Continental Drift

With two days to explore, our first day is a quick general seeing day as tomorrow is set aside for the Hermitage, the winter palace for the Russian Royal Family.

The quickest way to get to know a city when you only have a couple of days is a Hop On Hop Off bus. Today is also a stark change of climate. 9 degrees, windy and its COLD!

Once on board and rugged up, we quickly realised how impressive this city is, so many historical buildings and the amazing history. Moscow is the political capital but St Petersburg is the historical capital. This city was in the recent past called Leningrad during the USSR days, Petrograd, in honour of Peter the Great, and was also the old capital. There is a massive sense of patriotism in St Peterburg amongst its citizens. They describe Hitler's siege lasting 872 days from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944 as "the most terrifying blockade in the history of mankind", telling of the determination and endurance of the residents of St Petersburg to protect the town and save it from destruction by the Nazis.

Peter the Great established the city on 27 May 1703 on the banks of the Neva River and, whist he was still to set up schools and universities, he invited intellectuals, architects and artists from London, Paris, Germany and elsewhere in Europe to come to create the city. We could see how so much of the city is reminiscent of Paris, London, Venice and other beautiful European cities.

Many of the buildings remind us of Paris, but it is also distinctly Russian. Peter the Great had a vision for the city and this city planning is clear as we travelled around.

Peter the Great Statue installed in 1782 in what was then called "Peter's Square", now called Decembrists Square

All the buildings are about the same height as it was decreed in the 18th century that no building shall be higher than the winter palace, the Hermitage. There are also numerous bridges over Venetian like canals.

The bridges weren't an original feature of the city as Peter the Great, a sailor, wanted people to traverse the city by boat, which the people hated. So as soon as Peter the Great moved on, bridges were installed.

Bridges are highly decorated and the most dramatic one is Anichkov bridge with four bronze cast horses. It took a while for all four horses to be installed. Each time pairs were cast, they were gifted to to Berlin as a gift to the King of Prussia, and the next set sent to Naples. The first pair modelled on stallions but the other two are modelled on mares. It is said that the "nether regions" (if viewed from below resemble Napoleon's face and/or the lover of one of the sculptor's wife).

Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square features the Hermitage on one side, The Admiralty, General Staff Building, Triumphal Arch featuring Roman Goddess of Victory, Nike, commemorating the Russian victory over Napoleonic France in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Alexander Column in the centre.

The New Hermitage, just around the corner from Palace Square, features the most impressive Atlantes, each 5 metres high carved out of grey granite that took 3 years to carve, and another three to polish.

We visited the church of The Church on the Spilled Blood, it's history is quite unique. Alternatively named the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood to symbolise both the Crucifixion of Christ but also is the site where Alexander II was mortally wounded in an assassination attempt in 1881.

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s. During the Second World War when many people were starving due to the Siege of Leningrad by Nazi German military forces, the church was used as a temporary morgue for those who died in combat and from starvation and illness. The church suffered significant damage. After the war, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Saviour on Potatoes.

We wandered Nevsky Prospect, the main street adorned with Neoclassical Buildings, including the Singer Building, the sewing machine company and, in its day, the Globe atop symbolised the spread of the company's products around the world.

Buildings are beautifully decorated and often with a sense of whimsy.

St Petersburg also boasted a Bazaar modelled on Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Its architecture is similar and now houses a series of shops and eateries.

A full day on the tourist trail, thoroughly exhausted, eyes as wide as they can be, a great day. Dinner was one of those experience where you just wing it. A staircase leading down that looked a bit dodgy, and down a dark set of stairs that surprisingly opened up to a traditional Azerbaijani restaurant full of locals. Nobody could speak English but the menu was in a form of English, and with some pointing and gesturing (which had to be repeated a couple of times as the kitchen sent word back that some things we'd ordered were unavailable) we managed to fill our table with delicious local food. We left feeling very satisfied with our efforts, and we think our waiter was too, and relieved to see us depart. Nightcap of Vodka from Siberia!

Our last day in Moscow and we still had some time in the morning for sightseeing.

We considered ourselves quite expert at navigating the subway and at only 50 rubles each, we did a little "subway spotting" as Moscow's subway platforms are magnificent. Created about 100 years ago when Art Deco was en vogue, we marvelled at the architecture and design. We stayed on the red line, getting on and off the train at 6 stations and each was unique and majestic. No need for a timetable as the next train is arriving just as the lights of the previous one fade into the distance - about 30 to 60 seconds between trains.

The main / central station at Revolution Square is a sight to behold, with its figures taken from life in Russia. Like the Russians in Irkutsk, Moscovites are equally superstitious rubbing the nose of the Dog, the gun of the Cossack or the book of the Reader as they pass by on their commute, even the willy of the little boy - not sure what that's meant to bring luck for!

Jen had a field day with the camera and the lighting and I just wondered around looking at the statues and paintings.

Moscow was a big surprise to me and totally different to what I expected. The Cold War and socialist days are definitely gone!

We are getting the hang of backpacking so caught the subway and local train to the domestic airport with no dramas. Unfortunately nearly 3 hour flight delay meant a few more beers, dinner at the airport and a late arrival in St Petersburg at our hotel around 11 pm left us a little weary.

Jen was really looking forward to this day but I could tell she was a little apprehensive. Last time here she had a little run in with Russian security guards with Kalashnikov weapons when she tried to get into the Diamond Fund.

The process of getting tickets is also a little a little tricky with various exhibits being "owned" by different Government Departments so you have to buy the tickets from separate ticket offices.

Things had changed since Jen was here as a totally new ticket booth had been established next to the Kremlin in the Alexander Gardens. There were lots of people lining up but it was only about 45 minute wait. Tickets we got were the Kremlin, the Armoury and the Diamond Fund.

After a street breakfast and then another line up for about 40 minutes to get into the Kremlin - it was going to be a busy day. Russians don't like to queue so if you are facing one way and there is a small gap, they will often jump in and act as if they were there all along! Eventually we were in and straight into the Armoury.

The Armoury was divided into sections of Russian Religious heritage, Russian royal family artefacts including carriages, weapons, clothing, dining and table ware, paintings, goblets, vases, religious icons, thrones, crowns and clocks just to name a few things, and arranged chronologically starting with pre 12 th century and then through each century to the early 20th with the removal of the Tsars. It also included the Orlov Table Service consisting over 3000 pieces of gilded gold silverware for Catherine the Great - massive wine decanters, soup terrines, plates, cutlery - incredible. The level of gold and gilding was amazing and the whole display was quite remarkable. It just gave you a glimpse into the wealth and power of the Russian Royal family. Ladles hammered out of gold nuggets, bible covers of gold, encrusted with diamonds, rubies and other precious stones. Enamel from the Russian Craftspeople of the day who were able to seemingly replicate precious metals and stones. We spent over 2 hours just wandering through the displays and at times just in amazement of the detail, and the extravagance of the artefacts.



We then visited the two main Russian Orthodox churches which Jen had not been into before. With white exteriors, a peculiar feature of Russian Orthodox churches is the presence of onion-shaped domes on top of the cupolas. The gilded gold domes stood out and sparkled when the sun's rays hit the top. Inside were the burial chambers of numerous past tsars and gold leaf painted pictures of the Russian emperors.

While visiting the heavens opened sending tourists ducking for cover. When clear skies returned, fortunately all the tourists didn't and we enjoyed the atmosphere in the square around the churches.

We then tackled the Diamond Fund. This two room display houses the best of Russia's collection of diamonds and precious jewels of the Russian family. It was spectacular with diamonds, rubies and other stones some about 2 cm in size. Also were the crowns and many other jewellery pieces.

The rest of the day was spent walking through the Kremlin, the main shopping centre next to Red Square called "GYM" (pronounced guum) were we had lunch.

and walking around St Basil's and Red Square.

We set off exploring for somewhere for dinner, finding ourselves navigating Tverskaya Street which was being rebuilt, completely. Not just in sections and resurfacing, the whole road, about two kilometres, all four lanes, plus trolley bus centre lane and footpaths, down to about three metres deep. Safety, PPE, Traffic Control and HAZOPs was being practised loosely.

We came across Guznetskiy Most, a pedestrian mall lined with restaurants and bars - a great place for people watching while we enjoyed our meal and a glass of wine, snuggled in our blankets.

Moscow's afternoon twilight is beautiful this time of year, especially with GYM illuminated with fairy lights and the fading rays highlighting the domes of St Basil's.

We arrived in Mockba after 5098 km and probably smelling a bit after 4 nights without a shower. Our friendly driver took us to the Ismaylova hotel about 5 subway stops from Red Square. We definitely enjoyed our first shower in 4 days, a change of clothes and enough time for a snooze before our guided day tour. Dmitri collected us and we immediately took off to the subway. He gave us a crash course in buying tickets (60 cents per trip) and getting around.

Exiting the the Subway at Revolution Square station, we are instantly struck by the beautiful buildings. It is quite a surreal experience in that first sight of Red Square and the Kremlin Walls. Modern life, with plenty of capitalism, then envelopes us. This is not the city that Lenin and Marx would have envisaged. And certainly much different from life and times during the Soviet Era.


Statue of Karl Marx

Our walking tour took us past the Bolshoi theatre to see if we can get last minute tickets but sadly sold out. There are actually three theatres in the complex but the main one is a spectacular building and featured on the 100 ruble note.

Dmitri then took us to an exclusively Childrens Shopping Centre with a panoramic look out. The building is 6 floors just for kids and a beautiful lead light in the ceiling depicting Russian Fairytales. It was a kids paradise.


The view from the top was amazing and it also gave Jen a chance to get her bearings as she was here in 2011. She was already sensing there had been many changes to Mockva over the past 5 years. It is a massive city - 10 lane road infrastructure one kilometre from Red Square.

On our way to scope out tickets for tomorrow, we watched the Changing of the Guard outside the Kremlin at the Eternal Flame. An enduring respect for patriots who fought and gave their lives.

We then caught the subway to Gorky Park and once on the Promenade, Dmitri turned our tour into a multimedia experience by using his Bluetooth speaker creating an incredibly poignant moment for us, playing Winds of Change by Scorpion, which opens "I follow the Moskva, Down to Gorky Park..." Goosebumps!

A storm was brewing giving an opportunity for some great photos.

The foreboding Ministry of Defence, formerly the KGB building

Gorky Park, is a wonderful green space near the city that, during Soviet times was not a nice or safe place to visit, but now it is full of cyclists, rollerbladers, prams, beach volleyball, rose gardens, and Observatory and more.

After lunch, we continued to walk around and came across a 96 m tall statue of Peter the Great in the river. It's one of this statues that you either love or hate. Our opinion was it was pretty hideous and totally over the top, out of character with the City.

We walked around the back of the Kremlin and then through a display centre of a new development on the river next to Red Square. The 5000 room Rossiya Soviet Hotel Complex has been demolished and a modern recreational, interactive, historical, cultural "SuperSpace" is going to be built. The display was pretty cool as you took an iPad and scanned QR reader codes and taking you through the new development with interactive multimedia. The Rossiya Hotel had an interesting past, bugged rooms and dodgy dealings during the Cold War.

We then walked through the White area (the original old part of Mockva) with 17th and 18th century buildings, many are still in use with their original architecture, some restored, others are crumbling. The walls seemed to talk.

A children's park featured a large sculpture installation by Mihail Chemiakin entitled Children are the Victims of Adults' Vices, "an allegory of the fight against global evil" - indifference, intolerance child labour, prostitution, alcohol, drugs. The blindfolded innocents was quite striking.

We then had the opportunity to venture in to this mid 17th Century Church in the process of being renovated. It was spectacular inside a quiet calm sanctuary that had been unchanged in over 200 years.

It was a massive day exploring Mockva - we needed a beer!

We headed home and were treated to a spectacular Russian Sunset.

Tomorrow Jen and I tackle the Kremlin and Red Square.

Morning town = Perm 2 , travelled 3600 km, 1500 km to go

Day 3 activities ....... See previous day activities. Still nothing changes.

We had a 30 minute stop late this morning and so I did the " Mission Impossible" challenge, get 2 coffees from the station and get back before the train leaves. I sprinted out the door, onto the platform, up the steps and found a coffee machine. Deciphered Russian words or so I thought, Inserted coins, dam the machine is broken. Look around and have to go deep into the station....sprint. Found second machine, put coins in, all good, 2 coffees and 15 minutes to go. Sprint back. Jen is relieved. I then found out I got 2 hot chocolates...doh!

In the late afternoon I decided to check the dining car to see what is there and see if it's like the Chinese one that was full of smokers. This dining cart was actually very clean but only looked like selling food snacks. What I did now realise was it had a fridge and I could buy beers...sweet. It took me until the last day to find this fact out...doh! The last night now was about trying to finish off all food, drink our wine and the beer we had bought.


Although, with two rounds of beers under our belts, this night for the first time we had a visit from the police! They stuck their head into our cabin, and our table had empty beer bottles and a wine bottle. We were quickly chastised for drinking in our cabin and told to get rid of the evidence - "Drinks No!" they barked. Maybe it was lucky that we found the dining car fridge on the last day - or we thing we weren't supposed to bring them back to our cabin.

Almost there.....we arrive in Mockba tomorrow morning at 4.12 am.

I have caught up on reading my book and Jen has finished two books.
Bananagrams tally Tom 2 Jen 3.
Yahtzee tally Tom 7 Jen 5