Red Square Hostel Moscow

... as we were all a little tipsy and we lost our guide. The locals were really helpful and one dude even walked us through the maze of platforms to our correct one. We spent another day in Moscow but it wasn't very productive. It was the first day that it snowed heavily - so a walk around Red Square was awesome. Russia is a choice place and if you get the chance make sure you put it on your list. Our tour with On The Go was excellent and we'd definitely recommend them.

We walk around the Kremlin to see it under lights. Misty rain with low cloud, the square is much more empty than during the day and far more atmospheric.

We find some money 500 rbls, bonus! However it is a strange spot, it is wet, stick it in my pocket and walk on.

Call it a night and head home to warm up.


Photos coming once we hit Beijing!

... Girls and you'll know what I mean.
Like any major city, you take your life in your hands when you cross a road, but in Kiev they had something I've never seen before - a digital counter on the crossings to show how long before the pedestrain light turns red or green - at least then you know how long you've got before they start trying to kill you...

So anyway, on to Russia. Got off to a bit of a bad start here when I was rudely awoken at the border at midnight to deal with ...

... we found the platform, carriage, compartment and our new Russian mother! Within moments of being in the 4 bed compartment she adopted us as her own. She made our beds, dusted us down and insisted we relax. Before we knew it she was feeding us too! It was a simple but delicious evening cheese, cracker and cucumber snack. Quickly following our first
mouth full of food out popped a bottle of Cognac. Russian mother toasted with us "Na ...

... sitting on the steps of St. Basil's filming an interview for Australian TV. At this point we presumed we'd be on SBS and laughed at the thought of family and friends freaking when they saw us pop up, only to be disappointed when told it wasn't shown. But still enjoyed the toughts and the completely RANDOM event. A few hours later we also quite randomly bumped into the Swedish performer, who together with her entourage of 2 had a great chat with us. We promised to vote ...

... He responded by getting our guide book map and showing us where he lived etc. Quote of the day (and as cliched as it may sound- I promise you it is true) he pointed to the map and said ( complete with borat accent) "my wife...she is from kazakhstan. Some how Pete managed to keep a straight face and I stiffled my giggles. The second blokes was a Russian blokes who spoke no English and didn't look the type you should mess with. Got off at ...

OK so I am still in Moscow with this entry. Hey it's a big city with lots to do and see. On June 16 I went to a train station in Moscow (there are 9 in total so you have to know which one to go to for specific destinations as that is where you buy the tickets). Managed to survive another excursion to the ticket office. Did the clustering around the window then got my ticket. It's all about the writing down of things. Otherwise I would have no way of getting to where I need ...

... anyone in uniform did a great job of separating the crowds, keeping them under control by intimidation, and making sure to avoid a repeat of the 1982 disaster during another UEFA match at Luzhniki in which hundreds of people were trampled. The crowd rolls in and the energy is contagious as each side is chanting well before the opening ceremony begins. The Manchester United side looks like a sea of red while the Chelsea side is a blue ...

... by far has to be the lack of a shower. They keep it so hot in the carriages, you have to make sure you have a singlet, shorts and thongs to wear on there, and then you can't shower for 4 days. Yuck. But its an experience I suppose. So we got into Moscow at 4am the other day and headed out as soon as we could to get our sightseeing doen before New Years. Headed down to Red Square and went to see Lenin. He is one waxy looking man. I suppose its understandable that he's not ...

We're staying with Pastor Pavel and his family; they now have a new apartment in the church building, and it is very nice. We have known each other so long that we feel quite at home--making a cup of tea and grabbing a few cookies whenever we want, etc. We're even wearing their slippers (they remove their shoes when they come in the door) to keep our toes warm while we're in the house. The weather has ranged from a bit cool to quite comfy. The trees ...