Apparently, I am getting very good at fitting in wherever I am in the world.

Daniel who works the front desk and I talk about running a hostel and he shows me the scabs on his knuckles from kicking guests out.  He tells me there is no hot water for the next 3 weeks, so he is considering bribing a local plumbing supervisor.  (Ah life in Russia)

Sunday May 30th – a Space Odyssey

Today, I head west over a river across a glass-covered bridge to an outdoor market and a second downtown area with a beautiful fountain.

Down river, I discover a lovely park and the gold-topped Novodevichy Monastery, with a movie being filmed on the corner nearby.

As many high-end luxury cars zoom by, I stroll along the Moscow River.

Is that?  – Yup it is a space shuttle.
You never know what you will find in Moscow.

Across another glass bridge to find Beer-Park and nowhere else to go.  Therefore, for 80 Rubles admission I get a beautiful park with paddle boats, bike riders, and roller bladders.

The outdoor hookah lounge catches me by surprise, but it has quickly forgotten when I reach the fun house mirrors and the space shuttle.

Apparently, the amusement park (Beer-Park) is inside Gorky Park, where there is an indoor roller coaster with Mt. Rushmore on the outside.  (In Russia, wow)
The area is full of rides and games, such as riding a live reindeer.

So many Russians smoke, there is only a small Russian demographic that does not.
“Children” I think they call them.

Out of the park and up the street into the metro just as it starts raining.  I am going to make it north to the Ostankino TV Tower (I hope).

My guess of which metro line and stop are confirmed by an old guy next to me on the train.

Just my luck, as I leave the station, there is an incredible and extensive astronaut monument park,
next to a giant Ferris wheel and a monorail that leads to the TV tower.
I meet a cool Russian guy who speaks a little English and helps me find my way.

The TV Tower Ostankino is surrounded by barbed wire and I have to walk a ways to the entrance.  Its 4:30 now and many people are leaving.  The security guard outside approaches me and discovers I am American.  He talks to his coworker and they escort me around the metal detectors.  He says a bunch to me in Russian (as if I understand) and I guess where he wants me to go.

Inside a building, I look around until a female guard stops me as I try to exit.  She escorts me to another location and passes me off to an old woman who passes me off to another person, who tells me to wait 15 minutes then fill out some form.  So I sit on the couch and listen to “Right Round” playing in the lobby.

Another woman with broken English helps me.  They need my passport, 650 rubles, and for me to wait until 4:55 for the tour.  Ok.

The tower has heavy security.  We are given special security cards and our passports are scanned, then we pass another set of metal detectors.

I learn its tallest structure in Russia at 540m, and at the bottom are old technology relics, like phones and radio equipment.  The reason for the extra security is that Chechnyan rebels tried a terrorist attack a few years ago.  The entire tour is in Russian, so I smile and nod.

On our way to the top, Hip-hop plays in the elevator as my ears pop.

Oh, wow we are up high.  There is a freaky glass floor to walk on and with so much security we have the place to ourselves, all 10 of us.  The sky has really cleared up and you can see for miles.

Moscow is gigantic but there are still lots of several large forest areas, which I did not expect.  There are so many buildings but still plenty room to grow.  With 147 million people living in the world’s largest country, you do not go invading Russia.

They let me keep my security card as a souvenir and I walk to the monorail, which takes me to the metro.

I walk through Red Square and then to the hostel.  Now I know why everyone smokes, cigarettes are only $1.75 a pack.  Also, I learn by talking with Daniel at the hostel that prostitution is legal if the police run it.  So you can just order someone over the Internet for about $75, as if you were ordering a pizza.  (Scary!)

Tomorrow, I was going to shoot a Soviet AK-47 fully automatic rifle at a Moscow police station down the street in a back-door bribe for 2300 Rubles ($82) but they will not let me take any photos.  Daniel tells me they could lose their jobs, so I am not going to do it.  What is the point if there are no photos?

We have hot water again (Daniel did bribe someone) as the sun sets at 11pm.  When the sun sets that late it tricks you, because at 9:30pm it is sunny but everything is closed.

Monday May 31st – Full Body Scanner at the Moscow Airport

As the water shuts off right when I get in the shower, the guy at the front desk has a frustrated look on his face.
In his thick Russian accent, he says,
“its government and what can you do with government?  Come back later.”

I travel back to Red Square to see Lenin’s tomb but they are not allowing anyone in right now.  No dead body viewing today.

On the subway platform, everyone is rubbing the snout of this Doberman
statue.  (For luck?)

Back at the hostel, I get my photo taken in a Russian Soldier’s hat as I checkout and get ready for my flight.

Daniel from the hostel asks if I want to join him for dinner, where I try some authentic Russian borsch.  It’s was tasty.

It is a subway maze to Savelovsky Train Station for the 7:30 pm Aero Express to Sheremetyevo Airport.  (I cannot pronounce it either)

There are no information signs at the airport so I guess my way around and find the check in desk.

Piece of cake getting through Russian immigration on to my Air Baltic flight to Riga, Latvia.  (I ordered OJ on the plane and they wanted me to pay – yeah right!)

I am on to Israel, which just got into another confrontation with The Palestinians by blocking more supplies at sea to the Gaza Strip.  Wish me luck!