Moscow, the clean city
Moscow February 23, 2020Immigration goes smoothly, contrary to what we had expected after the time-consuming visa process. We spend some time negotiating the cab price to the city center, at night they
don't play by the rules anymore. But €30 for a 40' ride is not expensive. The boulevards are empty at this hour of the morning, and we get to enjoy the incredible lights of Moscow,
spending the first two nights at the Ibis Hotel on Bakrushina Street, away from the official registration. Putin always likes to know where you are.
The Moscow Metro is simple, clean, easy to understand, cheap, bright and spacious
The first thing on the agenda is the Moscow flea market, where Nico wants to buy a good Russian chapka.
Nico and I in the metro
The street scene is dominated by Yandex cabs and V8 machines from Europe, Audi, Mercedes G 5.3, Maybach, SUVs from Bentley and Maserati, Porsche Cayenne GT4...
*Stretchlimo Street is what I would call it!
Moscow February 24, 2020Our biological clock is two hours behind in Moscow, so we got to bed shortly after midnight body time. In the morning, we are suitably rested and head straight off to explore Red Square and the memorial to the unknown soldier. Unfortunately, the square is completely empty with a Christmas market, only the jagged changing of the guard at the Unknown Soldier speaks a little Russian.
Red Square, Basilica
There are not only bears in Russia
Moscow February 25, 2020The big day of the Tretiakov Galleries (16th-19th century and modern). The historical museum almost knocks our socks off, the density of paintings that touch us, which above all tell a Russian story, is enormous, goodbye Louvre! At the end of the day, we have walked 17 km and are exhausted from the intense impressions. A very good Georgian restaurant helps us to regain our strength.
Scenes of suffering and grief in the Tretiakov Galleries
At lunchtime we moved into our AirBnB, which is very spacious, everyone has their own large room. The heating is infernally hot, like everywhere else in Russia. The apartments and houses are heated by block heaters, which produce very cheap heat. The standard temperature is 24-25ºC, we have trouble sleeping.
Arbat Street, a mini 5th Avenue in Moscow
Moscow February 26, 2020The Cosmonautical Museum was on the agenda today. With our metro cards, it's easy to move around the city, just like in Paris, although all the connecting tunnels are much more spacious, no need for claustrophobia here.
Unfortunately, unlike Houston/Texas, the museum has no real rockets, only 1:4 scale models, but there are original modules of the MIR space station on display. Much revolves around the people in the background, the deserving engineers and officials.
Gagarin is clearly the greatest hero in Russian space travel
Inside wall of the Soyuz space capsule
Outer skin of a capsule that actually flew
A sushi stall next door convinces us with good sashimi and green neon algae. We take the 1 metro directly to the Novodievitchie women's monastery, which was unfortunately mostly closed due to construction work. It is a real fortress (Kremlin). Because of the wet snow and the cold, we decide to go to Café Pushkin. It's a beautiful, historic café in the currency of Café Flores/Paris and in the style of Café Procop or Train Bleu. The hot chocolate here is probably one of the best in the world, the silver spoon stays in it. The way home takes us through beautiful, animated canopies of lights.
Women's monastery Novodievitchie
Moscow February 27, 2020Pushkin State Museum, two buildings, one dedicated to Russians, the other to Europeans.
