June 20-22 Moscow Moscow dah dah dah ........

One of the things we missed on our train journey was seeing the Ural Mountains. It was a little disappointing as they mark the transition from Asia to Europe and take me back to enjoyable geography lessons at High School, but what can you do? We crossed them in the dead of night. However ......Moscow! 

This could only be Moscow! Quite magnificent

It is huge, almost overwhelming, architecturally grand, crowded, fascinating and elegant in a way that redefines 'cosmopolitan'. Famous names, buildings and historic events confronted us at every corner. The skyline and rooftops fascinated me - they seemed so Moscow - and the buildings ....! 

The Historical Museum built late 1800s (we didn't get to visit)

We walked and walked, taking in the heart of Moscow from Red Square and the Kremlin to the magnificent Metro stations with their mosaics and sculptures. Dimitri, like all our Russian guides, was very knowledgeable and had a deep passion for his country. Our Russian guides all had tertiary degrees in languages, tourism, etc and they were always open to probing questions, so we felt very fortunate.

The big highlight for me, well there were two actually, but the first - St Basil's Cathedral! Wow and again wow! We visited it on both days: first to walk the perimeter and take lots of photos and simply soak in its beauty and then to return the following day on our own to explore its inner sanctums. It was a Lewis Carroll dream in living colour - cupolas of brightly coloured boiled lollies of giant proportions, domes of colour and phantasmagorical patterns - I walked around with my mouth hanging open. Everywhere you looked was something new - turn a corner and look up and there we were met with yet another dome or spire or new roof perspective, a different pattern painted or carved and almost hidden in a small alcove or high under a lofty domed ceiling, a quirky totally unnecessary decoration tucked into an unexpected spot. What a fantasy place! We climbed narrow spiral stairs between floors and in one magic moment I turned a corner in a narrow passageway and heard the most beautiful singing. One could have imagined that angels live in this glorious place and do nothing but sing with joy or sorrow. But no, it was a small group of monks lost in a Gregorian chant which echoed down through the darkness of this single frescoed passage in the vast labyrinth of curved passages and rooms. 

A different perspective on this fantastic cathedral

Ceilings disappeared into elaborate domes, even the crypt was fascinating in its simplisity

Every corner you turned gave a different perspective of this magnificent structure

In the end of course, we had to leave, but it was a 'bucket list' day for me. Why? Because as well as visiting this magical place, which incidentally was built to celebrate vanquishing the Mongols, we visited a few of the famous underground Metro stations. 

The Metro is everything people say it is - and more!

The dog's nose and leg glow gold because people constamtly touch them with affection

Most ceilings had cameos depicting parts of Russia and its people's history

From glitz to art deco or nouveau - no two were the same (we visited many!)

Words fail me as always, but the Metro stations we visited lived up to, and beyond, my expectations. Intricate mosaics and bas-relief sculptures, massive bronze statues gleaming gold where people touch them every day on their way to and from work - a boy's knee, a dog's nose and so on for luck or peace. All the images and cameos told the history of Moscow and Russia. They are palaces for the people, history and art museums, built into everyday life. 

That large building on the right is GUM

We had our Moscow guide for an entire day and what a day! We headed out at 9am (after our 4am arrival!) and didn't stop until after 7pm. After a whirlwind day of walking around buildings, the Metro, Red Square, etc and a visit to Moscow's oldest supermarket - Gastronomia Eliseevsky (GUM). But we also had a look through a huge toy emporium as well as GUM.  GUM was built in the late 1800s. During most of the Soviet period, it was essentially THE department store as there was only one vendor: the Soviet State. In the mid-1900s, it became one of the few stores in the Soviet Union that did not have shortages of consumer goods, and the queues of shoppers were long, often extending entirely across Red Square. Today it is a rather glitzy shopping mall. 

Absolutely beautiful indoor market full of marble, chandeliers and mirrors. 

The prices for caviar were eye-watering

Gastronomia Eliseevsky is an exotic food store-supermarket operating since mid C19. It's glorious and glamorous and very glitzy, selling imported and expensive goods - the caviar we saw ranged for $80 to $1000 per kg.

Our day's journey of discovery with Dimitri wrapped up with a visit to a most unusual place. Tsiferblat, a coffee 'shop', one of the first 'anti-cafes' in Moscow, where you pay for time spent there rather than what you consume (RUB 2 for every minute in the first hour and RUB 1 thereafter).  It is run by a local artist commune and felt a little like a secret club - ring a bell on the outside wall and you are let into an old building, climb the stairs and knock - no password required but it felt like there should be! Once inside, you are greeted warmly, told to select a clock, all of which are named (ours was Eva) and that is recorded with your arrival time and your name and then you simple wander until you find a corner to your liking, make yourself a drink and chill out.  We were entertained by two different pianists - casual, spontaneous, just enjoying themselves playing for no one in particular. All very arty and rather reminiscent of the atmosphere of the coffee shops of the 60s.  One could imagine Dostoyevsky and Pushkin lounging there engrossed in philosophical debate - had Dostoyevsky been a few decades younger and had this place existed back then! One could imagine all sorts of business being conducted here - much perhaps clandestine. It was very laid back, but I can almost see spies doing deals and trading secrets in the corners - mysterious and magical at the same time.

This small plaque on the wall with an intercom gives you entree to Tsiferblat

A delightful place with many rooms and quiet corners

One of the pianists who had a lovely time 'playing'

The next day we headed out again on our own to negotiate our way through the Metro and to spend time on the Red HOHO bus for a more global view of the city.  We ended up spending at least 5 hours in a whirlwind tour which took in history, architecture, politics, religion, etc. It was wonderful but all too much to relate here - even if one could remember it all! But we saw old and ancient history celebrated in bronze statues in prime positions in front of new modern edifices, examples of architecture - like the 'Seven Sisters' from the Stalinist time reaching above the horizon like adornments on a crown. Moscow's architecture was strongly influenced by some of the wonderful buildings of early C20 USA - New York's Municipal Building, the Chrysler and Flatiron buildings for example. We wandered around part of the perimeter of the Kremlin and looked at the queues lining up to see Lenin's Mausoleum but kept going.

Marvellous view of the Kremlin from the bus 

After spending time looking at old buildings, here we got a marvellous view of some of the modern city buildings 

Quirky restaurant

STOP in two languages

The following day was our last in Russia and we had but a morning to snatch a last look at this intriguing city. We visited the Izmailovo Market which was within walking distance of our hotel which was in the eastern district of Moscow and almost next door to the Partizanskaya metro station (we couldn't have been better situated). The architecture of this quirky flea market is borrowed from children's literature, I am sure. It is a jumbled conglomeration of phantasmagorical shapes and images. I loved it.  A crowded colourful and typical market to tempt tourists and locals alike. We had no room in our cases to buy anything, but the drawcard really was the 'roof of the market'.

A tempting tumble of badges and hats 

The 'roofline' of this market is phantasmagorical

Later that day we were picked up and taken to the airport. So ended our wonderful sojourn in Russia. We flew out of this intriguing country bound for Armenia with just hours to spare on our 30-day visas.