Finland Russia Baltic Day 7
Finland Russia Baltic
Trafalgar Tours - Day 07 - October 09, 2008 - Thursday – Novgorod, Tver, Moscow, Russia
Our one night in Novgorod was very comfortable. We had an early morning with our wake-up call at 6:15 and then breakfast. We took a few minutes to check the mail as they loaded the luggage. At 7:45 we were on our way to Moscow!
This far north it stays dark very late. In addition, it was very foggy this morning. The temperature was 34 degrees and the humidity was 86%. As we left the city we saw people walking to school and to work in the dark. Days are very short here and winters are very long!
The main highway between Novgorod and Moscow is the most traveled in the country but not well built or maintained. It was a two lane road with very narrow gravel shoulders and unlimited access to side roads and even private driveways. There were alternating 3rd lanes for passing which did help a little bit.
After two hours of driving through the fog, we reached Edrovo, a small town where we had a short comfort break. The facility was a truck stop with limited services but in 30 minutes we were back on the bus and on the road again.
Xavier collected our Belarus papers so that he can turn them in for approval as soon as we reach Moscow. On the next leg of our journey he gave us a historical over view of the country and its leadership.
The weather improved with only high clouds and enough light now to see the tiny homes and small farms. Most of the land is covered with hardwood forests and again few fields are cultivated.
Xavier talked a little about the expanding economy of Russia and the need for the importation of workers to supply labor for this new stable economy. The declining birth rate is making it impossible to find employees. Unemployment is at 0% - anyone who wants to work, has a job.
He also talked about the politics and the power of Putin and his puppet successor Dmitry Medvedev. He closed his lecture with an objective factual view of the Russian/Georgian conflict.
We left the main highway about noon and entered a smaller road on the route to Tver. The Volga River crosses the city here and then goes to the Black Sea.
This town was the gateway between European Russia and Asian Russia as a harbor for the trade routes. Most of the buildings were destroyed during the war, and then rebuilt in a modern style instead of being restored.
Founded in 1385, Tver is a small but important city to the Russian economy. We stopped for lunch at 1:00 and Xavier warned us about the slow service.
The meal was a traditional old “Soviet” style with a small salad of green and red peppers, cucumbers, and a piece of tomato. We also had several pieces of boiled potatoes with dill and a few pieces of meat in a thin gravy. For dessert we had a crepe with apricot sauce.
By 2:15 we were on our way again. Xavier gave us a lesson on the 33 letters of the Cyrillic alphabet. We started with the 11 vowels and worked into the remaining letters, only three of which are similar to our consonants (K, M, and T).
We passed through the city of Klin, once home of Tchaikovsky, and appropriately Nikolai played some of his most famous music as we traveled into the outskirts of Moscow.
We came to the city limits at 4:25 and began to see auto dealerships, shopping centers including an IKEA, and of course McDonald’s! Traffic was very heavy but it was moving. On the way into town, Xavier reviewed our itinerary for the time we are here and gave us suggestions for places to eat.
We finally arrived at the hotel at 5:50 and then found the room and waited for the luggage. Gennie started to type the journal while I arranged for some laundry to be done. I also set up the internet connection; it is 890 Rubles or $34 for a 24 hour period here at the Holiday Inn Moscow!
We had our buffet dinner after I went up to the roof to take a few sunset pictures. At 8:00 we met the group for a night time tour of the city and especially the Underground Metro system. Much more than trains and tunnels, we thought of our friend Marvin who would have loved riding the Metro here in Moscow!
This was truly a surprise journey through part of Stalin's showcase, the underground 'palaces' of Moscow Metro. The Communist government wanted to create a transport system unequaled in any capitalist state, and bring culture to the masses in their everyday lives.
We went with our city guide Neva who picked out some of the most beautiful and remarkable stations to show us. We started on the Brown Line, and then transferred to the Blue Line.
These subway stations were decorated with stained glass, mosaics, chandeliers and statues, all depicting Socialism at its best, the way life was meant to be during the Stalin years.
We ended our tour in Red Square where we saw the gates of the Kremlin we will visit later, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the huge State Shopping Center Gum and the State History Museum as well as Lenin’s Tomb.
After getting back to the hotel at 10:30 we finished writing the journal and then looked at the hundreds of photos from the day. We checked the e-mail and then got some rest for our busy day tomorrow.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Sokolniki Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D
Comments
Post a Comment!Glad to hear that you toured the subway. The picture looked fascinating. Was it easy to navigate around? Were there signs in English or only Russian?
Trafalgar Tour Map
Main Road to Moscow
Moscow Subway Station
Kremlin at Night
St. Basil’s at Night
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