A day in Moscow…

Today, December 14, we took the grand tour of Moscow. Led by one of our wonderful Gift of Life translators, we drove, walked and rode the subway to various points of interest. Traveling with a local translator is such a great way to really understand what you are seeing. An example of this is the story I was told about the government building that I photographed in my last post and also below. As I mentioned before, the building below is the Russian equivalent of our capitol building. In 1993, an attempt was made to overthrow the government of then president Boris Yeltsin. Communist party leaders actually took over the building in a coop attempt. Since the majority of the local military was loyal to Yeltsin they responded by bringing tanks to the scene and firing on this building. I think that a stable government is something that we really take for granted here in the U.S.

This is another view of our hotel, the Hotel Ukrania. I just love this building. There are several such buildings in the city used for various purposes.


While taking pictures near the entrance of the hotel, I noticed that the security police were taking special interest in my activities. Notice this officer’s ability to survey his environment while remaining nearly completely invisible. It’s a good thing for Christmas trees.


Now a little challenge for those of you who appreciate that it’s worth having clean windows. The question: Which floor is this window washer hovering at? The closest guess will win a brand new bottle of Windex.



Can anyone guess what the name of this restaurant is? Here’s a hint. Of all the things that man has created, designed or invented only one has reliably shown that it can remain constant over time and space. That one thing is the Big Mac. Think about it, this sandwich looks, smells, and tastes exactly the same today in the city of Moscow as it did 25 years ago in my home town of Attleboro. Pretty amazing!



What would a day in Moscow be without some shopping? Here you see Holly diligently examining every trinket in this store to find the perfect gift for every person on her shopping list? Now don’t you wish you were on that list?



Of course, any tour of Moscow would be incomplete without a stroll through Red Square. Here are a couple of perspectives on St. Basil’s, one of the most iconic symbols of Russia. It really is an amazing sight. On its own, it would be worth all of the pictures that have ever been taken of it, but to see it in its environment, on one end of the wide open cobble stone expanse of Red Square, adds to it in a way that a picture cannot tell.




A really pretty sight just outside the Kremlin wall near the Russian version of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


I guess capitalism is in high gear here in the new Russia.


I would like to leave you with a few more thoughts on Russian life. First, I have another entrepreneurial tip. Russia definatly needs more lawyers. Why do you ask? Russian sidewalks are perpetually covered in ice, even in front of and on the steps of all manner of public buildings including stores, restaurants, hotels, and other such businesses. Add to that the fact that there are very few railings or suitable hand-holds to prevent slip-and-fall accidents, and you have a recipe for a very successful western style law practice.

Also, on a related matter, the topic of Russian driving is certainly worth a mention. I have learned much in this subject in the last few days. Here is a small list of observations.

1) Merging: Russian drivers have shown me time and again that two objects can in fact occupy the same space at the same time.
2) The Vehicular Theory of Relativity: The phrases “Right side of the road”, “Middle of the road”, and “Wrong side of the road” are all relative.
3) Pedestrian alert: Russian pedestrians, to their credit, have learned to associate the sound of an automobile horn with the concept of certain death. The typical American baggy-panted, cap-wearing, rebellious teen sauntering across the road would become extinct in short order in Russia.
4) Speed limits: Vehicle speeds in Russia are not limited by any law of the government but rather are only limited by the laws of physics.
5) Sidewalks: The term sidewalk in Russia is actually a misnomer. The terms sidedrive, sidepark, and siderunforyourlife could all be used interchangeably.

Our next post will be from Novokuznetsk after our first visit with Lilya. Its fun being a tourist, but we must remember what we are really here for.

God bless.