| After my train journey from Beijing, I spent two nights in Moscow and three more nights in St. Petersburg. |
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I was pleasantly surprised
at how much I enjoyed these places. The people were very friendly, the sites
were impressive and the prices -- for a tourist -- were moderate. |
The classic Moscow view is the Red Square in front of
the Kremlin. This view from the south also shows St. Basil's church.
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I retained my interest in free samples. I found that the
cigarette girls near the Kremlin and at many subway stations all seemed to
speak good English. The first was pushing a Russian brand and the second was
pushing that most popular Russia product - Marlboro.
Another Moscow phenomena was the many young people hanging about and enjoying
the spring weather. The next couple of students were standing outside a Metro
station and enjoying canned gin cocktails. This was a common sight.
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| I had read of the magnificent Moscow Metro subway
system. While it has some lovely decoration in some stations, I found it to be
noisy, dirty and extremely confusing. It remains the only practical way for
most people to get around. The same applies to its cousin in St. Petersburg.
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There were several magnificent churches in the Kremlin
complex. The first photo shows a mother and child in front of the great icons.
The second photo shows a small but lovely church near Arbat street.
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I took the night train to St. Petersburg where I had a
three night visit. This city was formerly Leningrad and was cooler than Moscow.
It has some great churches such as this view of the Saint Nicholas cathedral.
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I continued my long walks on aching feet. I met this
woman feeding a bird (a jackdaw?) beside one of the many canals. This car was
far older than average but more scenic.
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Many of the men that one meets are in uniform. It was
sometimes difficult to get police or military permission for photos.
The first photo is on Nevsky Prospect -- the main Moscow shopping street. The
second is in Palace Square in front of the Hermitage.
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This shows me on the opposite side of the Hermitage with
the Neva River behind me.
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The Hermitage is one the world's greatest palaces and
museums. I spent almost seven hours walking its many rooms. Highlights would
include the Van Gogh collection. There is also a great Da Vinci room and at least 20 Rembrandts.
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My final St. Petersburg night included Opera at the Mussorgsky Theatre on Michailovskaya square. The music was Puccini's Madame Butterfly sung in Russian. The sounds and scenery were a great musical highlight of my life.
Afterwards, I had an hour to visit a nightclub and do a bit of dancing. Thanks to my new Russian friends.
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