Moscow, USSR

At the time, black market trading was all the buzz. We didn't know if it was legal or not, and we couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. I planned ahead and brought extra Levi's and chewing gum and shoes to trade for Soivet paraphenalia.

I also enjoyed visiting the Kremlin and Red square, both of which have changed slightly with the times.

I'm so happy to have visited before the collapse of the Soviets. I have memories that are only comparable to a chunk of the Berlin wall.

Quick Tips:

I learned a little bit of Russian before I went, and found that most people spoke English very well. Those in retail businesses spoke especially well. Tourism wasn't real big, butit wasn't unheard of. Moscow seemed to cater to us, a bunch of junior high kids, and treat us like diplomats. The only Russian I got to use was 'spaseeba', and I felt silly.

Best Way To Get Around:

The metro system is one of the best in the world, and probably the most beautiful. Many stations seem more like museums than subway depots. It's very inexpensive and since it's underground, you are sheltered from the cold in the winter months.

Most of the time I was on a tour bus or walking.

I'm not sure about the price, but what we called a Flotel was two boats tethered together on the bank of the river. The rooms were small cabins, smaller than any cruise ship I've been on, but they were comfy. It was real fun for us kids to sleep on a boat instead of a Hotel. From what I've heard, budget accommodations are hard to come by in Moscow and this was a good alternative. They treated us like diplomats and fed us top quality food (caviar, beef, and fish). Our food was, however, rationed heavily. No seconds! And to a 13 year old caviar is grodie, and salt fish can only go so far. I, on the other hand, enjoyed all of the food and helped my fellow travellers clean thier plates.

I doubt that it is still there

The big deal at the time of my visit was McDonald's was moving in to Moscow. Nobody ever talked about the fact that Baskin Robins was already there, way before the McDonalds store was built.

Apparently, they leave the 31 flavors part in the U.S.. We had the choice of Rum Raisin ice cream or Rum Raisin ice cream. We made the joke that it was 31 days between flavors. Since then, Rum Raisin has been my favorite flavor of ice cream.

The portion was about 2 ounces, about the same amount as we use for ketchup on our fries. It came in a little paper cup, with a 2 inch scoop in it. I think it was 1.3 rubles, but who knows now.

Home of St. Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's tomb, I couldn't believe I was actually there. I felt like I was in a story book looking at St. Basil's. The onion shaped towers were awesome. They are that shape for two reasons, I'm told, the snow can't stick and they are flame shaped like a candle offering up to God. I don't know if that's true but it's some useless trivia that I retained.

Across from St. Basil's is Lenin's Tomb. The wax-like corpse former Soviet dictator is housed in a red and black block pyramid-castley thing. We had to wait in line for over an hour to walk thru. Pictures were not allowed, but I was able to catch the changing of the guard outside the temple. The guards march is sooo Russian, straight legged and swinging arm. Inside, we had to keep the line moving, and it was overwhelming to wonder what they saw in this dead dude.

Lenins tomb is located at the end of a line of former Stalinists graves.

Not like any other mall I've been to before. Properly pronounced 'Goom', this department store feels like a mall, but doesn't have the selection of merchandise that I was used to. I guess it's just one store, but it's divided into separate sections like a mall. Fabric seemed to be the only thing there, I saw shoes, and they all looked the same (including size). It made me depressed to see the limited choices that people under the communist rule had. While Gum may be Moscow's Kmart, I'd take a bluelight special any day over Gum.

The architecture is more interesting than the merchandise. Now all of this has probably changed. It's still a must see for a first time visit.

It was hot! So hot in the permanent tent/building. The air wasn't circulating at all and it was packed. That made it hard to enjoy, but the lions, bears, and clowns were all very entertaining. The acrobats seemed to be doing far more dangerous maneuvers than I've ever seen.

It was located in a popular park. Outside were ply wood stands of a Russian Mouse and duck that resembled some familiar American icons and as we arrived so did the costumed characters for photo opportunities.

I am of part Russian heritage. My great-grandparents were first generation Americans, and I knew them well. They came to America before the Communist revolution in 1917 so the Russia that I visited in 1989 was most likely worlds apart. They were from Southern Russia, near Turkey and would have never seen Moscow in thier lifetimes if they had remained there. Instead, they raised their family in Bakersfield, CA.

When I had the opportunity to visit the Soviet Union, it was too late for my great-grandparents to be excited for me. I felt like I was going to view a piece of my heritage that would soon be lost forever in The Great Melting Pot of America.

Knowing very little about the culture itself, I signed up for the trip that included Moscow [Paris and London too]. What I knew about the former communist capital was minimal, but I felt a connection that I don't think any of the other members of the group felt.

Arriving in Moscow, via Brussels, I leaned over to look out the window. I was suprised to see a vast forest of conifers. The hue of green is ingrained in my memory as one I've never seen before. I had expected to touch down in Siberia, I guess.

The airport was chaos. Moscow is a big city, and I was from a small semi-rural town. I was unable to grasp the granduer of Moscow outside of each site as it was presented to me. That's just how it was, too, presented. We had a very tight itinerary, and while part of that was the nature of the trip, I also got the feeling that we only got to see what 'they' wanted us to see.

The military presence was everywhere, soldiers marched around town, and patroled in vehicles like police. The police themselves, we witnessed, were on the take.

Outside of our hotel, in the park, black market traders scattered when a police officer walked up. They seemed to just disappear into the bushes. The cop stood around for a while, then a man appeared from the foliage. They talked for a while, made a small hand-held exchange, and parted. The cop went on his way and the traders gathered around a statue. I ventured down with the others to try my hand at the barter system that we all take for granted.

I felt like I was dealing with third-world natives and not oppressed capitalists. They spoke perfect English, and the guy I was dealing with and I both parted thinking we had duped the other.

My prizes were a CCCP watch and a one-sided USSR flag. The watch, back at home, was worth $100. I still have it.

Stalinist sculptures were all over the city. The commies weren't down on art and culture they just made it so that it catered to them. The metro stations are like museums with the walls covered in mosaics. The art of the city was more than I expected, they were really trying to do what was right for thier country.