Russia
Red Square

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    • Day 5

      Kreml

      April 24, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

      Gestern führte uns Thomas wieder quer durch Moskau, bis wir alle Eindrücke verarbeitet haben wird es wohl noch ein wenig dauern! Unter anderem waren wir im Gorky Park, Muzeon, "Peter der Große" Statue, Christerlöser Kathedrale!

      Heute ging es nun zum meistbesuchte Ort in Moskau dem Kreml und der Rüstkamer des Moskauer Kremls hier konnten wir die zahlreichen Kronen, Geschenke Ausl. Gesandten, Gewänder, Ritterrüstung, Kutschen und vieles mehr aus den vergangenen Jahrhunderten begutachten. Leider darf man gar keine Bilder machen!

      Abends gab es dann eine kleine Auswahl an 🍩!
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    • Day 7

      so much history

      July 6, 2019 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Moscow! First challenge was to find a breakfast place in the morning since we are staying at a Hostel (my parents feel just a couple of years younger now). We succeeded and had like half liter of cappuccino to start the day with. Tomorrow we’ll try to order less. Many do not speak at all or only just a little bit of English, also the young people even if they learn English at school. Anyway, we were picked up at 10 from Milena (I think. It is so embarassing when you forget the name along the day and then it is so awkard to ask for it again....). She is very interesting and smart, she studied economics and was in the team that had to organize the voucher-system for privatization all the goods in the former UDSSR after the end of it. So interesting. We went first underground and had a look at different metro stations then we went up again, walked Arbat street and she told us a lot about buildings, architecture and politics. That city is packed with history, i have a similar feeling being in Berlin. We then entered the Kreml, a city in the city. Again we were lucky with the weather and the amount of people. The biggest number of other tourists are Chinese btw. We ended today’s guided tour on the Red Square, which isn’t red but named like that because red is similar to beautiful in Russian. If I undestood it correctly they have the same word root. Again, sitting there and just watching that place is amazing. If walls could speak, right? There is also the Lenin Mausoleum and the grave of Stalin. Otherwise portraits of him (many of them were in mosaics or other pictures of the metro stations) were replaced by different sujets. We decided to walk back to our hostel, had the obligatory coffee on the way and also a bit rain just as we arrived at the hostel. Perfect.Read more

    • Day 2

      Red Square

      March 19, 2018 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ -1 °C

      The next day we directly made our way to (probably) Moscow's main attraction - Red Square.

      It took 10 minutes with the metro to get there.

      We didn't visit any of the Museums or exhibitions, we just walked around the area a bit and enjoyed the cold, but sunny weather 😎Read more

    • Day 1

      Izhevsk - Kama - Baikal

      June 1, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Auch dieses Jahr zieht es mich wieder nach Russland. Diesmal auf den Fluss Kama, den wir (ich und mein Reisebegleiter) ca. 1000km weit befahren wollen. Zudem fällt mir ein: Ich war noch nie auf dem Baikalsee und bin noch nie mit der Transsib gefahren. Das gilt es alles nachzuholen. Auf Auf!Read more

    • Day 110

      Moscow--Red Square

      October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      Center of Moscow. Red in old Russian means "beautiful" and was applied to the most beautiful square in every Russian city. Red here is not a reference to the color I always associated with Russian communism. St. Basil's cathedral is at one end. The Kremlin is along one side. The pics are of the Kremlin wall and the tower at the main gate. Next is a view of the Square from by St. Basil's. Last is the other side opposite the Kremlin and is GUM, Government Department Store.Read more

    • Day 6

      Beautiful Moscow

      October 14, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

      What is Moscow like? The worries and warnings were not warrented at all. This is a glorious city. I'm now quite fascinated with how these negative stereotypes came about. The second world war and the American cold war propaganda is still such a strong influence over at least Australia's impressions of this country.

      The buildings are really beautiful, and so pristine. There are so many different architecture styles, so many different colours, no peeling paint, and perfect mosaics on some of the fancy hotels. There are quite a few covered for renovations, but the covering is often printed with the picture of the building, so the street scapes are still beautiful. I wonder if Moscow is always like this, or if it's all spruced up for this WFYS conference and for FIFA next year.

      The people are serious, until you approach them in most cases. Even the military guards and police who patrol the streets are quite friendly if you need to ask for directions. The younger generation are darling, often with good English. If you ask something stupid though, they will probably laugh at you - today I went to the tekrakov gallery and left my ticket in my bag which I'd cloaked. The old woman shook her head at me and laughed and threw her hands around when I ran back to get it - this is usually in good humour though.

      The restaurants are also very glorious. So neat and fancy. Although I don't know what Moscow was like 30 years ago in the soviet era, the stereotype is that everything is that brutal architecture and not beautiful. Everything is practical rather than beautiful. This is the opposite I feel. Since the city is for everyone - every proletariat worker - the whole city is beautiful, and has the aim of accommodating everyone. Moscow's circular city map and large open spaces are a testament to this.

      The train stations built by Stalin are the most beautiful I've ever seen, and they are not grand in the way the hermitage is grand - as a gawdy show of wealth and disregard for those 'lower' than you, but they represent a beauty open for everyone, in a very public space, with beautiful brass statues of us, the workers. Not queens or gods, but poets and labourers.

      Moscow is easily one of my favourite cities in Europe. The pride the locals have in their city, shown in the way they keep it so immaculate and their willingness to show you around; the mesh of architecture from classic, to baroque (so much baroque in Russia!) and the soviet buildings make it a literal museum of its vibrant history. Don't be scared of Moscow. Don't believe the American cold war rhetoric. Come to russia and see this glorious country and its capital for yourself. And after you've done some sightseeing, wash it all down with a bowl of hot borscht.
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    • Day 4

      Shades of Grey

      October 12, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

      I haven't written as many blogs as I would like, but I've got about 4 planned. The big ones that I am stewing on are my 'epiphany' blogs - one to communicate just how safe, clean, beautiful, and underrated Moscow is. What is the west's fear of this country as a tourist destination? Is it just the difficulty in getting a visa? Is it anti communist, cold war sentiment? Moscow is honestly as beautiful as Paris in many ways, but in my opinion safer. And less tourists, so more authentic culture at your fingertips (less tourist traps!). However, I'll leave this to a different post to give it justice. The jet lag is bad today (my night last night is another blog post on its own!), and I feel so exhausted but wired at the same time. I'm going to push on till at least 6.30 then try to sleep.

      The biggest blog, and the biggest question - the reason why I travelled all this way to russia - is to understand what *was* the Soviet union. What do the Russians think about their history? Was it horrible living under socialism, or was it an equal society? How has the Soviet era influenced russia today? Mostly, I want to see what russia is like now, and compare it to what my parents and grandparents experienced when they visited the soviet union in the 70s and 80s. My blood is red (literally and figuratively), but I want to understand these systems and ideals I've been brought up with and form my own 'unbiased' opinion as much as I can. An opinion through experience and reflection. I wanted to come here and just let it wash over me, and to hopefully get a chance to talk to locals about their opinions since they live in this society, and I live in Australia which has never experienced revolutuon. In the conference I'll have discussions about anti imperialism, but in the cities I want to absorb like a clean sponge.

      This morning I met with a comrade from Sydney also attending the Sochi festival, and we went to visit Lenin in his mousoleum in Red Square. You can't come to Moscow and not see Lenin. I was trying to go there as a left-leaning cleanish sponge, but I actually found seeing Lenin's mummified body a bit like a religious experience. It's free to see Lenin, you line up and they check your bags, then let you in. You take off your hat and have to be respectful with no photos. The mosoleum is quite grand, which initially really annoyed me. In communism there shouldn't be personality cults, altimately communism in its final stages sees the witheringly away of the state, so no glorified leaders. Mummifying Lenin goes against everything he worked for - equality for the workers. I don't agree with this old statement now, I think honouring Lenin like this has its purpose. Revolution doesn't happen over night, and when you are inspiring very impoverished workers, they will initially need a figurehead to relate to and to follow. Re: jesus *cough*

      When we faced Lenin, me and my comrade Jay bowed almost simultaneously to his plasticised body. It felt wrong to just walk by without some sort of salute, or throw of a coin, or crossing of your heart. It felt like a real religious experience for me. So much for going in as a clean sponge!

      At Lenin's grave we met a Russian boy; 'you know he has no brain?' referring to Lenin. Of course he meant this literally - Lenin is mummified after all. Maybe this was our chance to hear about what a local thinks about their country and its past. Did he think Lenin was brainless while he was alive in 1917? We sparked up a conversation with lovely Ilya, and next we knew he was showing us around his wonderful city, allowing us to ask him all the hard questions like 'what do you think of communism?', 'do you like Putin?', 'what politics do you follow?', 'what do you think of Russia's involvement in Syria?', 'what do you think about homosexuals?'. We wandered for hours around Moscow with a moscovite, discussing Russia's past, present and future, while souvenir shopping and taking photos. It is exactly what you want when you travel, and ilya fell into our laps at the perfect time.

      The conclusion summary of what at least one Russian youth thinks about politics? Basically that there is a lot of grey. I have been coming back to this so often in my own hunt for the 'truths' of politics and news. I feel Aussies or Western culture particularly think in black and white. Not only in the right wing 'you're either with us or against us' terrifying mentality, but in the left where anyone against America must be the 'good guys'. Ilya's general mantra with everything was 'there is some good, and some bad, it is impossible to be all just one side'. He was generally pacifist on political matters. He wanted Russia to not get involved in Syria. He thought Putin has done some good, but he's been in power too long and is corrupting the government. He stressed that he just wants democracy, and is more liberal in his views, but doesn't affiliate with a political party or system. He was against the storage of personal data on the internet, which is a big topic for many young Russians, with gaol terms if you repost something against the state or against the Russian orthodox Church. He loved to travel, and said London 'is my dream city',but lamented that the visa process for Russians to travel even to Europe is so strict. He complained that Russians don't smile enough, and seem too serious. He explained that they are proud of their soviet history, because it achieved so much, but admitted it also had bad aspects. 'There is always good and bad, it's impossible to be just one side'. He mentioned the success of the education system under socialism, where illiteracy was eradicated in a very short time, and the success of the soviet football team.

      He walked us to arbat shopping street where he works in a Starbucks. We passed the green building where stalin was layed out after his death so people could show their respect, next to the old communist political building, which is still a political building today, complete with hammer and sickle on the top. We walked past the Lenin library, and chatted about Russian literature - how in Russia they honour intelligence and high art, whereas in Australia we honour conquerors who killed aboriginal people, or popular sports stars.

      Nothing is black and white - that is what we can learn from Russia. We are made up of many people, all different, all with different opinions. There is no such thing as 'good' and 'bad' - we all need to get this infantile Hollywood slogan out of our heads.

      He just wants equality, a country free from corruption, and more pacifist. This I think we all can get behind this idea. This is not a question necessarily even of capitalism or communism. It's a question of acceptance, peace, and recognising that everything comes in shades of grey.
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    • Day 110

      Moscow at night

      October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      Speaks for itself. At least this part of the city becomes almost a fairy land after dark. First is GUM outlined in white lights (although the bright lights for Red Square up top wash out the smaller lights somewhat), St. Basil's, of course. Then some views back over the Kremlin and Red Square from a bridge a ways along the Moskva River, and the cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of rebuilt cathedrals built to the original plans on the same spot where it had been torn down by the anti-religion government.Read more

    • Day 110

      Moscow Metro

      October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      The Metro, or subway for us New Yorkers, has a reputation of being extraordinary. If anything, that is an understatement. Here are some pics to give you a sense of what the stations are like. Each station has a theme and is done in one particular art form. Some stations are stained glass, some mosaics, some bronze statues and more. Each station is unique. And the trains run very often, no more than 2 minutes between trains, even at way off peak hours. The system shuts down about midnight and reopens around 5:00. You can tell the Moscovites from the rest of us by who is paying attention to the beauty of the stations.Read more

    • Day 110

      GUM

      October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Pronounced GOOM, GUM is an acronym for government department store. This is the famous store going way back in Russia. Today it isn't really a department store in the sense we use the term. It is really a mall containing many shops, mostly high end, international brands. The building is 3 parallel corridors with 3 stories each, all interconnected. The first pic gives you a sense of the scale of the building. The second shows the main entrance with GUM in Cyrillic Characters. The others give a sense of the interior and the skylights.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Red Square, Roter Platz, Червен площад, Rudé náměstí, Den Røde Plads, Ruĝa Placo, Plaza Roja, Punane väljak, Punainen tori, Place Rouge, Reade Plein, הכיכר האדומה, Crveni trg, Vörös tér, Lapangan Merah, Reda placo, Piazza Rossa, 赤の広場, წითელი მოედანი, 붉은 광장, Raudonoji aikštė, Црвен плоштад, Rode Plein, Den røde plass, Plac Czerwony, Praça Vermelha, Красная площадь, Červené námestie, Rdeči trg, Röda torget, செஞ்சதுக்கம், Quảng trường Đỏ, 紅場

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