Moscow the Beautiful

[mendeleyev]

People ask sometimes, is Moscow beautiful? Of course, and of my all-time favourites including Saint Petersburg, Kyiv, Amsterdam and Paris, something about this city along the river has captured my soul.

Here is a nice aerial presentation of Moscow in winter. Enjoy!

[GuppyCaptain]

Great video, Mendy. Thanks for posting 👍

[mendeleyev]

With pleasure!

[Faux Pas]

With pleasure!

Nice video Mendy. I have absolutely no desire to Moscow in the winter. My wife and I have decided to spend a few extra days there this summer though as we trek to Siberia

[Shadow]

I guess being from a ´competing´ Dutch city has me biased, but Amsterdam has never been a favourite.
Moscow in winter is indeed looking very nice, especially for those who are used that public life stops at -2C 

[cc3]

Too cold for me! 

[Gator]

Yes,  winter in Moscow can be enchanting.

I was raised in the South and have lived in Florida for over 20 years, so I have a low tolerance for cold weather.  Thus, I was apprehensive about traveling to Russia during the winter. 

To my surprise I found Moscow in winter less cold than my winter at Cornell University.   Cornell had more snow and greater winds.  The Northeast US can receive more snowfall in a day than Moscow gets in an entire winter. 

Life does not stop in Moscow.    I saw  men working outdoors on scaffolding at -25C.   Bus stops were vivid scenes of billows of steam rising from pink-cheeked crowds patiently looking for their bus.  Public hockey rinks fill with kids happily playing the sport. 

My venture to Siberia was another story.  The -40C was too much.  It was so cold that my wife even closed her windows in her flat. LOL    This past weekend, my stepdaughter made a mild complaint about not being able to park her car in our driveway.  My wife asked, "Have you forgotten what we had to do in the Russian winter to get our car ready each morning?"

Mendy, to give a balanced report on winter in Moscow, you need to include some unromantic views such as snow turning black, large icicles falling from 50 feet onto the sidewalk, street dogs scampering into the metro stations for warmth, glimpses of a rat with a long pelt of fur, traffic jam at an intersection on Prospect Mira with no policeman to direct traffic (they were elsewhere in less congested areas where they had room to stop cars for bribes), etc. 

One such scene forever etched in my mind is watching for one week the spring melt of snow on the little park in front of the flat where I stayed.  During the long winter, dogs when walked by owners had done their "business" in the park and the subsequent snows had covered each week of droppings.  The park looked pristine until spring arrived.   The spring snow melt revealed frozen dog droppings from the winter months.  Each day of snow melt revealed a new month of droppings.  The droppings were frozen, did not disappear, and instead accumulated on the sinking surface.    What started as a few, scattered black specks became at the end of the week a display of the entire winter's droppings.  Imagine not paying attention when sprinkling  a potato with pepper.   

[mendeleyev]

The real deep cold comes in spurts. This past December I was attempting to photo the magnificent Old Believers church (Saint Nikolas) across from the Belorusskaya Metro and Train stations. The winds were so strong that I had to brace myself against a retaining wall to remain in a standing position, and the temp had dropped to a point where my Canon froze up and I had to finish by pulling out my backup unit. Eventually I stepped into the Kroshka Kartoshka (baked potato fast food) and found a table to drink some hot tea until the Canon decided to come back to life.

There have been other days this winter in which the snow has disappeared and temps risen. But, stay around long enough...

Here are some photos taken recently of random scenes. Some of them were taken with a Samsung that I carry for backup and not the quality that I'd expect commercially:




I love to experiment with the opening of the curved Resurrection Gates leading onto Red Square. If all the stars are aligned correctly, some of those scenes are breathtaking.

On this next shot I was bracing myself against the GUM ("ghoom") department store walls along Nikolskaya Street, a pedestrian thoroughfare. Straight ahead and left of centre is the Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin, to that right are the rear walls and towers of the State Historical museum, and you can get a partial glimpse to the right of the beautiful Kazan Cathedral (more correctly known as the "Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan".) Turn left here and you are on Red Square.

Directly behind me and unseen here are some cool shops and cafes on this entrance to Chinatown from Red Square. One of my favourites is the Krispy Kreme donuts cafe.



Photographs copyright: The Mendeleyev Journal

[mendeleyev]

During the prolonged winter holiday season, Red Square becomes a "Christmas market" of sorts. Beautiful kiosks are set up to hawk overpriced souvenirs to unsuspecting tourists. Other kiosks offer foods such as blini to hot dogs, and a Moscow heated wine is served up to just about anyone with money to pay.

A giant skating rink is set up on Red Square and consumers seem willing to pay to skate in front of Lenin's tomb, in spite of the fact that a free skating rink is operating just around the corner on Resurrection Square.




Photographs copyright: The Mendeleyev Journal

[mendeleyev]

Passageway to Chinatown area:





Photographs copyright: The Mendeleyev Journal

[mendeleyev]

Sergei Baklykov of Real Russia just published this view of a taxi ride around Moscow's ring road (the first ring).

[mendeleyev]

As part of the Chinatown wall restoration here is the "Old Tower" and it houses a restaurant by that name.



Restaurant website: http://www.oldtower.ru/doc/34

Photo copyright: The Mendeleyev Journal

This is located just around the corner from Red Square, near the shared entrance of the Metro stations Teatralnaya and Plaza of the Revolution.

[msmobyone]

I really do keep trying to 'get into' Moscow ..it keeps letting me down by the number of folk employed / without a licence to 'serve' travellers / tourists ...and trying to rip them off

 

[mendeleyev]

Ah, so it would be okay if they possessed a license?   

[msmobyone]

Ah, so it would be okay if they possessed a license?   

Yup... They - mostly - wear some sort of ID 

[BorisS]

Ah, so it would be okay if they possessed a license?   

;-))))))

[mendeleyev]

Moscow was at first proud of the newer International Business Centre. During the current economic "crisis" as the government terms it, the centre has become a financial drain. Built at a cost of over $12 Billion, current vacancy rates are above 45%.

It is however, very unique given the design of several buildings, and thus it is a beautiful addition to Moscow. Hopefully someday it will be a thriving part of the city. This photo was taken from the park grounds at the historic Church of the Intercession at Fili.



A view from the ponds along the New Maidens convent, looking back at Moscow:





It was interesting to watch the progress during construction. These next two were taken in 2011 as I was walking from the Studencheskaya Metro back to the bustling Kutuzovsky Prospekt (Avenue).








photo copyright: Mendeleyev Journal

[mendeleyev]

You've landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo (SVO) international airport, one of three busy airports in Europe's second largest city. Soon you find yourself in a car bound for the city centre, and that will take you on the Leningradskoe Highway. You will pass lots of things, such as the first IKEA and MEGA stores in Moscow, past the Peterhof palace, and lots of other spellbinding sights.

Depending on traffic your ride to the centre can be as quick as about 55 minutes, or as long as 3+ hours. Hint: take the Aeroexpress train which is cheap and direct between the airport to Belorusskaya stations -- and only 40 minutes travel time.

SVO is technically located in Khimki, a town of the Moscow Oblast, but as Moscow controls the airport, everything along the highway is governed by the city of Moscow. The massive multi-lane expressway eventually passes the MKAD ring road and soon slightly reduces to a large and bustling avenue called Leningradsky Prospekt.




Very soon afterward you will see the large Belorusskaya train (and Metro) stations.



Across the highway and opposite the Belorusskaya train (and Metro) stations, there is a large and very beautiful church. It is stunning for a number of reasons, the first is that it is indeed a beautiful thing of art. Another reason what most of us find it breathtaking is the location--here is a very old and beautiful church surrounded by tall and very modern office buildings, the White Square Business Centre, in the midst of a large city.



Like finding an oasis in the middle of a concrete and glass forest, the Church of Saint Nicholas on Tverskaya Zastava belongs to the Old Orthodox believers. Construction began in 1914 but the church was not consecrated until 1921, after the Bolshevik revolution.
 
The Communists seized the property and closed the church in 1935. It took on a variety of uses and finally became an art studio. It was in this studio that sculptor Sergey Orlov created his monument of Yuri Dolgoruky, "Yuri the Long-Armed," known as the founder of Moscow.

In 1993 the government returned St Nicholas church to The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church and services resumed in 1995.

[mendeleyev]

Nice video by a young couple traveling to Moscow, and then on to other points in Russia. They even pronounced "Basil" correctly--impressive.

[BC]

Thanks for these reports Mendy, whets my appetite to go back!

[mendeleyev]

[mendeleyev]

[msmobyone]

Nice video by a young couple traveling to Moscow, and then on to other points in Russia. They even pronounced "Basil" correctly--impressive.

great video ... .. but for now I am pleased the British couple who made this video used a great song to start and end the video..

The Stereophonics are Welsh ... may be I'll  grow to Moscow, one day .may be tomorrow 

[mendeleyev]

The Church of the Holy Trinity at the Borisovo Ponds (храм Троицы в Орехове-Борисове) is along the Kashira Highway in southern Moscow. It was built in 2001-2004 to a Byzantine Revival style.











Moscow is often assigned second place to Saint Petersburg when it comes to beauty. We disagree, and although Peter is indeed beautiful, we believe such honours belong to Moscow.

[Anotherkiwi]

Moscow is often assigned second place to Saint Petersburg when it comes to beauty. We disagree, and although Peter is indeed beautiful, we believe such honours belong to Moscow.

Sorry, mendy, but locals can't vote!   

Peter most definitely takes the honours in my view.