Moscow, Russia, Asia

Today didn’t start out too well, weather wise, but it got nicer in the afternoon. It seemed like a good reason to check out some indoor sights instead of staying outside in the dreary coldness. I started out with the Kremlin Museums. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, because it wasn’t really like any other museum I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t one big building that housed a lot of artefacts. It is the churches that are housed within the walls of the Kremlin. So I made my way through four or five of the churches and saw the different styles and purposes for each one.

One of them was in honor of Ivan the Terrible, and holds his tomb inside. Another held no tombs but old frescos of many of the saints. They almost all had gold everywhere though. They certainly didn’t understate any of these churches. They made each one look fancier than the last. I spent a couple hours walking from one church to another and trying to stay out of the cold. When I finished in the Kremlin, I moved outside the walls and into the Red Square to visit St. Basil’s Cathedral.

St. Basil’s is definitely the strangest looking cathedral I’ve ever seen. I had read that it is much more impressive from the outside, and that the inside is even disappointing. Maybe it was because my expectations had been lowered, but I was very impressed with the inside of the building. It turns out that each of the nine colored domes that you can see from the outside, are all individual churches. Each one has a different name, style and purpose. It was very cool to see so many different styles within the same building. And luckily, I was able to take pictures inside. There are no pictures allowed in any of the churches in the Kremlin, but it wasn’t a problem in St. Basil’s. The atmosphere was also helped by an a cappella ensemble of four men called Doros. They were singing operatic church hymns, and while it wouldn’t typically be something I liked, it fit perfectly with the surroundings, so it was great.

By the time I’d finished up at St. Basil’s the weather had turned a bit nicer. The blue sky had finally returned and I decided to go enjoy the outdoors at Gorky Park. This is the most famous park in Moscow and I can see why. It is the nicest park I have ever been to in the world. It has everything! There were lots of people doing any kind of activity you can think of. They were biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, free running, playing hackey sack, guys playing with crystal balls in their hands like it is magic. There was a pond where you could take out a paddle boat, an area filled with probably two hundred hammocks, another area filled with bean bag chairs, another area covered in sand and filled with beach chairs. It was the perfect place for people, young and old, to come hang out on a Sunday afternoon.

I spent the afternoon in the park just people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I came back into the city center and went to a restaurant called Canteen 57 in the Gum Mall. This restaurant had been recommended by Elena yesterday as a traditional Russian place, at a reasonable price. It turned out to be like a cafeteria. I got my tray, went through the line, and picked up some chicken Kiev (which I guess is almost Russian now), mashed potatoes, and some cranberry juice. I’m not sure how traditionally Russian this was, but it was pretty good, and very reasonably priced.

I had one last walk around the city center before coming back to the hotel. I got the chance to Facetime with my mom and sister on Mother’s Day. Now I’m getting my stuff together for tomorrow when I’m taking a high speed train to St. Petersburg. Moscow has been a pleasant surprise, I’m hoping St. Petersburg doesn’t disappoint either.