Moscow! Days 2-3

So we arrived in Moscow at 6:30 in the morning on the night train, and arriving there was like arriving in New York City for the first time. So much activity, so many people, huge buildings and activity, even early in the morning. (don't forget you can click on the pictures for a larger version!)

We met our guide, pictured above, who was really one of the nicest, sweetest ladies I've ever met. And she knew everything about the city and you could tell she loved it, so her enthusiasm was infectious. I really enjoyed my time in Moscow, and she's probably responsible for a lot of that. Taking the bus, one of the first things I noticed is the utter insanity of Moscow driving.

Eat your hear t out, Ohio drivers

This was taken as we were forcing our way onto a bridge to cross a river. Our bus driver told us a story (in Russian, translated) about how he had driven Manchester United when they visited Moscow and the players requested vodka to be able to deal with the insane driving.

Anyway, once we were across the bridge our bus driver kindly stopped in the middle of a huge highway so we could get out and take some pictures (which really was kind of him, considering the driving; I guess he's used to it). The view from there was worth the whole trip. I took a lot of photos, including these:

Next thing we knew we were in Red Square, and I was taking photos like a fiend. Unfortunately they were setting up for some huge festival so the wide shots are pretty much ruined by steel beams and other monstrosities. Also Lenin's tomb was closed because of the setup.

me at St' Basil's cathedral

monument to Georgy Zhukov, the great WWII general 

wide shot of red square

We went from there to the Kremlin the old old city center of Moscow and the place where the government conducts business. You can tell how important the Russian Orthodox Church was to the city: there are five cathedrals alone inside the Kremlin!

Russian tomb of the unknown soldier, part of a larger memorial to the battles of WWII, or as they call it "The Great Patriotic War"

We later went to our hotel and came back for the Moscow Circus, which was seriously one of the coolest parts of the trip. I mean in some ways it was kind of corny and obviously mostly geared towards children, but there were also some seriously impressive acts and some very well-trained animals. My favorite was a bear on a bicycle with the Russian flag waving in the back. There was also a strongman who lifted insane amounts of weights and at the end was run over with a Nissan Pathfinder (!), and lots of really fantastically talented gymnasts. Afterwards we returned to red square to snap some more pictures:

Red Square at night

McDonalds, Russian-style! Did I mention I learned to read Cyrillic in the short time I was there? I dont speak Russian, but at least I can read it and sound convincing enough :-P

One of the flashier areas of Moscow

The next day we took a bus tour of the city with a few stops of importance, including the very picturesque Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

We got a tour at the Tretyakov Art Gallery, basically Russia's national museum of art and the largest collection of Russian paintings in the world. Later we spent time on Old Arbat Street enjoying the sights and sounds. I was with some Germans and Italians and they were incredibly excited for Wendy's and Cinnabon! :-P so for dinner in Moscow I had Wendy's and Cinnabon (I'd never been to Cinnabon before, so now I can say my first time was in Moscow). We got some group pictures in front which I wish I had, I'm trying to find them. They were really so excited, it was really funny. One of my friends literally cheered when we found the Wendy's. He had always heard it was so good but had never tried it. I don't think they were disappointed. It tasted pretty much like it does at home, and considering I hadn't eaten American fast food in months it was kinda like being at home (haha). Here's some pictures I took before we left Moscow.

The people on this bridge are almost entirely wedding parties. It was insane. Couple go about ten different places in Moscow on their wedding day, and they end up here. I don't know if you can tell, but those are "padlock trees" in the middle of the bridge. Couples buy one and lock it to the tree and throw away the key to symbolize their eternal love. I asked our guide if today was any special occasion, and she said "Saturday." Craziness, but good craziness.

Monument to Peter the Great. Why is it here instead of St. Petersburg? Because the sculptor originally made it as a monument to Christopher Columbus, but when we didn't want it he changed the face and sold it to the Russians! Funny story.

The Tretyakov Art Gallery

Some pretty awesome dancing Old Arbat Street, Moscow

 And with that, our time in Moscow was concluded. We headed to the train station for our 9:30 overnight departure to St. Petersburg. Hopefully I'll be able to transfer the day five photos and then do a post about it ASAP. Moscow was such a blast; St. Petersburg is beautiful, but Moscow is really the center of Russia. So much politics, history, religion, culture, and much more "happening" and "Russian." I'm really glad I opted for the five day trip.