I asked a few of the people who spoke English about the effect of the US sanctions on Russia, they didn’t even know about them.
The shelves are full, the stores are all open. There is no “run” on products.
I still see a extraordinary number of American brands here. Coke, Fanta, KFC, Burger King, Fridays (without TGI), CitiBank, etc. Some have just changed their name, Starbucks is now Star Coffee, same logo.
The name change is “virtue signaling,” saying something publicly, that seems to be a positive but really has no meaning. Like changing you Twitter icon to a particular color or wearing a pink ribbon for “awareness.” (Who isn’t aware of cancer?) These companies are using the media and the media’s hype to make the consumers think they are socially responsible than their competitors. Really, they just want to appear to care.
If they can sell you an extra can of soda or get you to super-size, because they’re the company that matters, then they’ve done their job of scamming you out of your money.
My understanding is that no American credit or bank card will work in Russia, I haven’t tried, so can’t confirm.
Much like the Cuban embargo, it is only the US participating, so little effect worldwide.
I purchased a 5-day pass for Saint Petersburg, but really most of what I was going to see was near enough to walk. For simplicity, it is better to have the card, otherwise you will have to buy a ticket every time you go in.
The subway stations were originally designed to be emergency shelters, especially against bomb attacks, especially nukes.
The escalators have lamps on poles, every 8-10 feet. Each has a numbered decal, starting at 1 at the bottom. I presume that the numbers are there to have set places to measure radioactivity, to determine rising or falling levels.
I did notice that the handrails move just slightly faster. Over 150+ feet, this would be a lot and could throw you off balance.
At the bottom of each, an old woman watches monitors, to make sure no one is breaking the rules. I saw several that were on the verge of passing out, it has to be a super dull routine. Also, there is graffiti in some, so they are not really doing their jobs.
The signs are generally clear, and all include Latin transliterations.
Some platforms have modern clear doors, to prevent falling into the tracks. Others have solid metal doors (bomb resistance?). Most are just open, not falling is totally your responsibility.
If you discover you’re going the wrong way or passed your stop, just get off, walk across the platform, and get on the train going the other direction.
The trains themselves are comfortable, for public transport. But I could see a regular user getting hearing damage from the noise of the wheels on the tracks.
Trains come about every 2 minutes apart.
One train had a display showing the next station upcoming, and the temperature, time, and speed. We got up to 78km/h (48mph). They seem to spend about 75% of the time accelerating, then decelerating only as they enter the next station. They might not make it into Formula 1, but they do have some G forces.
Saint Petersburg only has 5 lines, so far, so knowing how to get from here to there is easy.
Moscow has 15, right now, including 3 rings and a monorail. Plus there are regular rail stations attached to the metro stations, so you could go almost anywhere in Russia or nearby countries without needing a car or plane.
My room is on Line #3, but I noticed one day, I was at the #6/#7 station, but neither of them connected to #3. That means I had to do at least two transfers. That’s a pain.
The stations are reasonably clean, despite not seeing any trash cans. Graffiti was very minor, markers on escalators, mostly.
All the stations have temp barricades everywhere to funnel you in one direction. But some are in the way of access, like one had the first 3 openings to the track closed off. You might miss your train because you had to go further.
Some stations have many entrances/exits, allowing you to tunnel under many roads and avoid rain or snow.
It seems that every block has a bus stop. I like this as most have area maps with a “5 minute walk” circle around your location. They have some highlights to see, statues, restaurants, shops, etc.
I see now I should not have used the AeroExpress train. It would have been faster and cheaper to take bus from airport to metro station. So much for “express.”
Food has been a ongoing problem. Not the eating food or the flavor, but the getting.
Most of the restaurants here are kebab, shwarma, pastries, Chinese, Mexican, American, or appear too expensive. I came to try Russian food, not KFC or Burger King. Seriously, how are there more KFC’s here than all of Florida? (The state tore down the one next to the house, so we don’t have a KFC in town anymore, not that I went there often.)
If I find a reasonable priced Russian restaurant, I still have the problem of ordering, few have Romanized menus, and so few people understand English.
I did stop at a small café and pointed to a savory dish, label says 145₽, but the total was 382₽, the ticket says 1446.97*0.264kg, none of those numbers is 145. Did I get overcharged? Did they put the wrong price on the label? If so, that is 1447₽ per kg, not 1450.
Even going into the supermarket, many brands are the exact same as at home. Perhaps they have more flavor variations, Lays Chips has lobster, crab, and shrimp cocktail flavors. I did get a bag of Lay’s crab, it tasted like you had made a great dish, but then added crab to it. Not terrible, just would have been better without.
I have a limited kitchen setups and no freezer, so in purchasing some foods, I wouldn’t be able to make.
The kitchens also have signs about no smelly foods, fish in particular.
An Uber customer told me that to get an Irish stew, in Ireland, you have to go to a pub, not a restaurant. Perhaps something similar is going on here. Odd, now that I think about it, I don’t think Ive seen a Russian bar. Plenty of liquor shops, but no bars.
I have nothing left to see, but I scrolled around the map looking for anything. I visited Gorky Park, but only the northern most part. So I took the subway to near the south side and went in.
Actually, I find that I’m not in Gorky, not even near it yet. This is Neskuchny Garden, a pleasant wooded area with paths going every direction. It is wooded, so how is it a garden?
The paths are hard packed, and meandering. It doesn’t matter which way I go, I’m just exploring.
Quack!
I pass soccer field, tennis court, basketball court (in a cage), and a bunch of ping pong tables. At a playground, there’s a building, so I use the camera translator. It’s the chess club. I would not think a playground would be the quietest place to play chess, but I’m not that good either.
More ponds with ducks, this one had a duck and drake protecting the ducklings from an ogre trying to take their photo.
Peahen
I find a cage with a peahen inside. Don’t know what the point was.
Another war memorial, this had a fountain, but you can tell it hasn’t operated for years, not in the budget.
There is a bridge across the river, but I find it is just a pedestrian bridge. Geez, that’s a lot just for a few people to walk across.
It doesn’t matter where or when, I keep running into groups of kids on field trips. This must have been an easy day for the teacher, I can’t imagine they are really learning anything looking at fountains.
I see a bunch of balloons on a building, must be a party or wedding, nope, just some people doing tae bo, but no Billy Blanks.
I’m looking at a fountain for a bit, before realizing it is the same one I saw a few days back. It looks different without the stage and all the kids around it.
I meet a UK lady walking her dogs, so I ask her if there’s anywhere with Russian food. She tells me of a place, Grand Cafe Dr. Jhivago. Obviously, named for the famous movie.
It only has two $$ on google, so I decided to splurge, I don’t have to worry about keeping to a budget anymore.
I was seated on the sidewalk, I don’t know if I would be comfortable inside, it was still a bit fancy. The wind was ok, but it did pick up before I left.
Fortunately, the hostess and waitress both had English comprehension, and the menu was multilingual.
I had an appetizer of mushroom “dumplings,” really ravioli, with a wonderful sour cream. I could have just eaten a bowl of the sour cream.
Then I had a Siberian cod, covered in French fried onions and a cream sauce. It also had potato chips, made themselves. This feels like the kind of place where you don’t use your fingers to pick up food, but there is no other way to eat crispy thin wafers.
It had a side of grilled broccoli, almost an entire head, way bigger than I expected. It had a mustard seed and vinaigrette coating.
Everything was so good. I don’t know if it really was Russian or not, but I’ll pretend it was.
We are on the road next to the Kremlin. A large motorcade goes by, but can’t see into the cars, maybe Putin.
An expensive Maybach, a sub brand of Mercedes-Benz parks right next to the sidewalk, the hotel doorman places cones around it. That’s what being rich is like, you just park your car wherever you want. To hell with those poor people trying to get to work.
Total 2410₽, I paid in hundred ruble notes, which I suppose is the equivalent of a stack of $5’s. I’m so low class, I made a faux pas.
As I eat, it is getting colder and windier. As I leave I begin to feel drops. It could have remained nice out, I only need another 24 hours.
Tomorrow, I have to checkout by 11, but my flight isn’t until 9:20pm. I could roam around, but I’d have to lug my bags around, no fun. So I guess I’ll have a nice long day at the airport. Hurray!
I need it to not be raining while trying to get to the train platform. After that, pour down, it won’t bother me.
When I awoke, I could hear rain falling. Good, I can just stay in bed.
I tried to sleep, watch videos or browse sites. Finally I noticed the rain had stopped.
First thing I had to do, my metro card expired, so I had to get another. I entered the station, but there’s no one at the ticket booth, the ticket machines do not have any language selection. If you can’t read Russian, you can’t use the machine.
The next station is on the other side of the road, seems simple, but cars are much faster than bikes. I don’t feel up to dodging vehicles. I have to go down to the next major intersection, cross, then come back down to the other station. Only about a mile, just to that side.
I enter the station, but they don’t even have a ticket window. I should have bought one yesterday, while I still had access to move around, but I didn’t.
Now I have the choice, walk to the next station, or walk everywhere. The next is a 3-line intersection, so busy enough to have someone on duty, please.
This ride only takes 5 minutes, how long will it take on foot? Too many.
I finally get to the metro station and get my ticket. I only need two days, but it is cheaper to get the 3, maybe I’ll give it to someone when I leave.
I can now get on the subway back to my room. Fortunately, I didn’t shower yet, so I’m not wasting a change of clothes walking station to station, actually, its more the stress than the walking. I do shower once I return.
Glass design at the US Embassy
Now, where to go?
I’ve done all my saved places, except one, the US Embassy.
It lies between stations, so I have to walk there anyway.
It is an unassuming building, which is fine, it is just an admin office, after all. The only thing interesting is they have a glass barricade (bulletproof?) that has a really cool “space” motif.
I walk down the front, then one side, and the back. There is nothing interesting about the rest, just a tall reddish wall with cameras every 10 feet or so and guard stands at entrances.
Rather disappointed about the guard stands, I don’t know if any marines were in them or not, likely, but not definitely.
Walking on randomly, I came across the Moscow Zoo, well what the heck, might as well go in, I have nothing better to do. Tickets are from a machine that only accepts credit cards. Again, thanks Biden.
I find out I could have stayed at the Crazy Monkey Hostel. Dang, an opportunity missed.
There were reports of paintings in some of the metro cars, but I had seen no evidence of that, until today. I lucked out and got on a very old car that had a bunch of seats removed. In place there are artworks displayed.
They appear to be reprints of water colors, none too spectacular.
To see all, you’d have to get off at each station and run up to the next car and re-enter. That seems too much effort. Better would be if the art was on one of the trains that allows movement between cars.
I randomly decided to get off at station Park Pobedy, as it is named for the park it stops at. Pobedy is Russian for “victory” and the park is all about the victory over the Germans.
This must be the worst park in Moscow. It is just a huge expanse of granite, 700 yards long, barely a plant anywhere. Also, I have to walk directly towards the sun, so I can’t really see the other end very well.
There is the required sculpture depicting the victorious soldiers and one side of the plaza has a row of columns with wreaths on them. The other side has fountains, but the water just shoots upwards a few feet, not spectacular at all.
Off to one side, I entered a small church. Very small, my bedroom is about as big as the inside of the church. There were many depictions of various saints for you to prey to.
Down a sidewalk, I find a small playground and I sit in the shade for a while.
I must be getting old, my new favorite thing is to sit.
I left my room about 8pm, heading for the train station.
I wasn’t taking the train, but I wanted to know that I knew where it was when ready to leave. Easier with no bags than with two.
Good thing I did try, as the platform was under renovation, there was a significant detour across two roads. Normally, there is an exit right from the Metro station. If it rains Wednesday, I’m not going to be happy with these renovations, by far.
Some workers had half the stairway blocked off and were placing concrete “top stones” to the stairs. Which really makes no sense, the stairs are already concrete, so why bother. The workers had a large circular saw and were cutting them to size, without ear plugs or dust masks. Also, they were doing all this a few week from the passersby. No pesky OSHA here.
A building on a platform?
I verified this was the correct platform and then left, walking up the road.
It was on the verge of getting dark and I was hoping to see some building all lit up.
I passed a building that appeared to be built on a elevated platform or old roadway. Not where I want my million dollar investment.
There was a major roadway interchange. I should have used the crossing tunnel, but I didn’t. It was quite busy and took me a couple of minutes for a clearance.
As soon as I reached the other side, the lights on the overpass came on.
VTB Arena
There wasn’t much to see, except a large stadium, the VTB Arena, which hosts hockey as well as football (soccer) matches. It is also a popular concert venue.
I got on the subway, going back to my room, but I had to make a transfer right next to Red Square, so I decided to try again. Maybe with no rain, they might be more to see.
I’m in luck, I come out a different exit right at the Bolshoi Theater. There must have been a performance letting out, as there were a lot of fancy outfits, as well as fancier cars.
St. Basil’s at night
I headed towards the square, but no luck there, few lights on the Kremlin or St Basil’s.
But since the sun wasn’t directly behind the basilica, and there was plenty of ambient light, I think I was able to get a better photo than before.
I see that the concert stage and barricades are now gone from the plaza, so I take a stroll through.
Even after 10pm on a Sunday night, their are plenty of families around.
Bolshoi Theater
Surprise, the “paint” had dried on the riverview platform, amazing how that happens after the event finished. I got a few shots of the nearby scenery from the end of the riverview platform, including a photo of the crescent moon (and Venus) over St. Basil’s.
The park has so many different things, that there are maps all around. But even though the maps show toilet icons, I see no toilet anywhere. One sign said there was one, but it was just a grassy area, I’m certain I’d be able to spot that one.
As I leave, one of the church bells starts to ring, 8 minutes late. I’ve noticed that the church bells seem to not care about actual time, the one near my room is 5 minutes too early. Well, if it wakes me up, its hours too early.
Novodevichy Cemetery is the final resting place of some of Russia’s most famous, much like Père Lachaise in Paris.
The problem is, they might be Russia famous, but they’re not US famous. Plus all the names are in Russian.
Tomb of Boris Yeltsin
I found Boris Yeltsin’s (it really stands out), I saw Khrushchev’s but did not transliterate the name, at the time.
Author Anton Chekhov and Mikhail Gorbachev are also are buried there.
Next door is a convent. I was uncertain whether I could enter, but after seeing a couple of men exiting, I decided to go ahead.
It was very lovely, the buildings were painted nicely. The lawn was not mown, but it looked “kept up.” There were workers laying down a new stone walkway.
I felt wrong taking photos, but I saw others doing it too, so I suppose it was okay.
I’m uncertain if it was a working convent or not, so many churches were closed during the revolution. Being Sunday morning, I suppose any nuns would have been in service while I was there.
Next I headed to the art district.
There is a small plaza with a bunch of galleries, all were closed, being Sunday. The buildings are designed and made up to look unique. Not only do they allow graffiti, but they probably encourage it, if it is artistic.
I had nothing else planned in this area, so I see a small park on the map. It shows a toilet, not that I need it, but always good to be near.
I cross a small river, yellow from pollen, and climb a steep hill. I followed the googled directions, but it led me to a construction tunnel. They have these 2×4 and corrugated steel protective walkways around all sorts of construction sites, meant to be a safe passage. Problem is, this one doesn’t go anywhere but to a locked gate.
Being daring, I push open the construction wall a bit and pass through. It should be okay, there is a gap between the fence and storage containers.
Oh crap, I stepped in it. I will presume it was an animal’s.
Then the only way out was to climb a very thin, hand made ladder, over a concrete barrier, onto the road. I don’t mean onto a space next to the road, but into one of the lanes.
It had rained last night, so there were some puddles that I could walk through, hoping to remove some of the mess off my shoe.
Climbing another hill, I reached the small park. Then I see the sign for the building next to it. It was a monastery.
I went in and browsed around.The convent was way better looking, but this had a fat, lazy cat.
They had a display of “pieces” of tombstones. I guess they were damaged in the revolution or perhaps some war.
People were going into one of the chapels, but I was not going in with dirty shoes. I was hoping that the crushed granite walkways were working it clean.
OK, I didn’t actually see any nuns or monks, but I did see a priest walking outside the convent.
I walked to the next station to head back for lunch.
I went to the supermarket and had a fairly hefty bag of food. But I can’t cross the road because there is a freakin bike race going down the street between me and my room.
I’ve been crossing roads with really fast cars for decades, I think a few bikes is no danger at all.
Normally I would just walk through, but there are police all along the road. I don’t think there is a tunnel cross walk anywhere close, so I just go for it. As I reach the other side, I’m facing 3 officers, they don’t say anything, so I just go around.
I cook and eat then head to my room to charge the pad. Alright, my roommates have both left, I’m solo. Maybe I can get sleep tonight without the snoring.
I wanted to go back to Red Square, to get some nighttime photos. I figured it would look great with the lights on.
As I step outside, I start feeling drops on my head. I had just looked at the weather app, it said there would be some light rain at 1am. I wouldn’t be out that late, otherwise I’d be locked out of the hostel.
It is light rain and I won’t be out long, quick photos and back.
I come out of the station, and I see few lights. Dang.
I had wanted to do the same in Saint Petersburg, but never made myself do it.
On the way to a different station entrance, a guy stops me and asks something. I respond with, “I don’t understand Russian.”
Oh, he knows a little English. I’m standing there in the rain and he wants my life story.
After a few minutes, he asks if I was going to the Metro. Then he walks with me, pushing a rental bike, through a tunnel under the roadway. He parks the bike in its cradle and walks with me into the station.
At this point, I’m not certain if he’s being friendly, or going to rob me. Big city, out of towner, it happens.
Then wants to know if I have phone number in Russia. He wanted to call me and invite me to go to church with him.
I was about to head back, when I noticed one more place marked on my may nearby, Gorky Park.
Disclaimer: I originally was confusing two Robin Williams films, Moscow on the Hudson and the World According to Garp. Neither of these has anything to do with Gorky Park, but it did lead me to come. Actually, I’ve never watched either movie.
Gorky Park is a decent sized park, plenty of trees and flower beds. The Russians sure do like their tulips.
There is a large square “pond” with water jets spraying in patterns. The ducks will come to you if they think you have food.
A dark tulip, almost goth.
Some local internet or cell phone company was putting on a concert, but the host kept droning on. Shut up and play music I’ve never heard.
They had another pond with paddle boat rentals.
I wandered around coming upon a playground. This playground had all kinds of equipment the safety police at home would never allow.
The swings were really tall, so the swingers could really get up there. Most were standard, two chain and a seat, but they also had some that were just knots at the end of ropes, much like a river swing.
They had a spinning rope carousel with disks you’d stand or sit on, I’ve seen similar on Survivor and Big Brother. These were all connected so that they would spin around. I guess the rule of the game is to make the others fall off by spinning fast.
There was a climbing pit, with ropes and slides and “boulders” to help you climb up or go down. It was shredded rubber lined, but a fall from the top would certainly hurt. It looked a bit steep, but I watched a toddler climb all the way up.
The bottom was filled with gravel, which the littlest ones decided it was better for throwing down the slide.
I love watching the kids as they can have equal amounts of joy and terror, at the same time. Plus some of the moms were kind of hot.
I’m doing the touristy thing today, I’m going to Red Square.
The Metro exits right on to the square, looking straight onto the Kremlin. The clock chimes 10:30, just as I approach.
Turning left, there is St. Basil’s Basilica, in all its colorfulness. There is a barricade and an officer blocking the entrance, so no going in.
There is a race going on today, I see hundreds of people in race vests, down below. This may explain the closure of the basilica.
A stage is set up not to far from the finish line, music blaring.
They have another stage being set up in front of the Kremlin, but the signs specify a concert on May 24. Maybe I will swing by after checking out of my room, but probably not.
I see a large sign for Lenin, I spot the security entrance and doesn’t look too long. That was just those allowed up to the security, they only allowed a few from the line to pass at a time. The real line was about a hundred or so. Screw that, I ain’t waiting for no dead guy.
Walking around the side, there is a small flowery path.
The ticket to enter the museum is 1000 rubles. They call it the Armory, but there were few weapons on display. It was mostly ordinary (but extravagant) items, like bowls, platters, mugs.
There were a dozen chariots and sleds used by the various Tsars and Emperors. I’m surprised that they would have kept so many. You’d think that a 14th century wagon master would have sold off or destroyed any of them as they became worn out. They wouldn’t have had the appreciation of history we have now.
Several churches or chapels are inside the walls. Would you believe they want 900 rubles just to go it? Everything there needs a ticket.
I leave the walled area, and head towards Basil’s again, I’m just heading that way. The guard and barricade are gone, so the race did have something to do with it.
Everyone must go through metal detectors to get into the staged area, but I can stand right behind the stage outside the fence, if someone wanted to do something destructive.
Everything I marked was over 3 years ago, so I keep looking at my place marks and wondering what I wanted to see at that location. This one just gave an address, in a park. Park items don’t normally have addresses. There is a “rock” hill and on the other side is an amphitheater. I wend to the top, but I can’t see myself purposely tagging this.
Maybe what I really wanted is a walkway that goes out over the river. The sign for that says it is “closed for paint.” Sounds like a lie to me.
There are a few more items down the river bank to see,m so I walk on.
The next is a statuary sculpture “Children are the Victims of Adult Vices.”
The 13 “evil” sculptures depict alcoholism, exploitation of child labor, indifference, drug addiction, prostitution, sadism, ignorance, pseudoscience, war, poverty, theft, capitol punishment, and advocating violence. Each work is incredibly detailed, showing figures closing in on the little golden boy and girl. Besides the children, the centerpiece of the work is the statue depicting indifference to these vices, and showing a man with closed eyes, plugged ears and folded arms.
Of note is the familiar looking mouse head on War’s bomb. Propaganda at its finest.
Next was the “Love Trees,” a set of metal frameworks with thousands of locks and ribbons from travelers from around the world.
When a couple get married, they write their names on a padlock (which is often the shape of a heart), lock it to some free space on one of the metal tree frames, and toss the key into the river. Although the practice is common in many other countries, the iron trees that lovers affix their lock to make Moscow’s bridge of love a unique and romantic site.
The giant Peter the Great statue stands nearby. One of the tallest in Europe, it might not have even been Peter.
According to one prominent rumor, it was actually created as a tribute to Christopher Columbus to mark the 500th anniversary of his first voyage.
According to this version of its origin story, the sculptor couldn’t find an American buyer for the work, so his friend and former mayor of Moscow commissioned the piece. It was reworked to represent the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy Peter the Great founded and was finally erected in 1997.
The people of Moscow aren’t thrilled they wound up with the statue—after all, Peter the Great disliked the city so much he moved Russia’s capital to Saint Petersburg. It’s been proposed to relocate the monumental effigy to the emperor’s favored city, but so far Saint Petersburg has kindly declined that offer.
