Moscow Day 2: Red Square
They really don't make it tourist-friendly to come to Russia. First, the visa is a pain. They literally put the exact date you will be in Russia, no more, no less. Better make sure you plan it just so, or you will get stuck for quite a bit in immigration. Second, there is no concept of service, even if they're in the service business! It's quite amazing really, Russian hospitality... It's even worse than Paris!There are loads of other examples but bottomline, they seem to make it intentionally difficult for tourists - I get that no one speaks English. But parking your stuff before you see Lenin's Tomb and walking all around the Red Square, the LARGEST square in the world, to get it back is ridiculous. Or how about charging at least 100 rubles (P200) camera fee on top of the already-steep entrance fees!! This is the only country I know which does that so tip for future travelers - bring a small camera and smuggle it in. This is just highway robbery.
The only consolation for all this pain is that St. Basil's Cathedral takes your breath away. No picture can ever prepare you for the crazy kaleidoscope of colors that hits you as you enter the Square. So forgive me if I post a couple dozen pictures of the church from all angles. :) In case you wonder why there are no shots of the inside, it's because there was nothing much to see.
Lenin's tomb was also in the Square though that was a bit of a let-down - too much bureaucracy to get through (we had to bribe our way to skip the long queue) and nothing much to see inside. We were in and out in 2 minutes, and being shush'd the entire time.
Ezer and I skipped the walking side tour of Lonely Planet to have a fabulous long lunch of blinis, Beluga caviar (yum yum yum) and white wine at the side cafe on Gum, the super-nice department store on the square (it's the building that's all lit up with lights at night). That fed us enough for the long walk to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the official church of the Russian Orthodox. It's only about 7 years old as it was burned down a couple of times till they re-built the whole thing. It's definitely worth a visit - it looks so grand inside.
We wanted to maximize our visit so we went on a tour of the subway stations after. Ok, before you start laughing, let me point out a couple of things. In Russia, it's super sulit to go walking around even at night because the it doesn't get dark till midnight! Their subway station is also the lowest in the world. They dug the stations beneath the river! You won't be able to see the end of the escalator when you get on. And it's impossible to go via stairs. You'd just keel over in a puddle of sweat.
There were stations which really felt like art museums, from the ceiling art to the paintings, sculptures and mosaics that surround it. It's the only station I've been to in the world which didn't have a single piece of grafitti on it. Good idea to keep away the vandals - no one would want to violate such beauty. There are other nicer pictures but my camera battery died. :)
It's too bad really. Moscow is a nice city! There's so much of Russian history, architecture and culture that it just brings so much character to the place. And they would have a higher share of tourists if they just made it a teeny tiny bit easier to go there and get around. A smile wouldn't hurt either. But that may be too much to ask.
posted by moan @ 9:58 PM
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