Russian Wedding!

The video was taking to long to load in the post and I forgot to add the link after I finished writing anyway, so here it is! 

Moscow, the heart of the Bear (Part 3, This is the last of Moscow)

Saturday. I awake, refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Having showered and dressed, I set off for breakfast (again at the Funky Lime). It was a cold morning, the wind was blowing strongly and the sky was clear. We had a few planned events for the day: a tour of an art gallery, and then the circus in the evening. Before arriving in Moscow though, I had decided to forgo the day's events in favor of my own exploring. So after breakfast, a Russian friend of mine and I (along with my water bottle!) set off on our own to see Moscow up close and personal.

My goals for the day:

Парк Победы (Victory Park)
Воробьёвы Горы (Sparrow Hills)
МГУ (Moscow State University)
The American Embassy
And anything along the way

   I ended up accomplishing most of these goals. I did not make it to the American Embassy, but that is okay. So, let's check out the sites that I did make it to:

Парк Победы (Park Pabedii)/Victory Park


     There's a joke among students of Russia that every town in the country has at least three things:
1. A statue of Lenin
2. Плошадь Ленина (Lenin Square)
3. Парк Победы/Victory park

  I haven't been to every town in Russia to confirm it, but I would not be surprised if it were mostly true. Moscow and St. Petersburg are no different. Back to the story.

    I found myself on that cold and windy Saturday at Victory Park. The park serves as a memorial specifically to World War II, but there are also references to the Napoleonic Wars. Near the park (across and down the street a bit) you will find a large monument that looks like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And that little tidbit is actually a bit funny as it was built to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in the early 1800s. Today, the monument stands alone, a reminder to past battles that no one today remembers. It is a testament to resistance that was again called upon almost 120 years later when the Soviet Union was invaded by Hitler's armies. And the memorials to that resistance are right across the street.

   In the U.S., every town has some sort of monument to veterans who have fought in our country's wars. And in cemeteries, the grave's of veterans are marked to identify their service. I've seen my fair share of memorials and walked through cemeteries, feeling the silence and sacredness of the place. Russia's monuments and memorials evoke that same sense of calm, but to an even greater degree than I've ever experienced before. When my friend and I walked up to this place, I felt as if I was stepping into another world, a world between worlds; the past standing tall and proud, yet sad, the present looking on the past with admiration and sorrow, remembering the horrors that were witnessed, and the future, hoping we never have to make any monuments like these again. The approach to the park is a long square. On the left are lined up memorials to every front where fighting took place during the defense of the Soviet Union. The monuments led up to a huge monolith, standing tall and piercing the sky, defiantly. In front of this monolith was St. George on this horse (the patron of Moscow) slaying the dragon (the Fascists). Engraved on the monument were the names of every battle fought during the war and every city that suffered and contributed to the war effort. I just gazed in awe at the whole sight. Behind the monolith was a building built in a semicircle with an eternal flame burning inside the arc. The building was a museum. We decided not to go to the museum and instead moved past the building into the interior of the park.

    As we walked around the building, we stopped to gaze at the view in front of us. The blue sky was spread out above a park filled with trees of various fall colors. There was a wedding party out in front of us, taking the traditional pictures around town (It was to be the first of many wedding parties we saw that day). We took our own pictures and descended the steps into the park. The small road wound its way through the trees, offering the park goer the chance to relax and focus. The park itself is located outside of the craziness of the city and even with a road near the park, no sounds break through. Our stroll was undisturbed by the world around us. The park is dotted with several monuments and there is a special section that contains vehicles and weapons from the war. We took the main road through the park, looking at a few of the many monuments there. Not all of them were built during the Soviet Union. One was built only a few years ago commemorating the unity of the people of the Soviet Union in eliminating the fascist threat.

   You can feel the strength that the Soviet people showed during the war walking in a place like this. It is something that I've never felt at a U.S. memorial. Our struggle during the war was across the ocean. We saw the war on maps, in newspapers, in magazines, and on the TV. In Europe, it was a different story. To see the war, they only had to look out their windows. In Russia, millions of civilians died while fighting raged around them. And yet they persevered. Our struggle was nothing compared to that of Russia's and we must not forget that. Men, women, and even children fought for their country here on that same earth that I've been walking on since arriving in Russia. They didn't need to go far to defend their families; maybe just down the block or to the next town over. I could feel their strength as we walked through the park.

  The next monument we came to was unexpected. As we turned to leave the park, a monument stood with four soldiers walking side by side. At the top of the monument was a symbol I immediately recognized: a flattened face of Earth with olive branches on the sides, the symbol of the United Nations. The monument itself commemorated the struggle and friendship of the "Anti-Hitler coalition," Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The four soldiers represented their respective countries, in solidarity and friendship against the evils of the world. It would be nice to see that cooperation today.

   We moved on, back towards the main square. The final monument that we came too was perhaps the most powerful of them all. It was all black with tall figures resembling humans lined up. As the line moved back, the figures began to fall until they were consumed into the earth. This memorial was titled, "The Tragedy of the People." Behind the figures, were large black stones with writing on them. Each stone had a different language. There was Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Hebrew, and many others. They all repeated the same lines: "There will be a memorial to them. It will sacredly be preserved for the centuries." Short limes, but powerful. On the other side of the monument was a replication of all the things that people died with or left behind. There were children's toys, books, a violin, clothes, shoes, and many other things to remind us that they were people too and lived full lives until the end. It was enough to make you pause and wonder if we can ever make up for all the wrong we've caused in the world.

 I think we can at least try.


Our time in the park ended and we headed back towards the metro. Just as it felt like we were entering another world while stepping into the park, it felt as if we were stepping through an invisible barrier into the present-day when we left. Before the metro though, I had to stop at the toilet. Staying hydrated. Next stop on our adventure were the Sparrow Hills. What these hills? Well, they offer (as I was told) a spectacular view of the city. We once again descended into the Moscow metro and made our way to the next station stop.

Воробьёвы Горы (Vorobyovi Gori)/The Sparrow Hills

The metro stop named the Sparrow Hills is in fact at the bottom of the hills, so there is a bit of a climb to the top. But the scenery of the area distracts you from the task. The river hugs the bank as the hills lead your eyes up to the sky. The trees were colored and the air was cool, giving us a wonderful view and a great mood with which to enjoy it. We left the metro station and headed up the hill, climbing up under a highway and towards a bridge. It was gorgeous. And once we reached the bridge, we were awarded with an spectacular view of Moscow.

If you follow the high way in, you can see a domed building.
The Kremlin is near that building.

After a few pictures, we headed towards the park on the hills. It was beautiful. The leaves were yellow, the sun was shining, and the sky was blue. The trail brought us to the next spectacular view of the day, the outlook on top of the hills. People gathered along the walls to take photos, souvenir vendors had their goods set out, and wedding parties moved into the area. We saw I think four or five in this spot alone. Here's the view:

New Moscow is not an official. I just made it up.

 The picture above is "New Moscow." The financial center of the city that has been built over the past 20 years by the tycoons running Russia's biggest industries. The center of the city is still the area around the Kremlin.

   I was also given a glimpse into Russian wedding traditions as you can observe here:

It was a delightful time watching the festivities. Everyone around was watching and clamping and signing. It was awesome!

  But we were soon called forward on our adventure, to Moscow State University. We didn't have to go far as it was right behind us. Moscow State or МГУ is the most famous and most prestigious institution in Russia and was the premier university of the Soviet Union. St. Petersburg State is older and in my opinion just as good, but Moscow being Moscow steals the fame. The main building of the university is immediately recognizable with its Stalinist architecture.

 We walked around the main building and the campus. It was a holiday weekend so not that many students were around. The campus had sports fields and I thought I saw some dorms as well. It was just so odd and cool to see this famous building up close.

The Russian friend I keep mentioning. Content after having
been fed with good American food. Democracy at work.

   But we soon discovered that our stomachs were getting a bit hungry. So we ended our tour of the university campus and set out to find food. Our journey led us away from the university along a busy street with apartments and commercial buildings. We eventually found a large shopping complex and entered in the hope of discovering a food court. We were not disappointed. When we reached the top floor, we found a mouth-watering selection before our eyes. MacDonald's, KFC, Wendy's, Teremok (Russian fast food, oh yeah), and many others. We took turns watching each other's things as we set about deciding what we wanted to eat. My friend decided on KFC while I went for Wendy's. A double bacon cheeseburger was just what my American taste buds were longing for that day. It was delicious and a welcome feeling after a day's worth of walking and exploring.

We had a lovely chat about life and all that jazz and it was awesome to learn more about Russian life and share American life right back. And it was done all in Russian! It was wonderful! But unfortunately, we had to get moving all too soon in order to make it back in time for dinner (we were operating on the hobbit diet that day. We'd had dinner, now time for supper!) and the circus! We gathered our things, bundled up for the cold weather that awaited us outside the door and headed for the exit. It was still chilly outside, but with full stomachs, we pressed forward to the metro and made our way to dinner (again, at the Funky Lime).

  Unfortunately, it was at this time that my camera battery died. So I could not take pictures of the circus. But,  it was pretty amazing! It was my first circus and I enjoyed it a lot. Though I will admit that it made me a bit said seeing the animal acts. They were a bit funny, but I felt that the animals weren't really enjoying it that much. The clown acts were much, much better! It was a good ending to a full day. After the show, I decided to make one last stop for the night, this time back to Red Square (or actually under it) to purchase a special souvenir for my sister-in-law. I shall not disclose what it is, but I assure you: It. Is. Wonderful.

Having succeeded in accomplishing all I wanted for the day, I returned to the hostel to have a nice, restful sleep.

 And that I did.

   

Moscow, the heart of the Bear (Part 2, because I didn't finish everything from Part 1)

We arrived at the hostel, dropped our things off, and headed for breakfast. What I first thought to be thunder was in fact the rumble of everyone's stomachs. We were ready for a meal. So we headed for the restaurant called the "Funky Lime." The food was okay; it was stuff in the stomach in the morning, which was important. What was awesome about this place was the music they played. It was by far the best "restaurant soundtrack" I've ever eaten to. It was energizing and really made you want to dance. We'd return here later for other meals.

After breakfast, we set out for the Kremlin. Walking through the streets of Moscow was a bit different than those of St. Petersburg. First off, St. Petersburg was planned almost street by street. The city is laid out very nicely meaning the streets intersect at 90 degree angles (mostly) and its very easy to orientate yourself around. Moscow was not built with the same idea in mind. Well, to be far, St. Petersburg was built with the idea of becoming a capital whereas Moscow's importance just grew over the years along with the population. So it's understandable that the streets are laid out to resembled a bowl of pasta that has been dropped on the floor. Anywho, walking through Moscow during the entire trip, it was evident that the two cities had undergone a completely different transformation.

Very common Moscow scenery: architecture from
across Russia's history.

The  walk to the Kremlin was lovely. We saw some of Moscow's back neighborhoods and it added to the anticipation of seeing the Kremlin by having to walk there and slowly start to see the red brick peak over the roofs with each step. We passed one important building on the way, Банк России (Bank Rossii/the Bank of Russia). This is Russia's national bank. They run the currency. The next famous building we came upon was the Kremlin itself. To see it before my eyes for real was unbelievable. This building that was been at the center of countless James Bond films, Cold War thrillers, and news reports was now standing in front of me. This was a place at the center of history. It is most certainly one of the most recognizable locations in Russia.

  I must take some time here to explain what the word "кремль" means. First off, you pronounce the Russian word as "kremyl." The translation is fortress. And that is exactly what the Moscow Kremlin is, a fortress built to defend the Moscow river and the town that eventually sprang up around the fortress. There is a bit of a nuance that must be noted. In Russian, you can say "кремль" or "крепость (krepost)" to talk about a fortified location, but a кремль is more specifically a fortress with a church inside (an orthodox church specifically).

   But even in Russia, the work кремль is assumed to be the Moscow Kremlin, the seat of power in this country. That was our destination Friday morning. It was chilly, a cold wind blew against us. But we pressed onward, eager to see the Kremlin. When you reach the Kremlin, one of the first things you notice is its size. It is an immense structure, still very much so the fortress that it has always been. The garden and roads around the Kremlin are filled with people from across Russia and the world, but yet, there is a sense of quiet that surrounds everything. The history that has surrounding this one location still lives in the walls, the people who died in its name are still remembered and you sense the solemness as you walk under the shadows of the towers. It is an awesome feeling.

   I'll take some time here to point out one monument in particular. At the base of the north-west wall burns an eternal flame dedicated to those who fought and died in the "Great Patriotic War" (World War II), not just in Moscow, but across the Soviet Union. As with our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there is a guard which stands at attention keeping watch over the flame. It is a moving testament to the bravery and suffering of the Soviet people during World War II. Each Soviet city that suffered from a battle during the war has a stone with its name on it. Past this monument, we reached the location where we met our tour guides for inside the Kremlin.

   The entrance for tourists is an old tower bridge, offering a very romantic and exciting entrance into the Kremlin. Once inside, you are confronted with a surprising calm, so different from the chaos outside the walls. There are quite a few people walking about, but there words are swallowed up by the walls. Guards stand blocking entrance to certain areas. Other guards stand in the streets running through the Kremlin directing all tourists to the cross walks and clearing the streets when official cars come through.

Inside!

The Kremlin Park

The Presidential Palace is on the right.

Red Square is just better.

 Our time in the Kremlin drew to a close and we exited the grounds. Our next stop was lunch (which was much welcomed by everyone in the group). After lunch we embarked upon a walking tour of Red Square and one of Moscow's central streets. It was a very wonderful and informative tour, but I must stop here to offer some advice. Water is cheap in Russia (bottled water) and lots of water (2 liters to be exact) is therefore not that expensive. So, when you buy said amount of water, be prepared to be on the lookout for any and all bathrooms during your adventures. I was well hydrated, but also well distracted from everything around me except for bathroom signs. It was a funny little addition to the Moscow trip. So therefore, I don't have any good pictures whatsoever of the tour after Red Square. But that's okay.

    As with walking inside the Kremlin, walking on Red Square was a surreal moment for me. There I was, standing on the same cobble stones across which tanks and trucks thunder and soldiers march. I was looking at St. Basil's Cathedral (perhaps the most recognizable cathedral in all of Russia) and Lenin's tomb and the Kremlin clock. All these locations I had known before only in textbooks, movies, and dreams. And I was right there, able to touch them and see them (and of course, take pictures of them).

I didn't get to see Lenin, but this is where he lies.

It was an awesome and moving experience. And we soon moved on outside of this area of town and made our way up Тверская (Tverskaya street). As I mentioned before, I really had to go to the bathroom, so I don't have any pictures of this walk. Nor do I really remember much about the tour except that we passed quite a few port-o-potties and that there were quite a few police around. It was a rather nice walk though, and it was nice to see the regular side of Moscow, away from the Kremlin walls.



  We ended the tour and I quickly located a bathroom (one which I had been staring at while our guide was giving his final speech) and ran there. Relieved, I discovered that we had an hour of free-time before dinner. So, I headed off the beaten path and looked at some not so famous Moscow streets. Nothing too impressive, just streets and people and homes. But it was quiet and a complete contrast from Red Square and the street we had been on during the tour. It was wonderful. Please enjoy the following pictures:

I don't have much to say about the pictures, but it was really a nice walk after the crazy streets we had just been on.

































   I headed to dinner and sat down with friends and was exhausted. And so was everyone else. We'd been on our feet since 7:30 AM and it showed. We were falling asleep at the table. But soon, dinner ended and we left to move into the hostel. We arrived and grabbed our things and received our room assignments. All of us stayed in 10 bed mixed dorms. Mine was on the top floor. Everyone had mixed feelings about their plans for the night. We were free to do what we liked, so some decided to sleep, others decided to go out. I opted for the later option. I showered, changed clothes and set out to see Moscow under the stars. The shower was very refreshing. My mission for that night: See Red Square and the Kremlin at night and sing "Подмосковные Вечера." (Moscow Nights, check it out here). I took a lot of pictures, but they are worthy themselves of their own post, so I will not put them up here.

   The walk was a bit chilly, but well worth it. I really got a grasp of the size of the Kremlin and the area. And I succeeded in singing the song as well. It was wonderful. There were a lot of people still out as well which surprised me a lot. But I think that is really just me being from a small town. I headed back to the hostel, satisfied with my day and ready to sleep. And that's what I did.


Zzzzzzz......

Pictures!

If you haven't noticed, pics from Moscow are up on the right!

Moscow, the heart of the Bear (Part 1, because Moscow is huge)

     Regular announcements over the loudspeakers, announcing the arrival and departure of trains from Saint Petersburg's Московский Вокзал (Moscovskii Vokzal/Moscow Train station), filled the air. Augmenting them were the sounds of hundreds of people hurrying to and fro. Restaurants, cafés, bars, and shops with souvenirs, books, and anything else you could want, lined the path to the platforms where the trains sat, ready to bear their passengers away on journeys across Russia.

Here ya go, the central hall of the train station. The statue
in the middle in of Peter the Great. That was our meeting point.

    This was the atmosphere in which I found myself the night of November 3rd (Thursday). It was at once exciting and frightening. The amount of people at once put me into "caution mode" as I clung tightly onto my things. I had packed light: one backpack, a coat, hat, gloves, a sweater, the clothes on my back. This made it easier to keep track of my things. But I was still sure to not let anything out of my sight for too long, if at all.

   This isn't to say that people aren't trustworthy, but in any place like this (anywhere in the world), you don't want to leave your stuff unattended. Either thieves or security personnel might get the wrong idea. But, that has little to do with the story.

Some of our group awaiting the call to board. Plus a few
Russians wondering why I'm taking a picture in their direction.

    I wandered around the hall, exploring some souvenir shops and an electronics store. Interesting items in each, but nothing to buy. One by one, everyone arrived at our meeting spot and we received boarding information, maps of Moscow, and the final version of the itinerary for the trip. Everyone was full of exciting for the trip (especially those who had not yet been to Moscow). Pretty soon, 11 o'clock came around (the time for boarding). We headed to the platform. It was at this moment that I remembered that train platforms are usually outside. Usually this would not be a problem, but as it was really warm in the hall, I had taken my coat and sweater off. So I marched onto the platform sporting my khakis and a t-shirt, coat and sweater in my arms. It was rather chilly. As we approached our wagon, I realized that we'd be waiting outside until being able to board. I stopped and put on the sweater and coat. Best not to be sick in Moscow.

   I snapped a few picks, chatted with some peeps, and decided to make the time on the platform educational by asking for a translation/interpretation of Russian train tickets. I was shown the one we used for our trip and learned the proper method of reading the ticket so as not to get lost or board the wrong train. This came in handy on the return trip (as I will explain later), and I plan to keep the information handy for future travels on the Russian rail system.

The hallway (as if you didn't know that
already...)

   The time to board arrived and we were given our room assignments. I'll give a brief description of the way cross-country Russian trains work. So, you have three options (most of the time) when traveling on a train over long distances in Russia. From most expensive to least, they are: люкс (lookc/luxury), купе (koopay/compartments), плацкарт (platzkart/open compartments). So, as люкс suggests, this is top notch service. You stay in the same type of compartment as a passenger in купе but you get served meals and beverages during the trip. The купе option is the luxury without the meals. And плацкарт is the cheapest of the three options. In this area of the train, you will find a set up similar to the купе or compartment, but there are not walls enclosing the compartment, so you have a small space with the other passengers in your area, but they other passengers in плацкарт are next to you and there isn't anything to seal off for privacy.

Inside the compartment.

   It was four to a compartment for us. I got my room assignment and headed into the train. I settled in with my compartment mates and set about getting my things stashed out of the way of the door. There wasn't a lot of room in the compartment, but it was very nice. That was definitely the nicest train I've ever been on. I told this to our program director and he said that the trains can go down from here as far as interior quality goes....noted for future reference. I climbed into my bed (I was on the top bunk) and was surprised at how comfortable it was. As I sat up top observing the commotion below as my compartment mates unpacked their things, I opened up the car package my host mom had given me. Chocolate, two things of yogurt, and a package of печение (pecheniye/cookies) plus some Cheezits from my real mom (thanks mom!). I began to feast, sharing the chocolate, but devouring the rest. I decided that my task for the night would be to memorize the words to "Подмосковные Вечера" (Moscow Nights).

Ready for bed!

    It was after 11 PM and we were due to arrive in Moscow around 6:30 PM so we should have gone straight to bed.....not. Everyone was too excited to sleep so we settled into friendly conversation. We talked about travel around Russia and around the world and after awhile, some people from another compartment joined us. In true купе fashion, everyone seated themselves on the coaches that would later turn into the beds for the two people sleeping on the bottom bunks. It was cramped, but it was fun! We chatted into the wee hours of the morning until we all realized that sleep would probably be a good idea. So I climbed up (or rather half climbed, half threw myself) into my bed and settled into a restful sleep....

Moscow. Early.

    My restful sleep was disturbed by a combination of my alarm going off followed by one big knock on the door. The knock was from the train attendant signaling that we'd be arriving soon at the train station in Moscow. I woke up and started packing my things. My cabin mates were still snoozing. Soon, our assistant program manager came around to tell us that we had 5 minutes to get off the train. This was a bit of a surprise to everyone, because we thought we'd have a bit more time. So, it was a flight of the bubble bee "Welcome to Moscow!"
I gathered my things and headed off the train onto the platform. I stopped and looked around and jokingly (but also quite seriously) asked if we were still in St. Petersburg. The platform looked the same and (I kid you not) the same advertisements hung from the roof....It was weird. I was reassured that we were indeed in Moscow. The sight of quite a few policemen all gathered around the entrance to the station helped put down my skepticism (It's something you wouldn't really see in Piter). But then, as we entered into the main hall of the station, I paused again to make sure that we weren't still in Piter. The station looked exactly like the one in St. Petersburg, except that Peter the Great's statue was replaced by Lenin's.

    We left the station (it was dark still) and headed underground into the Moscow metro....Before I continue, I need you to get a grasp of the scale of the Moscow metro.

Please click here for a map of the St. Petersburg metro.

Now click here for a map of Moscow's monster (I mean metro).

You get the idea.

We headed into the that and stuck together closely. Nobody was lost on the way to our hostel. I'm going to end this post here now, but to prove that we did make it to the hostel, I give you this:

The hostel. "Godzillas"

The street outside the hostel.

An Evil Empire?

Time for some deep thinking.


    I want you to forget about everything you've ever learned about the Soviet Union (especially those of you who were born between 1917 and 1991) and about Communism. I grew up being told that Communism is a terrible thing and that it only begets horrible rulers and oppressed people. I was once told that in a communist society, the government would tell me what to do. Being young, the worst career choice I could think of was a garbage man. Therefore, my image of Communism were people telling me that I had to be garbage man for the rest of my life. My education concerning the Soviet Union was enhanced by images in history books of military parades in Red Square, pictures and names of the millions killed during Stalin's purges, and the words that the Soviet Union was evil and that they wanted to attack the US. These ideas were only reinforced in video games, movies, and how older generations talked about the Russians and Communists and the Soviet Union.


    Being in Russia, you can't help but notice the marks from the country's Soviet past. And speaking with people who actually lived in the Soviet Union, you can't help but realize that most of the things you grow up learning about the Soviet Union are rather false.

    First off, PEOPLE lived in the Soviet Union. They weren't monsters, they weren't murders, and their first thoughts every morning weren't: "Hmmm...what can I do today to defeat those capitalist pigs?" They probably woke up thinking: "Damn it's early...why did I sign up for this shift?" and the conversations a husband and wife had with each other every morning probably didn't involve the words Communism, Capitalism, evil, Lenin, or Stalin. Instead, it was probably, "I love you," "when are you getting home?", "I packed your lunch for you," "don't forget, the kids has a program tonight at school!" Any of this sound familiar? I thought so.

   To put the emphasis on another part of the phrase, people LIVED in the Soviet Union. They went to work, they did their jobs, they ate, slept, loved, cried, felt afraid, were hunger, were full, had to go to the bathroom, got sick, went to the hospital, had tests to take, had homework to do, and probably looked forward to having a break every once in awhile.


So let's start there and let it sink in. I'll continue writing in a bit after I put my thoughts into order (and make them coherent). There's a lot to say, but I want to focus on the important topics.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned.