Day 2 in Moscow

Day 2 in Moscow began with breakfast which is quite yummy.  The chef will make you an omelet  anyway you like and there is a buffet of bagels, pastries, toast, jams, sausages and of course, bacon.  It is also possible to order pancakes, French toast and eggs Benedict.  After breakfast, I unpacked and organized our stateroom – when living in a small space for two weeks, it is important to have, as my dad used to say, “a place for everything and everything in its place”…lol

The weather here is a comfortable 74* however not always sunny and it can rain most afternoons.  So I packed a bag with rainwear and we headed to the bus to explore Moscow.  There were 2 options for tours – one that involved 5 miles of walking and one that did not.  Guess which one we picked?  Lol!  We were unable to get the front seat but the bus has a rear door too, so we sat in the first seat by that door.  The view is much better and I don’t feel so confined by other seats.  Again we traveled into the city center and again the 35 mile drive turned into 11/2 hours.  The guide mentioned points of  interest along the way  such as cathedrals, museums, and hotels where famous people slept…  She pointed out the glimpse of the Red Square and the Kremlin as we passed by but said we would be back later to walk around.  When we finally got off the bus at our first stop, I was ready to walk around a bit.  This was a “convenience” stop (read potty break) and it was free but the guide neglected to tell folks that you needed to collect toilet paper outside the stall – needless to say, the ladies spread that tidbit out so I knew to get “the important papers” ahead of time.  Oh and did I mention it was about 20 steps down to the bathroom?  Moscow is big on stairs – especially to access bathrooms…  so you better have to go…

Our stop included a short walk around New Virgins Nunnery.  It is a lovely compound and also a pokestop…  It was still sunny and nice outside so an enjoyable stroll.  Viking Cruise Lines use the personal listening device so your guide is always speaking in your ear, telling you bits of information, propaganda and droning on – or you can choose not to wear one, like me, and just enjoy the scenery…lol

The Nunnery

Our next stop was the highest point in Moscow and a viewing spot.  Unfortunately the clouds had rolled in and the skies were gray so the view was ok but not for photos.  Also the sights did not include any famous landmarks like the viewpoint in Rome, so it was kind of uninteresting – but there were Pokémon about so all was not lost…ha!

Our next destination was an adventure on the Metro.  Moscow’s subway system is one of the oldest in the world and the underground terrain is a design wonder.  From art deco to Greek columns to bronze statues, it was very interesting.  B and I think this was one of the longest underground escalators we have ever ridden.  It was 330 feet down before we finally stepped off into the tunnel to the train. 

Finally, we were headed to the Red Square but when we emerged from underground it was quite dark out as rain was imminent.  Folks are listening to her lecture and I am following around totally impressed with the sights, taking photos and catching Pokémon.  Then we get to the place to view the Kremlin and it is totally blocked by stadium seating and construction – how disappointing…  When I think of Moscow, it is the onion shaped colored roofs and we never got close enough to get photos…  But Red Square was amazing except our time was short.  When she cut us loose, we had only a half an hour and it was 15 minutes back to the bus.  She pointed in the direction of the Gum Department store but we didn’t get to see it – it seems the 5 mile walking tour would have been better after all…lol

Red Square

Leaving Red Square we headed off to a Russian Folklore Concert…  as it was pouring rain and we were tired, we opted out of the concert.  We still got soaking wet as we had to walk about 300 yards to change buses.  We had to wait a bit for others to show up and then start the 2 hour trip back to the ship because rain and traffic make for triple congestion and double accidents. 

A nice meal and beds awaited us upon our return.  Food aboard the Viking is good but not amazing.  We had chicken Kiev which was tasty but the creamed carrots and rice with peas was the star of the meal – even B thought so, which for those that know, he is a meat and potatoes kinda guy, so those veggies must have been damned good…lol

This concludes Day 2 -  Do svidaniya!