Russia Trip Diary - Part 3

Russia Trip Diary - Part 3

Day Seven – 15th October 2009

According to the programme we were supposed to have gone to the Kremlin at 10:30am but since we had done this yesterday we had the morning free. I woke up about 8:30am and went down for breakfast for the first time in the Moscow hotel. When we got to the ground floor we needed to get a small white piece of paper from reception and then give it to one of the women who were working in the cafe. After this I was handed a bowl of porridge and some sort of egg dish. It was hard not to compare this to the wide choice we had in St. Petersburg, a fact that depressed us even more.

Over breakfast Anna told us about what happened at the police station (see above). We also decided on what we should do in our free time. I really wanted to go into Lenin’s Mausoleum and see the body of a figure that I studied about during my A levels. I always took an interest in reading about the Bolshevik Revolution so this was the top of the to do list for me. So we rode the Metro and found our way to the Red Square. You were not allowed to take any bags into the Mausoleum so we took it in turns to go inside. I was first and so I left my things with K and passed through security who was keen for no cameras to pass. I walked by the Kremlin wall looking at the signs in the memories of individuals key to the Soviet State. After this I walked inside the Mausoleum which is built completely from marble. The main chamber where Lenin’s body lays was a square room of marble. Looking at him through the glass I walked around the room following the permitted path. He was white as a ghost and looked as if he was just sleeping. I’ve never seen a dead body before so this was a first for me. After a few moments in the square chamber it was time to leave with a memory I will not forget. After I left the Mausoleum there were the graves of the other leaders of the Soviet Union including Stalin. This was another experience that I will not soon forget. I enjoy history and this was a dream come true (as sad as this sounds).

When it was K’s turn to look at Lenin I perused around the nearby souvenir stands and the nearby restaurants with E. After we were reunited we had lunch at the American pizza chain ‘Sparro’ – keeping with Russian culture of course. After a few slices of pizza and being compared to a 15 year old American boy we had a look around the shopping mall which the Sparro formed a part of.

By 2pm we met the rest of the tour group and went over the trip to the Kremlin and then waited for the Russian students whom we would be spending the evening with who came at 3pm. I was put in a group with D from Austria who seemed a really nice girl to talk to and one of the Australian annoyances from the train. As on the train, her fakeness shined through like the sun but everyone could see through it and even the Russian students commented on her the day after.

Our Russian students were really friendly and showed us some parts of Moscow that we had not seen before. We went to Christ The Saviour Cathedral which was styled in the traditional lavish Orthodox way. After this we went shopping and made dinner at A’s apartment which I enjoyed. By midnight just before the Metro was about to close we said our goodbyes and thanks to the Russian students and looked forward to seeing them the next day.

Day Eight – 16th October 2009

This was the day when we were supposed to talk to the political opposition Liberal Party but unfortunately for us there were elections to the Moscow City Council the week before and this led to a political row. Both the Communist Party and the Liberal Party accused the governing United Russia Party of electoral fraud. Under this cloud it was clear that the Liberal Party was too busy complaining about the results of this election to talk to us so they cancelled two days before we were supposed to talk to them. I was disappointed about this because I am interested in politics and would have liked to hear what they had to say about the political dynamics of Russia. However, this was not meant to be so instead we had three choices. I took Mie’s choice which was to go to the Novodevichye Cemetery which housed the graves of a number of famous writers and politicians and then we went to Novodevichye Monastery right next to it where Tsars would send their wives when they wanted a new one.

After this we walked along the river for some distance until we reached Smolenskaya which would take us to Arbot. Arbot is a street where artists would show their paintings and put them up for sale. There were also a number of souvenir shops as well in which I bought some of my gifts and souvenirs. Before we reached Arbot we came to the Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade which are housed in a huge Soviet building. The magnitude of this building was breathtaking particularly as it still had the symbol of the Soviet age in concrete on the large building.

As soon as we reached Arbot the group dispersed to look at the artists’ works that mostly consisted of paintings. I had a close look at a few of the paintings and even had a short discussion with one of the painters who wanted to practice his English. As soon as I was done looking around I realised everyone else had already left. Rather than catching up with them I decided to hunt for souvenirs and gifts and then meet up with them later. This is what I did and after I was finished on Arbot I walked straight to the centre using my trusty map.

When I reached General Zhukov’s statue my stomach was empty despite the lavish breakfast I had. I had two choices, either Sparro again or McDonalds. I went for McDonalds to keep in the Russian cultural spirit of the trip and also I haven’t had McDonalds in a while so why the hell not! I ate it in the nearby park close to the Kremlin wall and then met up with a few people from the group.

By 8pm we were meeting up with the Russian students again. The Australian decided she’d rather go drinking than go to a restaurant with us – a fact that I was very pleased with and may have shown this fact a little too much. Anyway, with the ‘tragic’ loss of one of our group we plodded on to Arbot and saw what it looked like at night. A few children, none older than twelve, played the violin in the street busking for money. One was selling masks to passersby. I was shocked that children so young were doing this so late by themselves. We then went to a pancake cafe where we ate and chatted until the cafe was closing. After this we went on the Metro to one particular station that was decorated more so than the others. The station had bronze statues of idealistic looking workers. We were told that people rubbed these bronze statues for good luck. One statue had a dog whose nose had been rubbed to such an extent that it was a different colour to the rest of its body.

After this we said our goodbyes and exchanged emails. It was raining heavily that night so I finally took the bus in Moscow to the hotel rather than walking the 2km. On previous nights I walked back with the people I was with and on one occasion we saw a pack of stray dogs and a number of rats near a construction site. Unfortunately for me it was raining so I wouldn’t get to see such sights of Moscow that night.

Day Nine – 17th October 2009

After a breakfast of porridge and egg once again and dealing with the strange rules of where you could sit we all met at 11am for a coach trip outside Moscow to Sergiev Posad, a small monastery town over an hour away from Moscow. The coach ride had its own interesting events. The night before, E drank way too much and spent a while vomiting in the toilet of our flat. It was quite an impressive puking session that lasted for the majority of the night. K got up and helped E to bed. In my defence I was half asleep and nice and warm under the covers I couldn’t physically get up to help. Anyway, I’m writing this because it provides background to the coach journey. I was sitting next to E on the coach and E was really hungover and looked ready to vomit at any time. I did not want sick on my favourite coat so I was keen to sort the situation out in a way that would keep my coat (and the rest of me) vomit free. When things got bad I proposed that she sat at the front where it would be less bumpy and got a bag to her with the help of those around me. I had the window seat so I was trapped between glass and E who was about to puke. So despite the fact that I think E is a cool person and I hope to keep contact with her after the tour, I was glad that she moved to the front of the coach. As it happens she was vomiting quite a lot which gave me less of a reason to feel guilty.

When we got to the Monastery town two hours later the breakfast was wearing off and we needed something to eat. Once again there were two options McDonalds or a Russian Cafe that was some distance away. As we parked right outside the McDonalds and nature called I had no other option but to have McDonalds for the second time in a week. It tasted so good but I know it was wrong.

Anyway, after eating my BigMac we walked to the Monastery and had a tour which was quite informative. After the tour we went into an Orthodox ceremony which is different from other branches of Christianity. People lined up to spend a few moments nearby a Saints silver coffin. Many kissed it and there were a lot of cross sign making with their fingers too. The room itself was well decorated with paintings on the ceilings and walls depicting stories of the Saint of the Monastery.

After this we went back on the coach and took the ride back to the concrete of Moscow.

At 8pm we all met in the lobby and took the Metro to a really nice cafe for our farewell dinner. We talked about the trip and what we would take from it. It was sad that the trip was coming to an end but I was glad that I came on the trip saw what I always wanted to see and met some nice people on the way.

The Last Day – 18th October 2009

We had breakfast for the last time and handed in our keys. The coach picked us up at 11am and we travelled to the airport. I took a few photos on the way and took my last few glimpses of Moscow. When we got to the airport we had an hour before we could get through security so a few of us went to TGI Fridays for something to eat after our filling breakfast (not). I had the burger but was denied my last vodka shot in Russia. The waitress could not serve it to me because of a law that came into force quite recently about serving pure spirits in airports and train stations.

After this it was time to pass security. During which we had to enter this huge x-ray machine which I hope to god hasn’t given us cancer! We then got on the airport and left Russia.

When I got back to my room in Copenhagen it felt really good to be back. When I left just nine days and 9000 words ago I couldn’t wait to leave so the trip was just what I needed. The trip will not be forgotten any time soon. Yes there were logistical problems due to the size of the group but every trip has its hiccups and the two guides did an excellent job in showing us both sides of Russia in its two major cities.