Sunday, July 20, 2014
The short drive from Tula allowed us to enjoy the afternoon in Moscow. We headed straight to the Red Square and the Walls of the Kremlin. From here we visited Saint Basil’s Cathedral before walking along the Moskva River to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. After wandering around for a few hours we headed back to our hotel for dinner and drinks.
Very glad to be in Moscow and to be acting like a tourist for a few days.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Being a tourist continued. After a late breakfast we headed back into town and visited the Kremlin. A little frustrating getting tickets and getting in, but once inside the walled city we had an excellent visit. We popped into the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael (circa 1508), Cathedral of the Annunciation (circa 1489) and the Cathedral of the Dormition (cira1479). All very nice. We also checked out the huge Bell and Canon, the first has never been rang and the latter has never been fired.
After doing tourist things it is always a good idea to have a latte. We went in search of a Starbucks and failed to find it. Instead we found the most expensive latte we have ever had. Two coffees, a slice of cake and a salmon crepe for a bargain basement price of USD $35. The prices of things in Moscow are a little insane. We also visited GUM shopping center.
The concierge at our Hotel gave us a list of Metro stations he recommended that we should visit. There are so many beautiful stations, we ended up just getting on trains and whenever we saw a station we liked we got off and rejoined a few trains later. We did visit all the recommended ones as well. We really enjoyed our tour of the Moscow Metro.
In the evening we walked to Buddha Bar for a drink. In good Moscow style, prices were a little high. A glass of average wine was USD $20 and a small bottle (330ml) of beer was USD $10. Yikes! The place was empty, except for the staff. Wonder why?
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Spent the day on a walking tour around Moscow. Started with a visit to Pushkin Cafe. We popped in to check it out, but when three people open the door for you and you are greeted by two maitre d’s you know the place is going to be expensive. So we just had a look around at the beautiful cafe and moved on.
Next stop was the Netherlands Embassy to see and visit the offerings placed by people to the victims of MH-17. It was a very sober visit. As part of this visit we were invited by embassy staff to sign the book of condolences, which we did. While we were there dignitaries from various nations turned up to also sign the book of condolences.
We continued strolling the streets taking in various sights. Including a good visit to The Lumiere Brothers Photogallery. Moscow is a wonderful city and we really enjoyed our short stay there.
