Monday morning we woke up and treated Kristin and Trey to the “Traditional Moates’ Breakfast” of bacon, eggs, and toast. We thought we were going to tour the Kremlin that day, but the tour agency messed up, so we then tried to go to the Moscow Zoo, which happened to be closed on Mondays! So – we settled for heading down to Starry Arbat (Old Arbat) and walked down the pedestrian street and looked at all the matroishka dolls and paintings along the way. Kristin was most impressed with the new Starbucks and the way it had both the English and Russian signs on the outside. Once we got to the end, I told them that it would take about the same amount of time to walk home as to take the Metro, so we decided to walk. Big mistake, as we got caught in a torrential downpour! It was lightening and thundering all over the place – which is also quite funny as Cameron and I were convinced that thunderstorms did not come to Moscow. So – our theory was disproved, and we were caught in the brunt of it.
After we made it home and dried off, we settled in with a nice glass of wine and then met Cameron for dinner at my favorite – Pasta della Mamma. After dinner, we headed down to the Red Square to take some pictures – yes – Kristin gets credit for the picture that leads our blog! It turned out to be a beautiful evening.
On Tuesday we had our tour of Red Square and the Kremlin. This was actually my first time inside the Kremlin. We had a great time – and our tour guide told us lots of stories and facts about Russian history.
Trey in front of the "largest" canon in the Kremlin
Tuesday evening we took Kristin and Trey to Scandinavia (our favorite patio venue) across the street from us and met up with a bunch of our friends. We also met some new friends who will be moving here shortly from the UK! We’re looking forward to their arrival!
On Wednesday, we ate at the McDonald’s right by our place, which is also the very first McDonald’s in Russia. It was good to have a greasy burger and fries! We then made our way back to the zoo – which was open on Wednesdays! Lots of animals, and the polar bear was my favorite. After a quick trip out to Victory Park to check out the extremely long escalator, we rested for a bit before we met Cameron at the Eastern Room – our standard for Indian food.
Kristin & Trey in front of the Moscow Zoo
Kristin & Trey in front of the Arch near Victory Park
We left for St. Petersburg on the 12:30 AM train on Wednesday night. The 4-bunk compartment was actually not too bad, and after a few episodes of Arrested Development, we all hit the sack. We arrived in St. Petersburg on Thursday morning, and went and relaxed at a little café while we waited for our rooms to be available. We were all completely beat by this time, so we took a nap and then headed out to see some sights before we went to the ballet that evening! Yes – Cameron has now been to 2 ballets! Amazing!
Friday, we took a guided city tour, which was fun, although our guide was not nearly as good as the one we had last October when Gary came to visit. Oh well – luck of the draw I guess! After dinner, we sat outside at a little table and played hearts and spades and enjoyed a few beers al fresco. Then we decided to walk down to the Church of the Spilt Blood to take a picture in the waning “White Nights.” However, genius that I am, I try to trip up my then 11 year old nephew, who so agily avoids me, which means I go flying across the pavement and scrap up my elbow and knee! So – at that point we called it a night and headed back to the hotel.
Saturday morning, we took a quick boat cruise before we had to get back on the train back to Moscow.
St. Issac's Cathedral
The Fountains in the River Neva in St. Pete
It was great to have Kristin and Trey come visit us - and while I'm certain they will not be back in the next 2 years, I think their view on our life here in Moscow has changed considerably. And now she can feel comfortable that yes, her baby sister is surviving quite well! (and not about to be kidnapped by the Mafia!)
No comments:
Post a Comment