Russia 2015: Of Saints and Scientists - An Afternoon at the Moscow Cathedral

The directions were to "use the entrance under the bridge." Neither Rusty nor I even knew one existed. It was a quick metro ride to the iconic Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Slippery steps led down to the Moscow River and the line of very scientific looking gentlemen that was beginning to form just past the bridge let us know we were in the right place.

It was quite a paradox of images...a constellation of lights on the ceiling, saints and Tsar Nicholas adorned the columns and scientists filled the "soviet red" seats. Most of the attendees were between the ages of 65-80. Rusty had been inducted into the Academy of Natural Sciences a few years ago and was the official representative from the United States at the 25th Anniversary Conference.  Before the conference began, we were led through back passage ways to view their collection of historic icons dating from the 6th or 7th century.





In a effort to keep awake during the long event (jet lag and the hour long reading of "congratulations" took its toll) I wandered through the exhibition of religious art and checked out the New Year /Christmas souvenirs for sale in the hallway.






















Wearing his medals like a badge of honor, the Academy president personally greeted Rusty during a break in the conference.

Once it had concluded, we decided to skip the cocktail reception and headed down to the "food court" at the mall on Red Square. Last chance to get some traditional Russian dishes, even if they were the fast food variety. At least during the opulent buffet breakfast at the Metropol Hotel, we got to sample some first class Russian cuisine - blini (with caviar, if you wanted), cheese curd pancakes, kasha (either oatmeal or rice), and a variety of teas and sweets.

For my last evening in Moscow, I wandered through the souvenir kiosks that filled the space in front of the Russian History Museum, just around the corner from Red Square. Last minute Christmas gifts in hand, we made it an early night. Our car to the airport picked us up at 4am. With Rusty's Skymile privileges, we had breakfast in the Aeroflot version of the Sky Lounge. The flights were uneventful, but long - especially the 11 leg from Paris to Salt Lake City. I made it back to my apartment by 3pm and was on the road south by 4pm. I made it to St. George before the bad weather hit and found a simple hotel with a hot tub.  I hit the road early and after 6 more hours, made it to my brother's just as the Thanksgiving turkey was being served. It was an amazing, whirl wind trip to Russia! I think I will try to stay longer than 3 nights next time :)

Russia 2015: Looking for the Post Office and Other Hidden Wonders

We had a full day to wander and do some shopping before the conference, so after indulging in the opulent buffet breakfast at the Metropol, my boss and I headed up Tverskaya Street. Rusty wanted some Russian stamps and Christmas/New Years cards so first stop was the Main Post Office of Moscow (Glavpochtampt). The bright red post box on the building seemed like a confirmation that we had found the right place, but there were no lines and no workers, for that matter. I finally noticed the sign saying that the office had moved next to the McDonald's (just across the street), but we saw nothing that remotely looked like a post office. We took a chance and went inside McDs to ask for directions. I scoured the room for a friendly face and found a lady clearing tables. Luckily, she knew where the office relocated to and went to grab her coat. She led us up some hidden stairs and through a courtyard. I saw the familiar ПОЧТА sign just beyond the trash bins. Success. Once inside the building we went through a maze of mailboxes and found a woman who reluctantly sold us pages of 1 and 2 ruble stamps (she was dumbfounded as to why two tourists wanted so many...) I tried to get a smile out of her before I left, but was unsuccessful.

It was a typical winter day. The snow and buildings and mud all melted into a thousand possible shades of grey. We continued our walk up Tverskaya Street...next stop was the book store - Дом Книги. We needed cards and a few calendars to take back with us. On the way we spotted a small church dwarfed by a concrete apartment building. For a moment I was back in 1985 and my very first trip to the then Soviet Union. I remembered this church and the stark contrast it was to the rows of unsightly apartments leading up to the sky. I think I even took a photo of it back then.

On to Arbat Street.

We both needed to pick up a few souvenirs, but a bit of hot chocolate was in order first. Starbucks to the rescue. They also had free wi-fi, so it was worth the overpriced drinks. One of my favorite shops is just across the cobblestone street from the cafe. We filled our baskets with staking dolls (matryoshkas) and brightly painted khokhloma dishes. Jet lag was kicking in, so we opted to take a nap back at the hotel before meeting up with Rusty's friends from TsAGI.


Refreshed and ready for a first class dinner we met up with Sergey and his family at the Pushkin Cafe. I should have guessed from the cascade of lights that covered the restaurant that this was a high end place. Rusty had been here many times, but on my typical travel budget, I usually only get one nice cafe per city. This place was a step back in time. Hard wood everything. Upstairs the walls were filled with books and I half expected Pushkin himself to poke his head from behind one of the columns. The food was as grand as the restaurant itself, a bit exotic even for my tastes. I tried the smoked eel but declined the fishy something that came afterwards. All was made right once we got the main course. Mine was a plate divided into four sections - mushrooms in sour cream, pelmeni, and beef stroganoff. The fourth dish escapes me, but the Morc (a forest berry drink) was just as good as I remembered it to be.

 

 A good friend of mine from my Kostroma days, Olga, now lives in Moscow. I was able to connect with her on short notice for some tea and sweets at the Anderson Cafe around the corner from the Pushkin restaurant. We caught up on life over jam "tea" and a decadent raspberry pistachio tort. Olga gushed about her new one bedroom apartment, still in the process of being plastered, tiled and having all the pluming and electrical installed. It will be small, but it will be all hers.

Russia 2015: One Snowy Moscow Night...

I have taken quick trips before, but never like the one I recently took to Moscow, Russia. I went with my boss to a Russian Academy of Natural Sciences 25 Anniversary Conference the week before Thanksgiving. The goal was to get there, be there and get back in time for me to drive the 10+ hours down to Arizona and arrive just in time for turkey.



A week prior to our departure, Paris was terrorized by radical extremists with gunfire and bombs. We were on the Delta flight direct from Salt Lake City to Charles de Galle, but I figured the Paris airport would most likely be one of the best secured places after such attacks. No problems there. We arrived in Moscow in the evening to a dusting of snow and hopped on the new (at least to me) airport train direct to the Belaruskaya Train Station - complete with free Wi-Fi. After a short subway ride to one of the Red Square stops, we settled into our rooms the magnificent Metropol Hotel, just across the street from the Bolshoi Theater. Due to the weak ruble, we were able to get 3 nights in this lavish hotel for about the price of the same rooms at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Not bad!



After 15 or so hours in the air (thanks to my coat-as-a-pillow and a sleeping pill) I felt much better than expected. My boss opted to catch up on sleep, while I decided to bundle up and walk over to Red Square. It was a "warm" evening and the snow flakes were fluffy and wet; the first real snow fall of the season in Moscow. The main department store - GUM - sponsored a Winter Market right on Red Square, complete with rides, booths and an ice skating rink. It was about 9:30pm and the Square was speckeled with tourists and locals alike taking in the holiday.

I was back in Russia; back in winter.