More Notes On Moscow

Roads—Mila says that Moscow has two seasons: Winter and "Road Construction". The mayor of Moscow has said that the city has two problems, “roads” and “idiots”. He is unable to do anything about the latter, so he concentrates on the former.

She says that the traffic is lighter in the winter, because many people garage their cars for the season and use public transportation instead.

This photo shows the reindeer at the Moscow zoo.

Museums—The Armory Chamber is the state treasures museum within the walls of the Kremlin. It is made up of nine large, high-ceilinged halls, on two floors. Each hall a different type of collection. Gold, silver and jewels abound, gifts from around the world and across the centuries.

One hall is royal clothing (coronation and wedding gowns, crowns, etc.). Another is thrones. Still another armour and weapons. Of course there are Faberge eggs.

In the room with the royal carriages, there are electronic sensors. I leaned in too far to get a close look at one carriage and set off a flashing red sign and alarm. Quick, where's my passport! It's OK, the guards did not swarm on me.

The number of visitors is strictly monitored and limited. The atmosphere inside is carefully controlled. The Armory is closed at certain times during the day for cleaning and among other reasons, “to refresh the air”. I think that no photography was allowed. It may have just been no flash photography.

A completely separate tour is the Diamond Fund, the precious stones and jewelry of the tsars and empresses. These rooms can only be entered as part of a guided tour. There are no signs, or descriptions of the exhibits there. The guide provides all the information. Guards take care to be sure you stay with your guide.

Mila says that other sites within the Kremlin cannot be guided. This change was made because the citizens complained that the guided tours were blocking their access.

By the the huge, ornate Tsar Cannon in the Kremlin grounds, I stepped backward off the curb to try for a better picture and immediately heard a whistle blown by a nearby guard. You are only allowed to walk in certain places.

War History—The large metal X-like sculpture on the highway just outside the airport symbolizes an anti-tank barrier, and marks the end of the forward progress made by the German army during WWII. Mila says the army was stopped when two generals were sent in: “January” and “February”; the Russian winter played its role.

She says that the Germans had brought special stone with them to erect monuments to their victory. The stone was abandoned when they began their retreat, so the Russians used the stone for their own monuments.

Souvenirs—Mila says that wooden souvenirs should not be bought from outside vendors as the climate affects the wood adversely, and they may crack.

-

This photo is on the train from Bryansk to Moscow. Their first bedtime after we got them. They are in the lower berth.

Restrooms—Public restrooms are usually attended outside by a woman, often referred to a babooshka, the sound for the Russian word for grandmother. She collects 10-15 rubles for use of the facility and supplies toilet paper as requested. Better to use the facilities inside hotels or restaurants.

Other History—Peter the Great was a shipbuilder as a young man. He moved the capital from Moscow to an undeveloped seaport location, St Petersburg, in order to open Russia up to world trade. It was later moved back to Moscow to make it less vulnerable to attack.

Dogs—There are a lot of stray dogs. All we encountered seemed tame. We saw two separate packs of dogs at Red Square.

Painting—Everywhere there was Spring painting. Often by uniformed workers, sometimes by residents. Mostly fences, especially the little foot-high fences that are everywhere. Mila says, “better to paint, than clean”.

Napkins—Food servers are constantly collecting empty glasses and dishes and any perceived litter on the table. At first we wondered why the tables only have tiny napkins (fanned out in a holder). Hardly seemed big enough to do the job. Then we realized that anytime you set a used napkin down, it would quickly disappear in the hands of the food server. So you use many tiny napkins, instead of one big one.