Moscow

Soumenlinna - Helsinki - Tallinn - St Petersburg - Moscow

• Try to learn Russian in bits, its not very different from English. Keep a map of metro lines with you as it is a lifeline in Moscow.
• Most of the attractions are concentrated around Red Square. Kremlin's armoury show is most sought after and you should reach early to buy tickets there.
• Dont forget to try the river cruise and the Russian way of drinking vodka - that is quick shots in succession.

Moscow was convenient and exhausting at the same time. The capital of Russia is grand in every possible way and yet broken into clusters that stand by themselves. Moscow is a city of cities just like any major capital in the world. It has couple of jewels, just like any major town, that fall in many a traveller's bucket list. It has a river flowing right across it. Add to that the football fever that was peaking when we reached with the host city inaugurating the FIFA world cup in a week time. We were at the right place before time.

Arbat Street

Our train from Saint Petersberg arrived at a station that was walking distance from the hotel we had booked. That was pure chance. There was more luck to fall in our way. The hotel room was big and there was a Aushan Supermart right across the road. We made it a routine to visit the mart every evening for our daily needs including basic food. The bakery at Aushan was amazing and we had a ball at super low expense.

St. Basil's Church

We visited Arbat Street on our first day in Moscow. The Hard Rock Moscow is located here and it was on our checklist. The street was buzzing and inviting - there was a street play going on at one end and a guy was playing violin. As we went deeper, we found small joints full of people and couple of Indian restaurants as well. Eventually we settled at Hard Rock and tried the Russian way of drinking - which is taking the vodka shots frequently. We were zoned out in not time. Thanks to Uber service we reached our hotel in a strange city without hiccups.

Red Square Building

Next day was for the giants. We reached the Red Square taking a metro line which in itself was some experience. Underground metros in Moscow are old and part of a legacy. We crossed the gigantic Bolshoi Theatre on our way and were at the ground across the Kremlin in no time. The area is dense with attractions in all directions. On one side is Gum Street, the old government controlled shop thats now hub to all major brands. Opposite is the Kremlin. On left is St. Basil's Church famous for ice cups and on the right is the Red Square building.

Inside Gum Shop

We spent an hour appreciating the landmarks in all four directions before entering Gum Street. The mall was buzzing on a weekend. We decided to take our lunch at a lavish restaurant. It started raining outside but our plan was tight. We took few pictures in from of St. Basil's and quickly moved towards Kremlin. The entry tickets to Kremlin are high and yet there was an hour long queue. Tickets for the armoury were over hence we settled for the three churches. Part of the ticket was a makeshift expo of Ming Dynasty artefacts. They were made of ivory, jade even ceramic but the most stunning were those in blood red made of wood.

Czar's Cannon inside Kremlin

We walked out of the other end of Kremlin and started walking along the Moskva river. There was a church visible not far from here that we decided to check out. As we got closer we realised this must be a special structure given the size and location. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is one of prime attractions in Moscow. Inside the walls and roof are painted exquisitely with stories of Jesus. Outside a bridge crops out of the plateau on which the cathedral is built. The bridge takes you to a sky high statue of Peter the Great.

Inside Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Close to the Cathedral is Pushkin Museum of Modern Arts and we decided to take a look despite our apathy towards Museums. This was special. A whole section was dedicated to Rembrandt and that was just a beginning. There were stones with strange scripts dating back to couple of thousands of years, excavated in Egypt. It was our first experience with such artefacts and we loved it. Couple of Da Vinci's were there as well. Most of the collection belonged to Queen Catherine who was a collector of arts. We were tired witnessing some of the most sought after paintings and statues.

A Rembrandt in Pushkin Museum

Plan for next day was simple and less tiresome. We went for the river cruise which covered entire Moscow including the Luzhniki Stadium which was going to be home to FIFA World Cup finals. Food was served on table and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The cruise dropped us near Radisson Royal from where sky-jutting skyscrapers were visible. This is the business district that hosts some of the tallest towers in Russia. We walked and stood among the towers and were amazed by the designs.

Business District, Moscow

Next we visited Cosmonaut Museum which was on the opposite side of city but closer to our hotel. Russia has a rich and proud history of space travel and we saw first hand some of the remains of those first rockets that took humans up there. There was a whole section dedicated to Yuri Gagarin. We reached our hotel room late. Next day we had to leave for India after a long three country trip and we were somehow looking forward to be back home.