Moscow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sooooooo back from the USSR in one piece - despite the madness of a 36 hour journey back home. Nowt like a power cut to bring an entire airport to a standstill eh?
Day one of the trip was a pleasant surprise from start to finish. Surprise number one was that my flight actually made it what with the snow and chaos at Heathrow. A mere two hour delay and off we went. Arriving in Domodedovo Airport was like arriving on a movie set. There were two guys waiting at the doorway of arrivals who were straight out of central casting! The 20 metre stroll to the Airport Taxi desk was hindered by at least 20 taxi touts all chattering to me in Russian. I must look like a local!
The hotel was Pleasant Surprise number two, for once Expedia weren't joking when they said it was central! I was 10 minutes away from Red Square, the central shopping district and the Bolshoi! Once I was checked in, I threw on some extra layers of clothing and went exploring.
Round the corner from the hotel was a fabulous bar called Cafe Gogol which not only had delicious food and drink but also free wi-fi. Result! A few barbecue chicken wings and an Amaretto with my coffee meant I was asleep almost before I got in bed!
Day two began with a really tasty hotel breakfast, before I hit Red Square. Nothing can prepare you for the first sight of St Basil's Cathedral, it's like something out of a fairytale! It's obviously been done up a few times but even so it's hard to believe it's 5000 years old!
From there it was a quick dash across the Square to Lenin's Tomb before it closed for lunch, nothing like armed guards to make you take things seriously! As we filed past the body I was struck by how unreal it looks. I guess after all these years he was gonna look a bit worse for wear. Outside there were headstones dedicated to all the illustrious leaders, most had a flower or two on them but one was absolutely covered in roses, apart from the name - Joseph Stalin! I didn't realise he was so popular!
Following a reviving coffee I was off to the Kremlin - conveniently located next door - to check out the bling in the Armoury, it was a feast for the eyes! Diamonds, gold, Faberge eggs, fairy-princess carriages and gorgeous clothes.
Needless to say, after a day like that, the only thing left to do was hit the steam room in the hotel gym. That sure warmed my bones up.
Day one of the trip was a pleasant surprise from start to finish. Surprise number one was that my flight actually made it what with the snow and chaos at Heathrow. A mere two hour delay and off we went. Arriving in Domodedovo Airport was like arriving on a movie set. There were two guys waiting at the doorway of arrivals who were straight out of central casting! The 20 metre stroll to the Airport Taxi desk was hindered by at least 20 taxi touts all chattering to me in Russian. I must look like a local!
The hotel was Pleasant Surprise number two, for once Expedia weren't joking when they said it was central! I was 10 minutes away from Red Square, the central shopping district and the Bolshoi! Once I was checked in, I threw on some extra layers of clothing and went exploring.
Round the corner from the hotel was a fabulous bar called Cafe Gogol which not only had delicious food and drink but also free wi-fi. Result! A few barbecue chicken wings and an Amaretto with my coffee meant I was asleep almost before I got in bed!
Day two began with a really tasty hotel breakfast, before I hit Red Square. Nothing can prepare you for the first sight of St Basil's Cathedral, it's like something out of a fairytale! It's obviously been done up a few times but even so it's hard to believe it's 5000 years old!
From there it was a quick dash across the Square to Lenin's Tomb before it closed for lunch, nothing like armed guards to make you take things seriously! As we filed past the body I was struck by how unreal it looks. I guess after all these years he was gonna look a bit worse for wear. Outside there were headstones dedicated to all the illustrious leaders, most had a flower or two on them but one was absolutely covered in roses, apart from the name - Joseph Stalin! I didn't realise he was so popular!
Following a reviving coffee I was off to the Kremlin - conveniently located next door - to check out the bling in the Armoury, it was a feast for the eyes! Diamonds, gold, Faberge eggs, fairy-princess carriages and gorgeous clothes.
Needless to say, after a day like that, the only thing left to do was hit the steam room in the hotel gym. That sure warmed my bones up.
Labels: Travel
posted by JoJo Smith at Thursday, December 30, 2010
2 Comments:
Well, I finally got over here to catch up on the blog. Talk about looking like one of the locals in the mink! You look like you had more than 'one' Ameretto in the close up....*juzsayin* laters...x
I look ratarsed don't I? It literally was just the one drink, but I'd been awake for about 20 hours and my mate was already driving me nuts!
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