Moscow
Moscow is the capital of Russia. There’s a lot of people here, over 11 million. And it’s a little intimidating.
Moscow is on the Moskva River. It goes back to the medieval times and, later, the Tsar hung out here. But now, Moscow has the Kremlin, an ancient fortress where the Russian President lives. It does not look welcoming. The subway ride down here was intimidating with it’s long escalators and marble walls and don’t forget the chandeliers. I thought I was descending into the third layer of hell at one point.
The Moscow Metro is recognized as one of the city’s landmarks due to the fantastic architecture, a landmark underground. Anyway, it was so overwhelming that when I got off at Red Square, I decided to stay there.
I was told to look ‘like a bum’ when in Russia so no one would rob me. But I may have overdone it, since people started giving me things.
This is a view across Red Square in Moscow. I looked at this building for about an hour and was still amazed.
I got my train ticket to Siberia. This took about three hours. No one spoke English and I was even shooed away from one window and called a ‘tourist’!
After going to three different railway stations and many rooms that sell tickets, I finally got a break. A person who spoke English and they took my credit card to pay. It was $200 not $500, like I thought it would be. I just hope they don’t make me shovel coal into the engine or something.
So here I am in Red Square and my plans to walk around to all these famous sites has faded. Also, this is an expensive place.
I think I’ll just go to the train station, that is if I can remember which one and wait there. On to Siberia!
I try to phone my wife using a computer. It didn’t work correctly and the error messages come up in Russian. I try Skype but that doesn’t get me through to the US. I try email and get through. Oh, well, no live chatting today.
People keep giving me documents and telling me not to lose them. “Just keep it in your passport,” they smile and say. I have four important documents stuffed in my passport and one of them is really important to show when I want to leave Russia. I can’t read any of them so I’m not sure which one that is.
I’ll let you know if I ever am ever allowed to leave.
your intrepid reporter,
Lee
Traveling Your Dream 