Sunday Moscow... A surprising  city

We have now had our first 24 hours in Moscow and it has been a journey from one astonishing thing to the next.

From the gigantic Stalin's 7 Sister in the dark, to the magnificent churches in the Kremlin, to the giant Teddy sitting next to me at dinner, Moscow is not what I expected.

There are the predictable things, like the soldiers in big caps in Red Square, the scary Lubyanka,  lots of vodka, and snow, but really Moscow is now a bustling cosmopolitan city that proudly displays its long and rich imperial history like London, Paris, Vienna , or Rome.

And the fascinating thing is that both the communists and current government have added to the grandeur of the city with immense buildings that enhance the whole impression of classical beauty.

Stalin's Sister

Red Square

Cathedral of Christ the saviour (built this century!)

St Basil's Cathedral

So tomorrow we  are off to explore the subways, get some exercise in Gorky Park, and not buy a furry hat!

For the atmosphere  (88 Mb so be warned)

Here is a 1 minute video that is typical of the 8400 minutes of the journeyfrom Beijing.

Now don't get me wrong , this is a great trip for the mind and the body, and will give you a new perspective on the world.

Friday

17 April 2015

04:55

Today is another big   day that we are both very excited about.

First, at km 2102 we leave Siberia ( stop me if I am boring you), and then at km 1777 we finally leave Asia and enter Europe again…

 

 

 

This of course means we are now crossing the Urals, and as you see from the picture below, they are more like the Jura than the Alps. But they are geographically significant and I am glad I am not having to walk over them in the middle of the 2000mile march to exile in Siberia.

 

And only a day and a half to go to Moscow . Fiona has started packing.

 

I am getting rather anxious as well. Will I be able to leave the security of our little compartment /womb after 5 day and  re-enter the big world ? I need to do some deep breathing

 

Finally, it is good to see that the train is well maintained , and the wheel tappers were at work again in Yekaterinaburg. Not sure what they do but it is reassuring.