Metros, Kremlins, and Arabats - oh my!

 So I actually woke up early enough this morning to get the free breakfast they offer in the restaurant. It was decent when compared to the hostels I've been to. A selection of meats and cheeses, porridge, eggs, pastries, etc. Basically you just go down the buffet and fill up.

So I was ready when Olga shown up at 10am. We hit the Metro and started the first part of the tour, the Metro stations. Moscow takes pride in its Metro system and they have a special circular route in the very middle specifically to take you to other exchange points. The train simply travels in both directions in a circle around the heart of the city center. So these Metro stations were decked out. And with the police everywhere, there is zero crime in the subways and absolutely no graffiti. Seriously, you do NOT want to end up in a Russian jail, some folks don't EVER leave them. The stations all had different themes, usually tied to one Russian era or a specific ruler or a specific region. The artwork was stunning, each one done with a different theme and all decked out in marble.

We hit about 6 different Metro stations, the best six according to Olga, and she described the different meaning in each one. Two of them reflected the livelihoods of the the Russian states, Georgia and Ukrainian. We also got a special treat. One of the trains that travels around the inner ring is a gallery train, where one side of the train is dedicated to works of art. Reproduction photos obviously, but still a really cool thing to encounter on a subway train.

After this we hit the subway station to get out at Arabat. Its a cobblestone street that basically is known for its touristy shops, street musicians, street art for sale, and restaurants. Kind of a touristy place, but for the people that actually live in Moscow.

A cool Georganian style restaurant on Arabat.

The street was pretty cool, but I despaired to see Dunkin Donuts and a Wendy's there. There were also a number of 50s style shiny chrome "drive through" style American joints. So I could have settled down and had a burger, milkshake, and fries. I think its kind of a novelty for the Russians, but it seemed out of place to me. Kinda cool though, but we didn't stop in to check it out.

After our cruise around, she dropped me off in front of the Kremlin so I could get tickets and check it out. I got tickets to walk the grounds (though there were plenty of police making sure you didn't wander into the "working" section) and to check out the Armory.

The Armory basically consisted of rooms full of royal treasure for the last 500 years basically. Tons of silversmithing, ceramics, jewelry, etc. The coolest exhibits I seen though there the incredibly ornate book bindings for the bibles they used in the cathedrals. Beaten silver with painted ceramic and jewels adorned bibles that were about a foot wide and two feet long. They also had an entire room devoted to just royal carriages. Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to take photos of anything. I'm sure I can see it online though.

The Kremlin was, well... boring. The building were cool looking, but you couldn't go in most of them. And only about half of the Kremlin was accessible for the public. I wandered about, checked out a couple exhibits, and headed out.

Who's got big balls? Fine Putin, you win...

I left the Kremlin and was going to head back but I wanted to check out the Christopher Columbus statue first. Y'know, the one they tried to sell us and ended up stuck with, then stuck Peter the Great's head on it. It really is kind of hideous. Funny thing is - this might have been our Statue of Liberty had we not turned it down.

Lets see... what does statue need... MOAR SHIPZ!

I am so glad I decided to walked around the city a tiny bit before hitting the Metro. Moscow if fucking huge. I mean, absolutely, gigantic. It houses 11.5 millions people and - well here's Wikipedia's blurb on it.

"Moscow has the largest community of billionaires in the world. Moscow is the northernmost megacity on Earth, the most populous city in Europe, and the 5th largest city proper in the world."

The buildings aren't as tall all over as New York, but its more spread out with buildings. Also a lot older.

Anyway, the statue was situated on a little island in the middle of the canal connected by bridges. Once I got on the island, I started hearing live music.It was a popular band and song - I want to say "Just a Girl" by No Doubt, but it wasn't that. Something similar though. There was a bunch of people standing out front looking for tickets to get in, the place was called Rolling Stones. So this was a cool little rock and roll island with clubs, restaurants, live music venues, and recording studios. More English on the signs there than anywhere I've seen in Russia.

Way cool, and for Russia - its phenomenal.

On of the things I really got a kick out of was in a parking lot at the tip of the island, the had a large cage with a tree and a squirrel house in it. The little red tailed squirrel went nuts when I walked up to it. It was in uber-hyperdrive zooming up and down the cage front. It would haul ass up, look at me, then zoom down. It kept repeating it continuously. People obviously would feed it since if you put your hand somewhere near the cage, he would zoom up and sniff your hand. Then zoom away again. It was severely cute.

Natasha! Qvick! Is squirrel!

I walked down off the island to the southern grey line Metro station. In the process walking by an open air food market. Had I been staying longer I would have picked up some jam, seasoned meat, or fresh fruit they had out. But alas, I am leaving tomorrow so it would simply go to waste. I'm going to miss Moscow actually. Its a huge city, but with the police presence - you have to go out of your way to find a place where you wouldn't feel safe. If I ever take the time to learn the Russian alphabet/language, I could easily spend a couple weeks in Moscow. I will miss it.

Then again, I'm not sure my lungs could handle it. I don't have asthma or anything, but the sheer amount of pollution makes it seems like you are chewing on car exhaust every time you open your mouth. Feh.

Anyway, Metro station found and headed back to the hotel. On the way out I seen a Scorpions poster and a Baskin Robbins. So here is why travel in Moscow is difficult. The map in English you get shows the streets and such as how it sounds. Presumably you could use it to ask locals where a street is located. But the Cyrillic alphabet completely throws you off as the signs don't grok properly.

Your honor, exhibit one for your viewing pleasure.

So I hit the restaurant downstairs for dinner. The Russians don't believe in a non-smoking section and I got a weird look for even asking. Cest la vie. Had a cream of mushroom soup, some kind of ground beefsteak with sweet chili sauce, apple strudel (that was the only good thing really), a Budvar, and a shot of vodka (its a usual to have one with meals). Unfortunately, there are no restaurants anywhere near the hotel. You basically have to drive or take the Metro to find one.

I'll likely do that tomorrow. Tonight I'm watching a group of neighborhood folks make hot air balloons using the thin rice paper bag trick. I heard cheering and wondered what was happening. I also hear fireworks, so I assume some kind of "thing" if being celebrated tonight. If I only knew more Russian.

Eerrr... actually any Russian...