Unpopular but here goes: Moscow Weekend
 

Moscow seems to be near the bottom of interest on this board, but it is a great city to visit! My husband & I just returned from a weekend trip.

We flew Aeroflot. The plane interior was warn, and the food quite beige. Broken video equipment and no running water in the bathroom, but the flight was safe and smooth.

At the airport, my husband proudly showed me the fistful of 500 rubles he got from the ATM machine. That equates to about $15, so it is best to be aware of the exchange rate (unlike us).

The next day was Victory Day, a national holiday. This was the day in 1945 whan Russia defeated the Nazis. There were parades, singing, and general celebrating.

No one throws a parade like the Russians: Marching bands in Red Square & crowds singing the national songs. there was also a Veterans Parade where the WWII veterans proudly marched - many carrying the former CCCP red flag and pictures of Stalin. I have never seen so many metals. Every man must have 5 or 6 and you could hear them clinking as they walked.

Such celebrating! We enjoyed the music and dancing in the streets. We stopped at street kiosks pointing to whatever food was inside and handed over some rubles. Most items in the $1 range. Lots of veggie pies, hot dog creations, and ice cream.

And Moscow is clean. Streets are swept daily. The sidewalks are missing paving stones, and streets have potholes, but they are clean.

On Saturday I ran the Moscow half Marathon. There was a military band playing at the start, and young girl gymnasts putting on a performance. The race started by the Kremlin, and ran along the Moscow River. Very well organized with several hundred runners.

That evening we walked along the Arbat and had a tasty Georgian meal. I donyt know the name of the restaurant, but it looks like a gigantic wine cask turned on its side.

We used the Metro, which was clean and efficient, but my favorite part was hailing a cab. In Moscow it is common to hail down anyone for a ride. A friend who had lived there years ago told me she had once hailed down an ambulance for a ride. Ahhh, capitalism!

I want to add that neither my husband nor I speak Russian, nor do we read the cyrillic alphabet. We were able to get around without much help. The people are friendly. Its a great town, and a fun place to visit.

Queenie - Thanks for the good trip report, and glad to hear that you had a good time, and enjoyed the Russian holiday

I flew Aeroflot one (from DC to Ireland), and what I found intriguing was that on the plane, the luggage bins had no cover, they were just ledges, like you would see on a bus. Also, they poured coffee and tea from giant sized samovars.

Queenie: thanks so much for posting this..am seriously thinking of Moscow/St. Petersburg for next year.
Where did you stay in Moscow..would be interested in hearing about your accommodations there. Anything you would do differently if you returned?
Glad you enjoyed your trip.

Hi Bootman,
We stayed at the Rossiya, which has all the charm of a college dorm but the location can not be beaten - right next to St. Basils. And since the half marathon started and finished there, it was a natural.

The only problem is that this hotel is huge, largest in Europe - basically the size of Delaware in my opinion. There is no running back to the room if you forget something - its always an expedition.

The National and Metropol are much nicer, I understand. But also much more expensive.

How were prices in Moscow, by American standards (assuming that you're American)? Was the price of your hotel and food a "bargin"? For instance I've found food and Lodging in London frightening, but thought Paris prices were basically about the same as a big city State-side.

Our hotel was well under $100/night.

The foods we ate at the kiosks was CHEAP - $1 or so.

Restaurants were comparable to US large cities: we had 2 nice meals with appetizers, wine and vodka (when in Rome...) for about $100 for 2.

We also did shopping at the grocery and found prices to be cheap.

Thanks for such a great post. Russia is on my list of places to visit so I will save your report for future reference.

thanks for the post.
i think many travelers know it is a city of great sights and experiences but it is also a city in constant flux, plagued by the label, unsafe...and lets be honest..most white travelers have an aversion to seeing lots of poor white folks..(moscow has its fair share of white homeless, unemployed, hungry prostitutes, ruffians )...whereas poor people of color are just part of the fascinating scenery...thats just my opinion..maybe im wrong. what did you see?

Thanks for the trip report, Queenie. St. Petersburg and Moscow are high on my list of places to visit.

It will also be fun to see if I remember anything from my year and a half of Russian many years ago. Personally, I doubt it. I can sort of pronounce the Cyrillic, but unless it's a cognate, I pretty much have NO idea what it means. That is what happens when you study a language and then do not use it.

I've always wanted to visit Russia but have been leery about venturing ther on owr own even though we are normally totally independent travellers. As I recall don't you need some sort of sponsor to get a visa; how did you handle that? Was the lodging cost/value ratio about the same as in other large European cities? Thanks.

Julies: My last trip to Russia was well over a month (3rd time)last October 2002. This last time I rented an apartment in St. Petersburg for $55 US ($78 Canadian)per day situated right on the Moyka Canal and a 10 minute walk to my favourite haunt, The Hermitage. The agent I rent from sends me an Invitation Voucher and this is used to obtain your Russian Visa from your nearest Russian consulate. As a female alone, I at no time felt unsafe and just used good judgement as you would in any large city throughout the world.

Most hotels in the city centre are priced way beyond my means and prevent me from staying any length of time. I, like you, am an independent traveller and did not at any time use tour guides. If you wish the name of the apartment agent I used, just let me know and I shall forward to you.

[email protected].......

Hi Queenie
Enjoyed your report...
I first went to the USSR in 1990 - to the Ukraine as part of a trans-Europe bus trip with other young students.
I went to Moscow and St Petersburg in 1992 with a different group of students.
I enjoyed both trips a great deal and one day, must go back, to see the changes.