Moscow
Trip Start
Oct 07, 2007
1
2
42
Trip End
??? ??, 2008
Loading Map
Moscow,
Russia
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Our next big task was getting the metro into town. Apparently 9 million people a day ride the metro in Moscow and it seemed like they all wanted to get on at the same stop as us! Anyway after battling our way through the scrum we finally made it to the hostel where we were supposed to stay. It was a real bohemian place where everyone seemed to wander about in their pyjamas - my sisters, Joanne & Marie, with their penchant for daytime naps would have loved it! Anyway, apparently we hadn't confirmed our reservation so we were sent packing. Ended up staying on the 12th floor of a rather grotty apartment block nearby. Despite the appearance of the building itself the hostel was nice, very clean and well located on the main tourist thoroughfare, Arbat Street. The streeet turns into a market during the day with stalls selling souvenirs, paintings and other goods.
From here we wandered down towards the Kremlin area. This area encompasses not just Russia's political centre but also the Red Square and the famous St. Basils Cathedral. This complex, whilst impressive by day, is at its most spectacular at night when all the buildings and fountains are lit up beautifully. Outside of this area, Moscow lacks some of the style of St. Petersburg. It is more as one would imagine a Russian city - with plenty of drab functional buildings and neon lights. Of course the fact that it rained pretty much non-stop there probably diddn't enhance our view of the place. Still the rain could not diminish the beauty of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and it made sitting in the cafes eating borsch (beetroot soup) an unlikely highlight.
