Moscow--Russia’s Showpiece Capital

Moscow covers nearly as large an area as Los Angeles, an usually spacious city for Europe. Green space is further increased, since 98% live in high-rise apartments. Moscow was founded in 852 AD and became the capital of what would become Russia in 1157. In 1712, the capital moved to St. Petersburg for 300 years.

We saw Moscow on five half-day guided bus tours. I dislike bus tours, but it is probably the best way to see this fascinating but infernal city. Independent travel looked to be very difficult, unless you speak and read Russian. Baedeker’s lists 22 stared sights. We saw, at least in passing, 16 of them.

Day One: We rode the Metro, stopping at four of the most notable Metro stations and finishing near Red Square. We entered Red Square by the National Historical Museum, revealing an impressive view of Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral. With 30 minutes of free time, we headed for the small, wildly colored church on the corner behind us, where a full-blown Russian Orthodox service was in progress. Seeing and hearing the service, with the chants by the priests and choir, was a not-to-be-missed experience.

Then to GUM for our first encounter with a Russian restroom, a type we call a squat toilet--no seat, just two steel pedestals where you plant and squat.

Back on the bus to an impressive view of Novodevichy Convent across Swan Lake, of the famous ballet. We had 40 minutes to stroll Old Arbat Street, which will disappoint anyone who has roamed the streets of the great cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

An afternoon tour to the Tretyakov Gallery disappointed.

The Moscow By Night tour was another highlight for the Victory Monument, with 1,400 fountains lit from below by red lights and the illuminated Red Square.

Day Two: Morning tour of the stunning Armory Museum and Kremlin was another highlight. The red brick walls of the Kremlin extend for 1.3 miles, rising 240 feet. The Armory was built by the Tsars to display their wealth, and they had a lot of wealth. That afternoon, we went to the Pushkin Art Museum with a box lunch in the park. Then it was back to the ship for the 5pm departure.

Quick Tips:

How long do you need to see Moscow? We took five bus tours. Day 1 went from 9am to 1am, day 2, 9am to 5pm, and we felt comfortable that that was enough. By contrast, our first visit to Prague was three days, and I wrote an IgoUgo Journal titled "Three Days in Prague is Not Enough." Our second visit added three more days. I’m now reasonably content with six days in Prague, but I’d like another three to four.

As for Moscow, we were happy with those two long days of well-planned bus tours. Moscow (and the very different St. Petersburg) have no relationship to the cities and villages where we stopped in between the two great showpiece cities. 90% of Russia lives outside these two cites, so if you want to get a taste of the real Russia, you must go beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg. Be prepared to stand in lines and wait. It took us 115 minutes to get through passport control.

Best Way To Get Around:

On the whole, I don’t like guided bus tours because buses are uncomfortable, and I would divide the time spent at various sights very differently. However, there are exceptions. Cairo, St. Petersburg, and Moscow are the only places we have been where I would rather not do it myself. Moscow’s problems for do-it-yourself tourism are legion. It is nearly impossible to figure out what street you are on, and traffic is horrible.

The Victory Monument was a special place at night. Covering 22 acres, the centerpiece of the Monument are the 1,400 fountains, representing the number of days Hitler’s Army was in Russia during the Great Patriotic War. At night, the fountains are lit in red from below, symbolizing the Russian blood shed during the war.

Victory monument also contains a large WWII war museum, three churches representing Russia’s three religions (Judaism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy), a memorial obelisk 465 feet high, and a large floral clock.

Victory Monument is on one of the highest hills in Moscow, where, according to historical legend, travelers leaving or returning to Moscow would stop and say a prayer for their journey or safe return.

Astride Kutuzovskiy Prospect, at the downhill end of Victory Monument, is the Arch of Triumph, erected to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon in the Patriotic War 1812.

We visited at night, which is not to be missed, but a daytime visit would also have been worthwhile, since the buildings are closed at night. As we were walking along the fountains, there was a fireworks display nearby that added to the impressive scene.

The Tretyakov houses, by universal acclaim, are the world’s greatest collection of Russian art. We didn’t like it. This is matter of personal taste. Old Russian art just ain’t our thing. Early on in the visit, we abandoned our guided tour, walked quickly through the museum, and then went outside to shop and explore the nearby streets.

When planning your trip, visit The Tretyakov’s website and look at what you will see so you can decide in advance if you really want to do this. That said, the highlight of the Tretyakov for us was the view of the front door, the bizarre early 20th-century townhouse of the Kostroma (see journal) linen merchant, Tretyakov, and the entrance hall to the house.

The “Tretyakov” refers to the old, or original, Tretyakov Gallery, which displays Russian art up to the time of the revolution. A new building located somewhere else has art for the time of the revolution onward. We did not see this museum.

The Tretyakov and Pushkin are Moscow's leading art museums. The Pushkin holds art from outside Russia. The original collection was a bunch of replicas of famous European art made for art students to study. The Pushkin’s four rooms of Impressionist art rival the Hermitage collection. Almost all the people on the Pushkin bus went to see the museum’s noted collection of French Impressionism (one gallery had a dozen Monet's; the next room, 11 Renoir's), and some of them ran into trouble trying to find it. A reception had closed the route the guide had directed us to take, and the floor plans were only in Russian. I had Baedeker’s, with a floor plan in English, so we maneuvered directly to the Impressionist Galleries.

On our way back, for a quick walk-through of the rest of the museum, we rescued some of our group who were still floundering about trying to find the Impressionist galleries with time running out. If you are on your own, here’s how to find the Impressionist rooms. As you face the entrance to the museum from the steps outside, the Impressionist collection is in four rooms, one room on either side of the center of the second floor above the front door, and then two rooms connecting to the front facing gallery to the right of center.

Other than the Impressionist collection, there are some Kandinsky's, Picasso's, and a nice collection of artifacts and mummies from ancient Egypt.

I’m going to rate the sights we saw in Moscow, starting with the “must see” places (***) and ending with ‘see if
you can’ (*).

***

Bus tours, which take you around to the sights, but also spend a lot of time driving around the great city so the
passengers can see more than the famed places. Otherwise, ride a tram or city bus around.

Red Square, which must be seen both by day and by night. If only one is possible, go at night. On your first
visit to Red Square, you must enter the Square fro the end opposite St Basil’s Cathedral for the view of St
Basil’s across the length of Red Square.

The Kremlin Walls. The red brick walls of Kremlin are 1.4 miles long. About half the original 26 towers
remain. The walls are 21 ft thick, 62 ft high, and the towers rise to 230 ft.

Inside the Kremlin Walls are 70 acres filled with palaces, government buildings, gardens, and churches.

The Armory Museum inside the Kremlin.

“Moscow By Night” bus tour.

The Victory Monument at night.

St Basil’s Cathedral, both day and night

**

The Novodevichy Convent from the shores of “Swan Lake”, which inspired Tchaikovsky’s ballet.

Metro stations. Our guided bus tour included a visit two four of the most notable ones.

The Pushkin Art Museum

Lubyanka Square

The “Wedding Cake” skyscrapers. The most accessible is the Ministry of Defense, a half block from Old
Arbat St.

Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, Cathedral Square, Kremlin. According to the guide books, five Kremlin
churches are open to the public, but when we were there, this was the only one open.

*

The view of the city from Sparrow Hill, the highest point in Moscow.

Old Arbat Street

GUM

The Hotel Russia, 5,360 rooms

Facade, Hotel Metropole

The Alexander Garden

The statue of Peter the Great in the Moscow River.

The Armory struck us as the Tsar’s knickknack shelf, but the Tsar’s knickknacks are nothing like
your Aunt Tillie’s. The Armory house every thing from the Russian Crown Jewels (extra fee) to
the throne of Ivan the Terrible. A visit to the Armory was one of our morning bus tours. It did
not start well. The police had closed a number of streets for some event, necessitating a
impromptu tour of the other side of the Moscow River as the driver tried to find a way to get to
the Kremlin. When we finally arrived, our entrance tickets were on another bus that took another
20 minus to arrive. Then followed 65 minuet wait in line to enter the Kremlin because only one
metal detector was working at the Kremlin Gate. When we finally made our way to the Armory
the first room we entered displayed royal robes, thrones, court and religious dress. Next, a
collection of royal armor, including armor for horses. A large collection of regal state coaches
followed.

Upstairs, large rooms displayed a myriad of royal stuff– Faberge Eggs, jeweled swords and ivory
inlaid guns, a set of dishes that were a gift from Napoleon before his ill-fated invasion, and many
other precious items, mostly gifts to the Tsar from foreign heads of state or from the Russian
nobility. Although there was a whole display case of Faberge eggs, the two in the Walters Gallery
in Baltimore are more impressive.

The exterior of The State Armory Museum is a striking yellow and white neo-classical design.
The rooms on the first floor are purely display rooms, but upstairs, the large gallery is a striking
hall with tall fluted columns and well decorated ceiling. The 19th Century building takes its name
from being built on the space inside the Kremlin previously occupied by the Kremlin armory.

The Armory Museum was one of the highlights of our Russian trip, and belongs on everyone’s
don’t miss list.