Russian, Ukrainian & FSU Information & Manosphere Discussion Forums
Information & Chat => Russian, Ukrainian & FSU Culture and Customs => Topic started by: mendeleyev on October 18, 2009, 11:11:39 PM
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One never tires of Moscow.
There is so much to see. The history of this little backwater village which has been burned and bombed and always lived to rise from the ashes for yet another life is a testament to how it now easily claims title as the biggest city in Europe.
Most Orthodox around the world (except for the Greeks) consider Moscow to be "the Third Rome" replacing the weakened and virtually meaningless Constantinople and it's so-called and mostly isolated "Ecumenical Patriarch."
Moscow is both a grand city and simple city yet historically complex.
Lets leave the Metro and enjoy some history. Our first stop will be the most famous street in the European East.
Old Arbat Street.
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Cтарый Арбат (Old Arbat)
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Old Arbat is a street, but more than a single street. It's an area whose central focal point is the street from which the area gets its name.
The most famous street in Moscow lies to the West of the Kremlin, where its 1.25km span stretches from Arbatskaya square to Smolenskaya. It is one of the oldest roads in the city and was first mentioned as early as 1493, in connection with a fire that started here in the Church of St. Nicholas.
Originally a suburb where traders from the East would arrive with their caravans, in the 18th Century the Arbat became popular with Moscow’s intelligentsia and artistic community, who enjoyed frequenting the many cafes and taking strolls along the area’s mansion-lined boulevards.
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Pushkin lived here with his wife in house number 53 (the building has since been turned into a museum dedicated to the poet) and Tolstoy resided on the adjoining Kaloshin Lane. In fact Count Fyodor was said to have modelled his famous character Anna Karenina on Maria Gartung - Pushkin’s oldest daughter, who also lived nearby.
Below: See that teal blue looking building in the middle, right? That is Pushkin's house at Arbat 53. It's really more blue as you'll see in closeup photos later.
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In the 18th century, the Arbat came to be regarded by the Russian nobility as the most prestigious living area in Moscow. The street was almost completely destroyed by the great fire during Napoleon's occupation of Moscow in 1812 and had to be rebuilt.
The Arbat is in the historic centre of Moscow. It begins at Arbatskaya square (Арбатская площадь), 800 metres west of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. Arbatskaya square is also the meeting point of the Boulevard Ring and Vozdvizhenka Street (Улица Воздвиженка). The part of this square which is adjacent to the Arbat is called Arbat Gate (Арбатские Ворота), as it is the site of one of the ten gates of the old city wall. The wall, which stood from the 16th to the 18th century, followed the path of the current Boulevard Ring. From this point the Arbat runs southwest, with a dozen side streets leading off, and ends at Smolenskaya Square (Смоленская площадь), which intersects with the Garden Ring.
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The Old Arbat is a picturesque pedestrian street within the Garden Ring of Moscow. Nowadays, it is one of Moscow's most touristy streets, with lots of entertainment and souvenirs sold. The Old Arbat should be distinguished from the nearby New Arbat, constructed back in the 1960s as Kalinin Avenue and lined with Soviet skyscrapers made of steel, concrete, and glass.
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Old Arbat is now a pedestrian only street except for police and emergency vehicles. It is lined with shops, restaurants, booths, and kiosks selling souvenir and art items.
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(http://mic-ro.com/metro/files/msk2-1.wav)
Oh great, the kid at the take-out window of my local Mickey-D's now mumbles Metro arrivals/departures.
Yo, Skippy, I asked for large fries ..... not onion rings.
:ROFL:
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Arbat reminds me of Prague's center. Don't want to digress, just giving some folks another point of reference.
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What is most intriguing about Old Arbat is the understanding that it was once a "suburb" of Moscow and before the Revolution was where many of the "old money" Russian families called home. Just duck into some of the side streets away from the tourist kiosks and you can catch a feel of some of the old homes and estates which were converted into communal apartments and later into office buildings.
[attachimg=#] Changes over the years.
The Arbat area in Moscow truly symbolizes the history of this great city, but is also a symbol of modern Moscow; this being that Old Arbat, where every stone and every building have great historical ties, reaching back as far as 500 years into the past and considering that New Arbat is one of the most recently built streets in Moscow. On Old Arbat you will find street performers, artists who are offering original canvas, creative souvenirs and Russian gifts. Moreover, this enchanting pedestrian street also possesses a striking selection of cafes, restaurants and bars.
"Arbat for me is not simply street... It is a place which for me personifies Moscow and my native land". Bulat Okudzhava (Soviet and Russian poet, composer and writer).
It now represents, along with Red Square, the "centre" of Moscow. Arbat is for Muscovites not just a street, but a special "slice" of the capital with its own history, originality and traditions.
Starting at the venerable restaurant "Praga", where Lev Tolstoi und Ilja Repin used to dine, you can stroll along the boulevard to the towering Russian foreign ministry built in the Stalinesque wedding cake style.
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Above: The most famous Old Arbat address is house #53, the Moscow home of Pushkin.
The old noble district in the heart of Moscow calls to mind the many Russian poets and artists of recent centuries. Alexander S. Pushkin spent his honeymoon here in 1831, and his residence for those weeks has now been converted into a Pushkin apartment museum.
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Above: Note the reference to Mr Gorbachev "Gorby" and George Bush (George, Senior) on these wall tiles along Old Arbat.
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Click on this link for a nice slide show of Old Arbat photos! http://www.bestmoscowapartmentrentals.com/html/old_arbat_street.html
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Old Arbat has several famous addresses in addition to the Pushkin home and museum. We must not forget that the
first second McDonalds restaurant in Russia was planted at the end of Old Arbat.
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Му-Му ("Moo-Moo"), is one of the Mendeleyev family's favourite restaurants in Moscow, including a prime location on Old Arbat Street.
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Next, can you read this sign?
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The sign above says "Russian Souvenirs."
Thanks to RUA's Chivo for the reminder that the Old Arbat McDonalds was not the first in Russia--the first was on Pushkin Square. He is entirely correct. tiphat
When McDonald's Pushkin Square restaurant opened on January 31, 1990 it broke McDonald's world wide opening day records for customers served. To this day, that location continues to be the busiest McDonald's restaurant in the world. Its also the largest and able to seat 700+ at any one time.
Before the opening of the first Russian McDonald's, the restaurant received more than 27,000 applications in response to a single "help wanted" advertisement. After screening the applications, McDonald's in Russia hired 630 of the most qualified candidates. These new employees were then given an intensive training program that taught McDonald's operating procedures and practices as it strenuously focused on the McDonald's founding principles of offering a quality product at an affordable price in a clean and friendly environment.
In the pre-dawn hours of January 31, 1990 more than 5,000 customers gathered in front of the 2,200 square meter McDonald's restaurant, eagerly awaiting its opening. By the end of its first day of operation, the multilevel restaurant with seating for 700 customers had served more than 30,000 people, breaking McDonald's system-wide opening day records. Today this restaurant continues to hold the record as the busiest McDonald's restaurant in the world.
[attachimg=1] Second opened in Russia.
[attachimg=2] Third opened in Russia.
Metro stations include Metro Арба́тская (Arbatskaya).
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Metro Смоленская (Smolenskaya).
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Near the end of Old Arbat one can see the imposing Foreign Ministry Building of Russia.
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Next up, Новый Арбат (New Arbat)
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These three photos are here for a reason: Mendeleyev's first ever grocery shopping experience in Russia was at this center, in the grocery market to the left. Although these photos aren't the originals from that experience, they bring back a flood of almost forgotten memories.
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In that one short trip I learned about having to purchase the plastic bag as well as the products and about how to put the money on the counter instead of handing it directly (considered as rude) to the cashier.
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I recall picking up tea, bottled water, milk, olive oil and butter. At least those are the things that come to memory. I was there more for picking up some essentials and to learn how to shop. Getting a fridge full of food wasn't the goal at that time.
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Old Arbat has several famous addresses in addition to the Pushkin home and museum. We must not forget that the first second McDonalds restaurant in Russia was planted at the end of Old Arbat.
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Му-Му ("Moo-Moo"), is one of the Mendeleyev family's favourite restaurants in Moscow, including a prime location on Old Arbat Street.
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Next, can you read this sign?
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Mendy one of the traditions that seems to be the same at all the McDonald's that I've eaten in in foreign countries is the number of teenagers and young adults working there that speak English. In Japan, France, Switzerland, Germany and a number of other non English speaking countries McDonald's seems to hire people who speak English. Is this the same in Moscow? Could I order my Big Mac meal in English at most McDonald's in Moscow and other large Russian cities?
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Mendy one of the traditions that seems to be the same at all the McDonald's that I've eaten in in foreign countries is the number of teenagers and young adults working there that speak English. In Japan, France, Switzerland, Germany and a number of other non English speaking countries McDonald's seems to hire people who speak English. Is this the same in Moscow? Could I order my Big Mac meal in English at most McDonald's in Moscow and other large Russian cities?
Probably because it's not pronounced much different than in Russian, but McDonalds in Russia doesn't hire English speaking people per se, because most English speaking people in Russia look for better jobs (they certainly wouldn't object if someone knows English, it's just usually not the case). If you have ever been in one in Russia you know that the people who run the registers at Mickey D's work very hard for their money.
This doesn't mean that it's impossible to order as some will have some knowledge of English, and they are always willing to try and help you if possible regardless if they know English or not. They do train their employees to have the same attitude as the ones in the states, for instance, even though finding one with that old school Russian customer service can be found on occasion :-\.
I have witnessed a handful of English speaking people order without too much difficulty.
Maybe Mendy can break down the Russian words for some of the menu. :)
Also, getting back to the metro, I wanted to give anyone who cares a very easy to say little phrase that will help you tremendously while riding the metro; "vy hoditsa" or "vy vohoditsa" (vywee ho dit sa or vywee vo ho dit sa) is the phonetic sound and it basically means "are you exiting". You can say it, or it will be said to you should you be standing close to the doorway when the train starts to stop. This phrase will help you get out of the way so you won't get run over by the crowd, and will help you navigate your way out should you find yourself stuck behind a wall of people. Good luck.
Good job with this thread so far Mendy.
chivo
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Next up, Новый Арбат (New Arbat)
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These three photos are here for a reason: Mendeleyev's first ever grocery shopping experience in Russia was at this center, in the grocery market to the left. Although these photos aren't the originals from that experience, they bring back a flood of almost forgotten memories.
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In that one short trip I learned about having to purchase the plastic bag as well as the products and about how to put the money on the counter instead of handing it directly (considered as rude) to the cashier.
(Attachment Link)
I recall picking up tea, bottled water, milk, olive oil and butter. At least those are the things that come to memory. I was there more for picking up some essentials and to learn how to shop. Getting a fridge full of food wasn't the goal at that time.
The market is still there Mendy, but some things have changed. You might find this interesting.
As you may or may not know, a couple of months ago President Medvedev ordered all casinos in Russia closed. If you look at the pictures you will see some of the casinos (the giant crown for instance was the Corona casino). There were 3 big casinos on the New Arbat, and since their closing, the Arbat looks like a ghost town at night. You can imagine how sad a day this was for all gambling degenerates (like me ;D).
At first the order was to close everything except poker and sports betting, which I thought was great because the very little gambling I do is playing poker and throwing a little chump change on American football games to make them more interesting. But, alas, all gambling and casinos were order closed.
What was also strange about this was the timing. It was estimated that more than 300,000 gaming employees lost their jobs (throughout Russia) at a time when unemployment was at its highest levels in 10 years. Since then one of the casinos has reopened (Metilisa) for sport watching and betting. Somehow this is OK, go figure.
Now these closings had been ordered a couple of years ago, but as usual in the case of Russia, money(bribes) from the casinos prolonged the situation. Also, territories around Russia were being designated as Vegas type areas for construction during the boom in the middle of the decade. Well, the crises put an end to that, and any hope of building these Vegas type areas were quickly dashed. Personally, if you ask me, the whole idea wasn't very well thought out, that's for sure.
My sources tell me that a big part of why they finally insisted on closing the casinos and stopped taking bribe money was due mainly to the spat Russia had with Georgia last year, and that most if not all of these casinos in Moscow were run by Georgian gangs. Of course word is already out that they are reorganizing the casinos with Russians running the show. Don't be surprised if gambling returns and these casinos are soon open for business and it's business as usual back on the New Arbat.
If nothing else, if gives the area more of a festive look. As of this typing, playing poker is done mainly at underground clubs (like speakeasy's if you will), run by, oddly enough, a lot of ex-pats. What a country.
chivo
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Interesting to hear about the casinos on New Arbat, these are some pics I took about 3 years ago of the casinos, I was staying in an apartment just around the corner.
Not very good pictures, but gives readers an idea of what they were like:
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Re: ordering at McDonalds--that is a nice idea and I'll try to add it soon on the "Learn Russia by reading the signs" thread.
Most of the menu items are at least similar to Western McDonalds items and the menu board has photos in most cases. If nothing else, just point and for "how many" of each just indicate one finger for one, two fingers for two, etc. Just don't use the middle finger naturally for "one!" :chuckle:
It brings to mind a story the president of McDonalds Canada (McDonalds Russia was a Canadian initiative) likes to tell about the training. One young teen boy being trained to smile and serve customers politely didn't understand why they needed to be nice to customers. Puzzled by the Western attitude of customer service he asked his trainer, "but why be nice to the customers. After all, we are the ones with the hamburgers." ;D
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It brings to mind a story the president of McDonalds Canada (McDonalds Russia was a Canadian initiative) likes to tell about the training. One young teen boy being trained to smile and serve customers politely didn't understand why they needed to be nice to customers. Puzzled by the Western attitude of customer service he asked his trainer, "but why be nice to the customers. After all, we are the ones with the hamburgers." ;D
Classic illustration of FSU attitude towards service.
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Good job with this thread so far Mendy.
And thank you also for your participation!
I did a story in the Mendeleyev Journal about the casino closings and like you, found it curious about the timing because of the unemployment numbers. Officials were promising that they would be moved to designated locations just outside Moscow but as you mention, no such moves have been announced.
Gambling is one of the "vices" along with official corruption and alcohol abuse that President Medvedev claims to be attacking but the enforcement is curiously targeted.
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It brings to mind a story the president of McDonalds Canada (McDonalds Russia was a Canadian initiative) likes to tell about the training. One young teen boy being trained to smile and serve customers politely didn't understand why they needed to be nice to customers. Puzzled by the Western attitude of customer service he asked his trainer, "but why be nice to the customers. After all, we are the ones with the hamburgers." ;D
Classic illustration of FSU attitude towards service.
Tomorrow that paper is worth less than the paper its printed on. Guess who wins, the guy with the burgers or the guy with the paper. :evilgrin0002:
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It brings to mind a story the president of McDonalds Canada (McDonalds Russia was a Canadian initiative) likes to tell about the training. One young teen boy being trained to smile and serve customers politely didn't understand why they needed to be nice to customers. Puzzled by the Western attitude of customer service he asked his trainer, "but why be nice to the customers. After all, we are the ones with the hamburgers." ;D
Classic illustration of FSU attitude towards service.
Tomorrow that paper is worth less than the paper its printed on. Guess who wins, the guy with the burgers or the guy with the paper. :evilgrin0002:
Oddly, McDonald's continues to make profits and grow their overseas operations. Go figure.
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Right! That original McDonalds in Russia is not only the largest in the world, but remains the busiest in the world also.
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It brings to mind a story the president of McDonalds Canada (McDonalds Russia was a Canadian initiative) likes to tell about the training. One young teen boy being trained to smile and serve customers politely didn't understand why they needed to be nice to customers. Puzzled by the Western attitude of customer service he asked his trainer, "but why be nice to the customers. After all, we are the ones with the hamburgers." ;D
Classic illustration of FSU attitude towards service.
Tomorrow that paper is worth less than the paper its printed on. Guess who wins, the guy with the burgers or the guy with the paper. :evilgrin0002:
Oddly, McDonald's continues to make profits and grow their overseas operations. Go figure.
Even more odd, the international staff only remembers the US training when there is inspection.
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The building on the right is the location of one of the Arbat area's oldest restaurants. Restaurant Praga (Prague) is very convenient to Metro Arbatskaya and excellent for a business lunch or impressive date night.
There are few places that can boast the same historical significance as Praga, which is one of the oldest restaurants in Moscow. Its founding dates back to the 1870s when a tavern of the same name was opened on the first floor of the Tarasov and Donetsky estate. These wealthy merchants had an ability to think way ahead of their time and sense that Old Arbat would someday become the city's main commercial thoroughfare; needless to say, a tavern at the very gates to such a place would be immensely popular. Over 130 years later, Praga still maintains its cultural importance.
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It's rather surprising for a restaurant that has been in operation for many decades to have kept its general appearance unchanged. In 1902, at the time of the official opening of the Praga restaurant, there were six spacious halls, two buffets, eighteen private rooms and four game rooms. Such a splendid range is very impressive now, so we can only imagine what it seemed like a century ago.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Praga lost most of its halls as well as the name. Still, it remained the best restaurant in Moscow - unofficially, of course - and in spite of it being called "Stolovaya of Mosselprom" people still referred to it as Praga. During the Soviet times, many people saw a dinner at the Praga as the mark of a person's status. Praga did, however, also cater to the needs of the "working people," serving moderately priced business lunches with a side of prestige.
Worth a visit...2/1 Arbat Ulitsa, telephone 7 495 290 6171
Cool website too! http://www.praga.ru
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One of the coolest stores, if you have kids, is "Kids World" in Moscow.
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There are multiple locations but the original started in 1957 and at that time was the largest store of any kind in Europe.
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Metro: Arbatskaya (there are lots of newer locations too).
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New Arbat today is often billed as one of Moscow’s most busy, boisterous and fashionable avenues. Large entertainment complexes compete here with top-end boutiques, popular bars, huge shopping malls and oversized beauty centres, while sidewalks are clustered with smaller kiosks, pavilions and peddler stalls.
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New Arbat is a direct motorway passage from the Kremlin to prestigious dacha residences on Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway. The 20-plus storey residential towers on its flanks give breathtaking views of New Arbat, the Moskva riverbanks and the Kremlin. However, the sector behind New Arbat, including low-traffic Povarskaya Street, is full of quiet winding lanes and boulevards; it is also home to several embassies.
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This is the character of Arbat...
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Before we leave the Arbat district, of all the famous addresses there, one cannot be rushed by. That is the address of Russia's most famous poet and writer.
Alexandr Pushkin lived in splendor, lived near the Tsar, and also tasted life as an exile when his work made the Tsar angry. But they'd shake hands and make up....until the next time.
Thus the most important address in Old Arbat is 53 Улица Aрбат (53 Arbat Street).
Should this life sometime deceive you,
Don't be sad or mad at it!
On a gloomy day, submit:
Trust - fair day will come, why grieve you?
Heart lives in the future, so
What if gloom pervade the present?
All is fleeting, all will go;
What is gone will then be pleasant.
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The blue Empire-style house on the Arbat was home to Russia's most beloved poet for a short time in the spring of 1831. It was here that Pushkin held his bachelor night party and spent the first few months of married life with Natalya Goncharova. They lived here a short time and then moved to St Petersburg, where Pushkin was later killed in a duel with a French officer whose advances to Natalya were the talk of the town.
The museum houses various pieces of original furniture from the Pushkins' apartment and exhibits an array of original manuscripts and first editions of the writer's works.
If you ever need to ship/carry art or antiques outside the country, next door (go thru the Pushkin courtyard and make an immediate left) is the Russian Federation Ministry of Art and Antiquities.
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Right across the pedestian plaza is this statue to Alexandr and Natalya.
May I share something with those visiting Moscow? Russians take their monuments and statues very personally. Anyone, from a young teen to an oldster, can tell you the story and the persons behind a monument or statue. So, please don't clown around or appear to be making fun of their history.
Watch Russians as they photo themselves near a great statue. They take it seriously and I can assure you that if you will practice the same courtesy, your actions will be appreciated.
If your friends mention to meet them at the Pushkin Museum, make sure you know which one. In addition to the Pushkin home and museum on Arbat, but there is another Pushkin Museum in Moscow too...
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The former Khrushchev Mansion now hosts the Pushkin State Museum, which devotes an impressive 10 rooms to the life and works of the poet. The mansion boasts an impressive exterior, decorated with colonnades and stucco relief work, and an equally impressive interior full of elegant fireplaces and ceiling frescoes. The museum features endless displays of Pushkin's personal sketches, first editions, correspondence and general memorabilia.
Metro: Park Kultury, Kropotkinskaya
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Russian: Музей изобразительных искусств им. А.С. Пушкина) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
The museum's name is misleading, as it at first had nothing to do with the famous Russian poet. It was founded by professor Ivan Tsvetaev (father of the poet Marina Tsvetaeva). Tsvetaev persuaded the millionaire and great philanthropist Yuriy Nechaev-Maltsov and the fashionable architect Roman Klein of the urgent need to give Moscow a fine arts museum.
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Visiting Arbat, both old and new was fun, but we've only got 30 days holiday and that is not enough time to scratch the surface of Moscow, must less enjoy a trip to anywhere else. So, Пойдем! or "lets get crackin'!"
Since we're going to be across the street from Christ Cathedral, might as well head there next. To keep it simple we'll get on the Metro Arbatskaya and go across to Biblioteka Lenina (Library of Lenin) on the dark blue line (ARBATSKO-POKROVSKAYA) and then transfer to the red line (SOKOLNICHESKAYA) headed southwest to either Kropotkinskaya or Park Kutury (Park of Culture). Its only a quick 6 minute train trip if we stop at Kropotkinskaya.
[attachimg=#] Станция Arbatskaya
[attachimg=#] Trans to red, Biblioteka Lenina
This is one of the older stations and it is busy! Watch this video and in just 4 minutes see how many trains and how many passengers come and show in such a short span.
Biblioteka Lenina makes transfers to Arbatskaya on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line, Alexandrovsky Sad on the Filyovskaya Line, and Borovitskaya on the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line.
[attachimg=#] Станция Kropotkinskaya
We could go one more station to Park Kutury (Park of Culture) but frankly it's not the prettiest station and station Kropotkinskaya is definitely worth seeing. Kropotkinskaya was originally planned to serve the enormous Palace of Soviets which was to rise nearby on the former site of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Kropotkinskaya was therefore designed to be the largest and grandest station on the first line. However, the Palace project was cancelled by Khrushchev in 1953, leaving the Metro station as the only part of the complex that was actually built.
The station was named Palace of the Soviets until 1957, when it was renamed in honour of Peter Kropotkin. Since it was to serve as the gateway to the Palace of Soviets, great care was taken to make Kropotkinskaya suitably elegant and impressive. The station has flared columns faced with white marble.
Moscow veterans know that there are optional routes but we're using the Metro interactive map so that new visitors can learn to navigate. Open this map http://engl.mosmetro.ru/flash/scheme01.html as it's the latest version, click on the station where you want to start and then click on the station you wish to debark. The interactive map will choose your route and highlight in for you automatically.
The Moscow Metro is amazing. The story goes that in the 1930s Stalin decided Moscow needed a metro system and practically overnight, the underground of the city was turned into one of the world’s largest and most extensive metro systems in the world. So fast, in fact, that nothing worked at first. As the story goes, Stalin was riding the first train just days before the planned opening when it suddenly stopped just inches out of the station. The architect froze, thinking this was his time to go. Perhaps surprisingly, Stalin turned, put his arm on the man’s shoulder and said “no problem. Why don’t we work out the problems before opening it, yes?”
At least that is the legend.
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The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Храм Христа Спасителя) "Khram Khrista Spasitelya" is now considered as the main cathedral of Russian Orthdodoxy. This church, built on the bank of the Moskva River, and only a few blocks west of the Kremlin has quite a history.
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When the last of Napoleon's soldiers left Moscow, Tsar Alexander I signed a manifest, 25 December 1812, declaring his intention to build a Cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour "to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her" and as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people.
A convent and church on the site had to be relocated, so that the cornerstone was not laid until 1839. The Cathedral had taken many years to build and did not emerge from its scaffolding until 1860. Some of the best Russian painters (Ivan Kramskoi, Vasily Surikov, Vasily Vereshchagin) continued to embellish the interior for another twenty years.
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After the Revolution and, more specifically, the death of Lenin, the prominent site of the cathedral was chosen by the Soviets as the site for a monument to socialism known as the Palace of Soviets. This monument was to rise in modernistic, buttressed tiers to support a gigantic statue of Lenin perched on top of a dome with his arm raised in blessing.
On 5 December 1931, by order of Stalin's minister Kaganovich, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was dynamited and reduced to rubble. It took more than a year to clear the debris from the site. The original marble high reliefs were preserved and are now on display at the Donskoy Monastery. For a long time, they were the only reminder of the largest Orthodox church ever built.
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The construction of the Palace of Soviets was delayed owing to a lack of funds, problems with flooding from the nearby Moskva River, and the outbreak of war. The flooded foundation hole remained on the site until, under Nikita Khrushchev, it was transformed into the world's largest open air swimming pool, it was called the Moskva Pool.
Heated to 27 degrees C year around, the result was a thick fog much of the year which led to the KGB using the pool as a convenient way to "eliminate" certain undesirables by taking them for "a swim" while out of sight of the public and even other swimmers.
With the end of the Soviet rule, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February 1990. A temporary cornerstone was laid by the end of the year. The restorer Aleksey Denisov was called upon to design a replica of extraordinary accuracy.
A construction fund was initiated in 1992 and funds began to pour in from ordinary citizens in the autumn of 1994. In this year the pool was demolished and the cathedral reconstruction commenced. About one million Muscovites donated money for the project.
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In addition to being the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, there is the smaller Church of the Transfiguration on a lower level as well as the Chapel of the Derzhavnaya Icon. In the basement there a large hall for church assemblies, a small convent for nuns who serve the church, and underground parking.
This church served as the venue when the last Russian Tsar, and his family were glorified as saints in 2000. On 17 May 2007, the Act of Canonical Communion between the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was signed there. The full restoration of communion with the Moscow Patriarchate was celebrated by a Divine Liturgy at which the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Alexius II and the First Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Laurus, concelebrated the Divine Liturgy for the first time in history.
[attachimg=#] At night, from a Trolleybus window.
The first Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who died of heart failure on 23 April 2007, lay in state in the cathedral prior to his burial in Novodevichy Cemetery.
The Cathedral holds around 5,000-6,000 at one time and is the tallest Eastern Orthodox church in the world and currently the largest operating Orthodox Church in the world.
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Good information Jim about The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, here are some pics I took of it a few years ago.
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Very nice!
Some websites say that the Cathedral is closed except for group tours. If you are not Orthodox that is perhaps the best way to go as a guide can make sure you stay in certain areas and that certain traditions are respected. If you know your way around Orthodoxy however you can usually go in as a worshipper.
Women wear scarfs as a head covering and short miniskirts would not be acceptable, neither would shorts on either men or women. "Dressy casual" clothing, like you're going to church shouldn't be a problem. Enter quietly, no laughing, etc. Just so you know, in an Orthodox Church the focus is on God not man so its not considered as appropriate to hold hands with a sweetheart, etc. You can pick that back up when outside. :)
There is a nice gift shop to purchase Icons, crosses, books and Christian jewelry on the lower level.
[attachimg=#] From Moscow River.
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Now make certain to carry your passport with visa and migration card on you at all times. You must register in a city within 72 hours of arrival.
We don't wish to be hassled like this couple. They could be Georgian or Kazakh, etc, and perhaps that is why they were chosen. Russian authorities are very tough on non-white immigrants.
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A page or so back Chivo made the suggestion that we post some of the words used when ordering from a Russian McDonalds. That is a good idea and to follow up, it has been started here: http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php/topic,2257.new.html#new
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A page or so back Chivo made the suggestion that we post some of the words used when ordering from a Russian McDonalds. That is a good idea and to follow up, it has been started here: http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php/topic,2257.new.html#new
Advertising Fast Food and Cola to Children in Russia to be Banned (http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php/topic,9139.new.html#new)
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Since we're so close, let's visit the Музей изобразительных искусств им. А.С. Пушкина (Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts).
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The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1912. While it has gone by other names, its current name exists in honor of Alexander Pushkin, the father of Russian literature and historical Russian icon. The museum stands in the historic street Volchonka, in the center of Moscow, within a 5-minute walk of the Kremlin and Red Square.
Served by Kropotkinskaya Metro.
English website: http://www.museum.ru/gmii/defengl.htm
[attachimg=2] Museum logo.
Many globally appreciated collection of paintings and sculpture works are preserved in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Today, the museum occupies second place in size, after the Hermitage, in Saint Petersburg, and it is, therefore, one of the largest museums of foreign and national art in Russia.
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Technically the museum complex consists of 6 building, 4 at this location. To visit all four at once you can buy a Guest Pass. Normally the museum complex is open until 7 p.m. daily; Opening hours: Daily 10 a.m. — 7 p.m. (entrance till 6 p.m.)
Closed — Mondays.
However now (autumn 2009) the museum is closed for renovations and is open only on a limited basis on Thursdays. However new exhibits will open on December 18 according to the museum website.
It's possible to visit each of the four buildings individually or to purchase a guest pass for all four buildings.
1 person is 130 Euro, 2 persons is 70 Euro and 3-4 people just 50 Euro each.
Museum telephone: +7952037998
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Famous for its impressive collections of impressionist and post-impressionistic paintings, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum also houses works by some of the old masters such as Rubens, Rembrandt and Botticelli, and excellent exhibitions of Eygptian and Hellenistic art. Classicists amongst you can come over all moist in Room 7, where the legendary 'Treasures of Troy' are on display. These ancient artefacts were excavated by the German, Schliemann, in the 19th Century, smuggled out of modern day Turkey to Berlin, and subsequently appropriated by the Russians in 1945.
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We've added more menu items to the thread about how to read and order at a Russian McDonalds. The latest menu item are the "big tasty" and the цезарь ролл.
http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php/topic,2257.msg128634.html#msg128634
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Since we're standing here in the locale of both Pushkin Museum and Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, now is a good time to point out that much of Moscow is defined by the numerous 'Ring Roads' that circle the city at various distances from the centre, roughly following the outline of the walls that used to surround Moscow.
Red Square and the Kremlin forms the very centre and the innermost ring road is the (Boulevard Ring) Бульва́рное кольцо built in the 1820s where the 16th centuries walls used to be. The Boulevard Ring runs from the Christ the Savior Cathedral in south-west central Moscow, to the mouth of the Yauza in south-east central Moscow.
There are other ring roads (similar to "loops") which we'll discuss later. Don't let the names confuse you as the names of the rings don't stay consistent. In other words, a Ring Boulevard may have a name but the name of the boulevard will change as it progresses thru Moscow. Same ring, different name. The confusion comes from having more than one ring when the sections of each ring are changing names based on geography.
Also don't confuse the Ring Roads to what is commonly called Moscow's Golden Ring. Yes, you'll take a Ring Road to get to the Golden Ring :) but the term Golden Ring refers to a number of ancient towns surrounding Moscow.
It is called the Golden Ring because of historic and architectural wonders that are preserved in these towns. Some of these towns, like Yaroslavl, were centers of powerful principalities, subjugated by Moscow on its rise as the center of Russian lands. Others, like Uglich, have never been large or powerful, but they still have played an important role in the Russian history. The Golden Ring of Russia offers a glimpse at Russia as it was 800 years ago. It is on the Golden Ring that you will find the oldest churches of European Russia and some of its most famous monasteries.
For now, we'll stay here in Moscow.
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Above: A nice view along Gogolevsky Blvd, part of one of the ring roads.
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As we prepare to do some walking there is something you should keep in mind: Moscow is a giant city, Europe’s largest in fact, and its traffic jams are just as big. In Moscow, it seems that all of the world’s black expensive cars are here. It also seems that Russians do not understand the difference between sidewalks and parking lots.
You've been warned. :chuckle:
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As of May, the "Touring Moscow" series had grown to 25 pages with thousands of readers. So to make things more managable as a travel and touring resource to RUA readers we've split the topic into more "bite size" segments:
Touring Moscow, part 1: Metro & Transportation
http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php?topic=9049.0
Touring Moscow, part 2: Arbat to Red Square
http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php?topic=12015.0
Touring Moscow, part 3: Red Square & Kremlin
http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php?topic=12016.0
Touring Moscow, part 4 is in development stages and coming soon. It will focus on leaving Red Square and touring more of some of the central parts of this magnificant city.