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