Arrival in Moscow

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

As scheduled, we docked in Moscow at about 1:00 this afternoon, and were soon on our way into the city center.  Accompanied by a local guide, Lara, and Vadim, we took the Metro from a station near the pier.  We stopped to explore a couple of the famed subway system’s stations enroute.  As Lara explained, the most highly decorated ones date from the Stalin era, as architecture and ornate design were emblematic of Stalin’s dictates.  Each station had special lighting, various types of marble and onyx walls and detailing, and some type of unifying theme.  One had MANY large bronze statues extolling the heroism of the first world war era, and another featured domed ceiling mosaics highlighting flight in various forms (including ski jumping!); the stop at the Bolshoi Theater was adorned with ceramic reliefs of various performing artists.  The Metro was fast, clean, cheap (less than $1 per ride), and easy to navigate (even if we’d been on our own), as essential signage was in English as well as Russian.

 

We emerged from the station at Red Square and were free to wander around the area on our own for a while.  The square is enormous, and bordered by some easily recognizable landmarks – Lenin’s Tomb, the Kremlin Wall, the Cathedral of St. Basil (with its Disneyland-esque riot of multicolored and patterned domes), and the vast expanse of the GUM (pronounced “goom”) department store.  In stark contrast to the gray and chilly mist of the city today, the interior arcades of GUM were a fantasy of spring flowers and fountains.  This is a shopping mall like no other and, at the same time, like so many others.  Its design is elegant and harmonious, and every luxury brand is represented with its own shop part of the unified plan.  Who among the typical Moscow citizen shops there, we’re not sure, but every level and every wing of the arcaded retail mecca was full of wandering tourists.

Just outside Red Square are the Alexander Gardens and within the park and in the shadow of the Kremlin Wall is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with its eternal flame and vigilant guardians.  We witnessed the ceremonial Changing of the Guard, with the arrival of goose-stepping, stone-faced soldiers taking up their posts.  As we walked through the Gardens, we enjoyed the meticulously maintained flower beds bursting with tulips, fountains peopled with bronze statues depicting characters from Russian fairy tales, and honoring national heroes.  

Leaving the gardens, we had a taste of the infamous Moscow traffic crawling around the Kremlin walls and a view of the enormous statue of Vladimir the Bright Sun, who introduced Christianity to Russia from Byzantium in 988.  

We visited the Cathedral of Christ Our Savior, the center of the Russian Orthodox Church and seat of its Patriarch.  The present structure was built in this century, after the original cathedral, which commemorated the victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812, was blown up by Stalin.  His plans to build a monument to Lenin on the site were thwarted by the fact that the land flooded with water; Khrushchev wound up building an outdoor swimming pool there instead! The present church is massive, topped by multiple golden domes, and cavernous inside.  We were a bit taken aback to see a pair of red neon signs flanking the upper reaches of the iconostasis.  Lara explained that they proclaimed “Christ Risen” and are lit only during the Easter season.

From the cathedral, we walked out on a bridge spanning the Moscow River to get a view of the Kremlin, the city center, and a monument to the Russian Navy and its founder, Peter the Great.  We also saw one of the seven identical skyscrapers Stalin had constructed to house various offices, apartments, and university buildings.  As we traveled around the city, we were to see others of this group of buildings that are very reminiscent of a massive building we'd in Warsaw; it was a gift to Poland from Russia.

At Sparrow Hill, adjacent to Moscow University and the highest point in the city, there was a panoramic view of the skyline, including several of Stalin’s “septuplet” skyscrapers, one of which is the centerpiece of the university.  

A drive down the hill along a wide Prospekt bordered by embassies and residences and reception halls for governmental VIPs, brought us to a concert hall where we enjoyed a surprisingly (to us) wonderful concert of Russian music – classical, folk, contemporary, orchestral and vocal – featuring traditional Russian instruments.  We’ve had three musical experiences on this trip and each has been extraordinary.

Back on board at about 9:30, we had a late dinner, a later recap for this post, and a too-late bedtime, given the full day ahead of us tomorrow.  Nevertheless, it was a fine introduction to Moscow.