Moscow

After flying out of Munich we spent 3 days in Moscow, the commercial hub of Russia, where we stayed in the uniquely named Chocolate Hostel. Ian said it was typical of Russian accommodation! All I can say is the outside was so NOT an hotel ....no number or sign on the outside ......you guess it was no more than a small apartment block......and upon entering you would believe that the building was derelict!

But no......keep walking in and up the dark concrete stairs to the next floor, through two more doors and turn right..... You will be in what all I can describe as a tiny entrance leading to a communal kitchen and eating place, ( the tv on with Russian thriller playing) on up the hall past a shared bathroom and toilet. We had our own room with two single beds and a set of bunks and a set of metal cupboards but most of the other rooms had people sharing.The heating was on FULL and it was soooooo hot. Outside the temp was 0 and inside 30 +? so every time you came back in it was get all the coats etc off fast! And the reason it had its name was on the kitchen table was always a jug of hot chocolate!

We spent 3 very interesting days in Moscow walking walking walking.



St Basils.


Red square




The Kremlin.

Lenin's Tomb was under renovation so no go there could only see from the outside and we spotted Stalins grave as one of the chosen along the wall.



Divenchy cemetery where lots of poets, actors and people that were not in favour with the communist regime are buried.



Gorky Park, ( where Ian was seen waiting for the drop off! )



And where we were entranced by the little red squirrels. (Next post I have the cutest movie of a squirrel burying a nut )


Church of Christ the Saviour


and several museums.

On one walk we came across the modern Art Museum that out in a courtyard in a rather a jumble were some very interesting statues that appeared to have at one time to have been in public then removed and " stored" somewhere.



We had got rather confused on the first day with the underground as each exit for each station is named a different name! So we did not travel much on it until we translated the alphabet... Now that made it easier. 12 million people in Moscow and rush hour certainly lasts a long time.

The city is full of designer everything and glitz is everywhere. The cars are mostly European and big and expensive. Living there is very expensive, in fact it is more expensive to live in Moscow than Paris or London. A cup of coffee was commonly over NZ $8 and eating out after day 1 was relegated to MacDonalds! Yes even Ian had to admit it was the right thing to do! The only thing is with Maccas it goes down so fast!


We saw some amazing department stores one called GUM that faces Red Square has been there since the early 1900's and is full of little trendy stores. One was a store that had all the stuff for the winter Olympics that will be in So in 2014.... Even down to clothes for your pooches and kitties!



On Moscow’s Tverskaya Street, is one of Moscow’s oldest grocery stores. It is an old food store with glittering rock crystal in the shop windows, gilded arches, columns and chandeliers. They have everything for you... smoked fish, caviar, chocolates and even jars of peanut butter!



After 3 days we had to pack up and made our way to the railway station to catch the train to Ulan Ude.

Five days in a train! Oh soooo excited