Spring Time In Moscow

Posted On Thursday, June 5, 2014 at at 7:19 PM by Alvin  

We landed in Moscow as Spring was in the air with a mild 25C and we headed for our first Metro / Train ride with hardly any signs showing Latin alphabets. Somehow, it was easier than we had thought as the Moscow transport system ran like clockwork with precise departures, very comfortable and modern. At the same time thanks to Mandy, the wizard girl of working out Cyrillic alphabets, she felt right at home as she pointed out when we ought to be getting off at Rizhskaya for our beds for the nights to come ! There's something in Mandy's Maths background that always helped when it came to symbols, patterns, sequences and timetables ... but that's another story. The next day we could not wait to explore the Red Square, the Kremlin, Lenin's Mausoleum and St. Basil's Cathedral and they all lived up to our imagination as we felt the immensity, glory and pride around this quite unique area in the world. 

We took long walks around Moscow and enjoyed greatly the sights this city had to offer : the Moscow River, Peter The Great Statue, Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour, Art Muzeon Sculpture Park, GUM (a stylish, airy multi-level department store right opposite The Kremlin), VDNKh (an enormous ground comprising of fountains, exhibition halls and palaces show casing Socialist achievements), Izmailovo with its Disney-like fairy-style Kremlin, the Bolshoi Theatre as well as countless beautiful churches. A day out in the small town of Sergiev Posad (Zagorsk) about 2 hours bus ride, allowed us a glimpse of the world beyond the Moscow metropolis and we enjoyed some green space as well as visiting the famous spectacular cathedrals. Fond feelings for Moscow grew on us as the mild and blue Spring days passed and we have very good impressions of this great city and we felt a tinge of sorrow when we had to depart for St. Petersburg !



 

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Mesmerising Russian Cathedrals And Churches

Posted On Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at at 1:21 AM by Alvin  


Whenever we encountered a Russian Cathedral or church, it was difficult to take our eyes off them, as they were so intricately designed and constructed in forms and colors - all in all, mesmerising ! The colorful domes and golden spires enticed us to enter and explore, where one would find numerous religious icons as well as hymns being sung by worshippers in total concentration and dedication - the atmosphere inside the cathedrals would be peaceful, moving, solemn, dignified and joyous at the same time. Visiting these cathedrals and churches had been one of the major highlights of our trip in the land of Russia.

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St. Petersburg - Beautiful River-side City And Gorgeous Palaces

Posted On Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at at 7:19 PM by Alvin  

Peter The Great did himself real justice by raising this city almost from a piece of damp swamp land into the city which we visited today - a beautiful setting right by the Baltic Sea and with picturesque bridges criss-crossing the River Neva. Having spent almost a whole day at The Hermitage (see Blog post below), we were ready to get out there in the sun and explore this city of immense beauty. We started our exploration right on the main street of Nevsky pr. where we saw countless well-dressed apartment blocks with beautifully decorated facade; we crissed and crossed the many bridges and winded our way towards the River Neva where we visited The Triumphal Arch, The Church On The Spilled Blood, The Summer Palace, St. Issac Cathedral, The Admiralty, The Russian Museum, Trinity Cathedral and then spent a whole bright afternoon exploring Peter and Paul Fortress where there were sunbathers aplenty. Well, they sure would get that sun tan as the sun was not setting until almost eleven in the evening !

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The Hermitage in St. Petersburg - Spending Some Time Here ...

Posted On at at 1:37 AM by Alvin  

The Hermitage in St. Petersburg could leave you gawking in awe for a few days as there were over 3 million paintings, artifacts, mosaics, sculptures and not to mention the beautiful chandeliers, painted ceilings, and baroque architectures. Think of it this way - we climbed Tai Shan (泰山) in about 5 hours at a steady pace but it took us the same amount of time at fast walking pace to admire these Royal art collections - now, that's a huge collection ! And we had probably missed out on a few chambers and halls as well; this museum was undoubtedly one of the best in the world. The Hermitage was very well-managed - yeh, an old Russian lady could be seen sitting quietly in the corner of each and every hall one moment, and the next moment, would jump up and tut-tut the visitor when they saw a flashed camera or could be seen hushing up noisy school children in a no-nonsense head-mistress manner ! Yes Mam !
 

 
 

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