MockBa

MockBa
The weekend of May 8-10 is a Russian Holiday that celebrates the end of The Great Patriotic War. Hence, I thought it would be a great weekend to visit Moscow. So, Caroline and I booked our train tickets to Moscow. The train ride from Yaroslavl to Moscow was quite different from St. Petersburg – that’s for sure!!! This train ride only took 4 hours and we were in second class seats which cost about for round trip $50.00 (1500 Roubles). Caroline and I arrived in Moscow Thursday night at about 8pm and then we went our separate ways into Moscow. Caroline was meeting her boyfriend for the weekend and they were staying in a different Hostel than myself.

Thursday:
So after parting with Caroline, I met my pre-arranged taxi to my hostel. It was rather creepy getting into a cab with a perfect stranger and at that point all I can do is hope the cab driver gets me where I need to be, to my Hostel. In the end, I did arrive to my hostel which was a rather comforting feeling knowing I have some place sleep that night! So after I got unpacked, I decided to explore my neighborhood and find a café shop to feel more at ease with my new surroundings. I explored for about 3 hours and found all the necessary necessities such as the metro station, café shop, grocery store, etc… These are always good things know when traveling.

Friday:
I woke up quite early due to the excitement of being in Moscow and was out the door within the hour to my first stop: The Kremlin. From my hostel to The Kremlin it was about a 25 minute walk. Walking to The Kremlin was so exciting for a number of different reasons: I’m for once traveling by myself, seeing Russian history, and I’M IN MOSCOW!!

As I mentioned above, Moscow was in the process of getting ready for the celebration of the Great Patriotic War and therefore a variety of attractions/streets were closed for the Holiday weekend. As such, some of the surrounding streets of the Kremlin were closed and I had to take the long route to get to the entrance of the Kremlin and to Red Square. This was a bit frustrating, because at the time I did not realize this and did a lot (MILES) of extra walking in the wrong pair of shoes. (Let’s just say my feet still have not forgiven me for this!) But none the less, I did make it to the Kremlin!

The Kremlin was spectacular! The inside of the Kremlin was something I did not expect. I just expected to see government like buildings and a few monuments to Russia’s leaders. Well, I was bit wrong. When walking into the Kremlin, everything to the left are government buildings which tourists are not permitted and then everything to right are for tourists with exception of a few government buildings that are gated off from tourists.

While in the Kremlin, I visited the Annunciation Cathedral, the Tsar Bell, the Tsar Cannon, Armory, and gardens.
The practicing religion of most Russians is Russian Orthodox and with Russian Orthodox comes pictures of Icons. If you scroll down, you will see a painting of an Icon on the Annunciation Cathedral. This Cathedral was gorgeous and well preserved. All the different Icons that are represented within the Cathedral and the stories that are painted with Icons are quite something. However, I can’t say I have the patience of a Saint when listening to all the stories. (No pun intended!)
The Armory houses ancient Russian ceremonial objects, ceremonial Tsar’s dress, goldware and silverware used in different Tsar reigns, royal carriages, and arms and armories. Going through the armory was breathtaking of all that represented Russian Royalty.
The last thing I expected from the Kremlin were gardens. When walking through the gardens, it seemed as if they would never end. I could have spent all day in the gardens reading a book. If I had brought a book, I probably would have stayed there for the remaining part of the day.

After leaving the Kremlin, I ventured to the Metro. There is no better time than the present to conquer the unknown Moscow Metro. In general, I like riding the Metro and I find once I understand how a Metro works it easy to use after that point. I mean, if I can around using the Paris Metro system for a summer, the Moscow Metro can’t be any different. And true to form, the Moscow Metro is just as simple as the Paris Metro. However, the first time is always the hardest. At least in Paris, I could speak the French language to ask for help unlike the Russian language where I have no idea except for basic words and phrases!! To ride the Metro, it cost 26 Rubles, which is just under $1.00.

Saturday
There was so much I wanted to do, but due to the Holiday, every state run museum was closed. So, I made it a leisure-like day and took my time to explore more of Moscow. From my hostel, I walked across the Moscow River to an open market that had everything from fresh fish to fresh spices to babushka dolls. It was an all around type of market. I then took a stroll on the Metro to the Famous Moscow Metro stops. These Metro stations were fabulous. Who would have thought to build such magnificent pieces of architecture for a Metro station? I then walked in the ritzy part of Moscow which holds the Bolshoi Theatre and former KGB headquarters. After that point I was on a mission to find an English bookstore. I was just in dire need of a few good books!

The previous night, I had met these two sisters at my hostel who were from Brazil so I had gone out to dinner with them again. We ate on the Arbat Street that is known for its historical preservation of buildings and Bohemian atmosphere (also the tourist street). It felt like I was back in Paris in the Sacre Coeur area. Wonderful-ness!!

It was amazing the people I met at my hostel who were from all around the world. I met these guys (mid 20s) from Canada who were working just outside of Moscow. The Canadians are with the organization Athletes in Action which works with children through Ice Hockey. It was fascinating to meet all these people and of course, everyone has an opinion of the USA and in turn want to hear your opinion on the USA. I find that question both highly personal and difficult to answer. But in the end it always good to hear varying opinions from different perspectives!

Sunday
Sunday was a short and sweet type of day because my train departs in the early afternoon. So I spent my time on the Arbat street exploring and enjoying the street entertainment.