July 28 Moscow Russia

Today was a VERY long day, but well worth it.  We got up at 4am to catch the high speed train to Moscow.  After a 4-hour train ride we toured Moscow until getting back on the train at 7:30pm.  We arrived back aboard at about 12:30am, showered and went to bed by 1am.  But it was great -- amd we have LOTS of pictures from the day.

Even at 5am, Putin is showing the world his middle finger, or another alliteratively named appendage.

 Our guide for the day, Vadim.  He shepherded us on the bus to the train, to Moscow, around Moscow, back on the train and the bus to the ship.  And infinitely patient, even when he had to go find two "slow walkers" who managed to get lost in the 100 yards from the GUM store to the bus in Moscow.

 This is the big Navy Day celebration -- and we're leaving town and traffic behind.  We were told afterwards by friends who were at the deserted Hermitage during the day that there were boats and parades and bands and a lot of military flyovers during the day.

 The train station.  We're on 755 leaving on track 11 at 6:50am.

 White glove service from the Sapsan train staff.

 The highest speed I saw on the display was 230 kph, or 143mph.  The advertising says over 200mph, but I didn't see it.  And the train car must have been a Faraday cage since the GPS didn't work at all onboard.

 Off the train and onto the bus for our city tour.  The driver had this hanging from the rear view mirror.  I'm guessing it means he was a sergeant but I don't know anything else.

 Not a good picture, but had to include it.  That's the old KGB headquarters, where people were taken and never seen again.

 Also taken through the bus window (hence the rainbow effect) -- a hugely cantilevered pedestrian viewpoint of the Kremlin and Moscow river.

 For a place that was godless from 1917 until 1991, there were a lot of churches around.  This one is new, having been built over a swimming pool which had replaced the previous, demolished church. This is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

 As we went inside we passed this sign.  I had a hard time seeing the inside of the church for all of the people holding up their cellphones taking pictures.

 Exterior decoration of the cathedral

 Peter the Great

 Moscow River and the Kremlin.  The Kremlin refers to the fort on the top of the hill.  You can see two watchtowers on the left, one in the middle and one in the distant right -- all arrayed along the Kremlin wall.

 Moscow is like any other big city -- they have rental bikes and scooters.  Here the scooters fold up for insertion into the rack rather than being left anywhere.

 Moscow's modern downtown, with skyscrapers and architecture.  That's the "DNA" building on the right.

 Another church, but I couldn't tell you which one.  In another post I'll show you the GPS problems I had in Moscow, which affects the geotagging of the pictures.

 After a coffee break, we go for a ride on the Moscow Metro

 Our local guide in Moscow, Sema (a shortening of a long Greek name).  She was very knowledgeable, and both she and Vadim had English skills far beyond anything in Archangel and Murmansk.  That's the Moscow Metro map behind her.  We went one stop along the blue line.

 Down into the subway tunnel.

 Very ornate, as most of the early subway stations were.  Later on they became more austere.

 Bronze sculptures extolling the Soviet Life, from revolutionary to sports player to mother.

I'm not sure what this is.The geotagging looks good, but I can't find a name for this on Google Maps.  It does appear to be a gate into Red Square, which we'll enter much later after circling through the Kremlin.

 At the Russian equivalent of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier we have an impromptu Rockette performance.  Actually, this is a goose stepping officer coming out to inspect the guard.

The double headed eagle of the Russian Republic

  We entered the Kremlin, through an airport type security screening.  Putin's office is in the Kremlin, although he was in St. Petersburg.  I think you also had to have tickets, but since our guide handled all of that stuff, I'm not sure.

 One of the Kremlin wall watchtowers

 Inside the Kremlin is Cathedral Square, an open area surrounded by three different cathedrals.  For a godless society, I was surprised by the number and ornateness in the KREMLIN.

 This is a palace of the czars, now a museum where we saw cultural antiquities, including a collection of Fabrege eggs.  No pictures allowed, with steely eyed Russian women watching your every move.

 This bell was damaged during a fire in the bell tower.  After getting hot, the fire was dowsed with cold water, resulting in cracks and complete separation of a portion of the bell.

 The image of Moscow that we've probably seen a million times on television, "...reporting from Red Square..."  The colors and detail are amazing, it looks more like something Disney would do that the grey and colorless (as we think of them) Russians.  Yet there it was.

 The State History Museum at the other end of Red Square.  Down this strip of road is where you see the Russian (previously Soviet) military parades.

 Across Red Square, the GUM department store.

 Lenin's Tomb.  On that pedestal above the tomb is where the Russian leaders review the military parade (and where people who had fallen out of favor were airbrushed out of the pictures).  The building behind are the government offices of the Kremlin.

 Nikolskaya Street, alongside GUM.  Lots of twinkly lights.

 Finally, back in the bus for a trip to the Hilton Hotel for dinner.  We passed this on the way -- might have been a more interesting dinner than the beef stroganoff (with caviar and vodka for starters).

 Seen on Moscow streets.

 After dinner and another 4-hour train ride, we board the bus to go back to the ship.  And Navy Day is still going on, at least in the many bars and restaurants in the city.  You can see that the sailor second from the left has developed a list to port during the evening.