Day 9 - Moscow & Home

Sunday, 11/30 -

I had to get moving if I wanted to visit the Martha & Mary Convent (Marfo-Mariinsky). This was firmly on my Moscow to do list. I visited the convent during Sunday service but not knowing the protocol of Russian Orthodoxy, hung back watching, not participating. The walk back was quicker (isn't always that way?) and I stopped to take more photos of Red Square. The streets were empty save for me and the stray dogs who seem to have the run of the city.

C, was up, having had a lay in and helped me to the metro station. Bless him. My suitcase weighed a ton. We saw each other off with a hug and a cheek kiss, setting off the turn style alarm. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I had some feelings for him, but then quickly brushed that idea off. I grabbed the airport express train at Pavlovskaya station, relaxed, and took in the Russian scenery.

Security at DME was insane. I chose this airport specifically because AA flies out of it and it's not all Soviet and crazy like at SVO. In addition to all the security questions and frisking they do when you arrive, you are also questioned and frisked when you reach your flight gate. Here, every single thing is taken out of your carry on, opened, and examined, even your shoes. I have never had that experience before at a flight gate. They also want to make sure that no one has approached you in the airport.

The flight was uneventful, and half empty. It was great to get a row all to myself and to sleep. Delays in Chicago and my 10PM arrival time in Newark turned into a 2AM arrival. There was no public transport so I had to wait over an hour in line at the taxi stand. Thankfully, I sat near two other people on the plane who lived in my neighborhood; we agreed to share a cab to cut costs. I didn't walk through my front door until 4AM.

Overall, my trip was fantastic. It was probably the best vacation I have ever taken to what is now my most favorite destination.

I learned a lot on this adventure and had to figure out many things and work with people who I felt were at times, against me. I met so many other travelers and learned so much about them and their reasons for being in the same place I happened to be. The exchange of information between us all is something I'll never forget. Just being told that I could buy my train ticket a short way away from the hostel instead of trekking down to the station saved me tons of time and allowed me to focus on the more important parts of the trip. Yes, I could've done without the blizzard in Tallinn, practically splitting my head open after falling on the ice in St Petersburg, or dealing with the frigid attitudes around Russia in general. But, everything happens for a reason, and I believe I gained something important out of the bad, along with the good.

If I hadn't been brave or adventurous, I would've blown my money on group tours and only seen things a short sighted package creator wanted me to see. I could've been safe and sound in a hired car, at a loss to my bank account, instead of learning the metro systems or flagging down a marshrutka and sitting next to real people. Throughout my travels, my moments of anxiety quickly calmed once I realized I was reaching my destinations, because in their own little way, Russians make sure you're going to be alright.

I walk away from this trip knowing that this was the one I learned the most from. Sure, I was brave to go it alone on the back roads of Taiwan. I know this. But Russia was different. No one smiles at strangers there. No one is eager to try out their English, or to accept that other people speak different languages. Unlike Taiwan, there is no shared understanding of differences. In Russia, it is what it is. So, when I go back, and I say that in the affirmative, I will be more prepared. Who knows, I might even show the locals a thing or two.

Day 8 - Moscow

Saturday, 11/29 -

Oddly enough, I slept pretty good on the train considering this was the one place I assumed I would get no shut eye. I had booked a 2nd class kupe and catching the train was easier than I imagined it would be. My roommate was an older woman who was deep in thought almost the entire trip writing. I had hoped it would only be the two of us. Then, a cute guy arrived, but the smell of vodka on his breath ruined all chances of my ever fantasizing about him again.

Both the man and woman pretty much ignored me, speaking only to one another, except for the man who asked where I was from. I replied, "United States", and he was confused. I told him, "New York City", and he said "Oh, America". Oh, and the man was super strong, hauling my suitcase up into the overhead space. With all the books I purchased at Dom Kingi, I'm surprised he didn't put his back out. Once in awhile, as they were talking amongst themselves, they would both glance at me. I'm sure, by the looks, they were talking about me. A lone American woman without much knowledge of the language must've been a curious sight to them.

We arrived at Moscow Station on time. Russian trains run timely to a fault. I had another experience with squat toilets in the station restroom, thinking I'd left that behind for good in Taiwan. As I was leaving, the most gut wrenching incident occurred - a kitten. Someone must have recently dumped a kitten in the station and it was left to defend itself. Russia has a huge stray problem and it wasn't unusual to see dogs and cats allover the place. However, seeing a kitten scared and crying was too much for me to take. I bought a chicken wing and placed it behind the timetable board where it was hiding out. Talk about your heartstrings being pulled.

Getting to the hostel was a chore, especially now that I had a suitcase that weighed a ton. I didn't read the directions properly and became lost once I got to the Kitai Gorad stop, which has several different exits. Eventually, I found the hostel and was met by silence. There was no reception person around. Instead, on the sofa lay many individuals sleeping, including what I was later to discover, the reception person. I was getting anxious, I had only one full day in Moscow and the clock was ticking. I met C, who had also just arrived from St. Petersburg, and he had also stayed in the same place I had, although we never crossed paths.

I searched for, and found, a clean towel taking it upon myself to take a shower and get ready - some of it in the middle of the reception room. Finally fed up, I called the customer service number on the wall and complained in such a snotty way. Then, several phones began ringing and the reception person was roused from her slumber. Acknowledging C and I, she told us flat out that check-in time was at 12 noon and we were to put our luggage in the hallway. C asked if I would mind a travel companion. I was hesitant at first considering he saw me at my bitchy worst, but I decided I could redeem myself and agreed. Besides, I met so many people, and didn't want to pass on another opportunity to get to know others.

Our first stop was Red Square, Lenin's mausoleum. The security for gaining access is a chore. Once you enter it's dark, and military personnel are lining the entire route around Lenin's body. There is no opportunity to stop, you must keep walking. You basically walk around Lenin. He's so weird looking and incredibly waxy. It's no surprise that there's a debate over whether that's really him in there.

One thing I noticed is that one hand is formed into a fist and the other is out casually. You can't see his legs and he's a bit propped up. C commented on all the marble inside the mausoleum but I couldn't take my eyes off Lenin for a moment, it was so eerie. You exit into the Kremlin Wall Necropolis which is a burial ground for past Soviet leaders and famous people. Later on, while we were waiting for photo ops outside the mausoleum, a woman took a photo of her dog after she had posed it outside, in front of Lenin's Mausoleum. I wished I had taken a picture of this, but missed it.

C and I went into the State Historical Museum realizing only afterwards that it wasn't the Armoury museum. In my confusion of the day, and lack of proper map, we didn't realize that the Kremlin entrance was something different entirely until a few minutes after it closed. I was upset but considering all we saw, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. St. Basil Cathedral held my interest more outside than inside. The amount of brides arriving to get their photos taken in front of everything in Red Square ran into double digits in the time we were there.

The walk to Christ the Savior Cathedral was freezing cold. Once there, we both got pushed around by a babushka, unhappy to see us wear gloves inside. She actually reached and yanked at them, indicating that they needed to come off...immediately. The rules for entering a Russian Orthodox church are: hats off for men, heads covered for women, and hands out of your pockets. Apparently, wearing gloves is disrespectful as well. All these rules!

We walked the famous Arbat Street from beginning to end where I broke down at Starbucks and bought a hot Tazo tea, welcoming capitalist American normalcy! We stopped in a few stores for souvenirs before moving on to tour the metro system a bit. The metro stations are amazing works of art. I couldn't remember at the time where I had read about the dog statue you're supposed to rub for good luck, but the stations we did see were all dazzling. We checked out a building of Stalinist architecture before grabbing a bite to eat.

It had been suggested to me previously that the food court in GUM was cheap and it was considering how expensive the city is. I finally indulged in Beef Stroganoff which tasted like it does back home, but at that moment felt oh so Russian.

It was a long day; by the end we felt it completely. I had to be up early the next morning if I wanted to have time to do a bit more and make my flight home.

Day 7 - St. Petersburg

Friday, 11/28 -

My last day in St. Petersburg and I had to make it over the the Peter and Paul Fortress. First, I walked around looking for the Museum of Political History which is housed in the former home of prima ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. She happened to be Nicholas II's first love before moving on to two of his cousins. This house is also famous for being taken over by Lenin after he arrived in 1917 on a sealed train from Germany to Finland Station. Again, I didn't purchase the photo permit and frantically took photos when the room guardian wasn't watching me like a hawk. Those babushka's sure do take their jobs seriously. I managed a photo of Lenin's study before moving on to other sites. In the neighborhood, I stopped at the mosque, the memorial to the victims of Stalin's Gulag, and Petrovskaya quay to see Peter the Great's cabin. Then, it was time to move onto Peter and Paul Fortress.

It's a fortress alright. A huge one with tons of things inside, including a wonky statue of Peter the Great that's supposed to be a cast from a mask made of his real head placed onto a disproportionately sized body, making him look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. I carried on to the Peter & Paul Cathedral which is the last resting place for the majority of the rulers of the Romanov dynasty. It was odd seeing the tombs of all those I had read about, especially the little kids. Seeing Nicholas' mother, Marie Feodorovna's tomb still dressed with flowers since she was reburied here from Denmark, two years ago, was nice, especially knowing that she would be happy to be resting next to her dear husband Sasha (Alexander III) again. It was what she had wished for in exile.

I then went to pay my respects at the room that held the last Tsar, his wife, their children, and the family's retainers, who were all massacred together that fateful night in Yekaterinburg. To tell you the truth, it was the oddest feeling in the world knowing how close in proximity I now was to them all.

The remains of both Alexei and (presumably) Maria were discovered last year. They will soon join their parents and siblings once DNA is confirmed by several different teams. Until that time comes, their epitaphs on the wall will remain incomplete.

I spent the remainder of my time walking around the fortress, taking in the views of the city. Once back in city center, after stopping to admire Smolny Cathedral, I purchased souvenirs at a place behind Church on Spilled Blood and pretty much got smothered by one of the vendors who was intent on me purchasing his entire inventory. It was okay considering I waited till the last minute to do my souvenir shopping and was momentarily defeated to see almost all of the stalls shuttered for the night. In hindsight, our exchange was hilarious. Afterwards, I stopped for a minute on the bridge nearby, pausing to take in all that was in front of me. Muttering sweet nothings and blowing silent kisses to the city, I swore on my life, like Marie Feodorovna, I would one day come back.

I said my goodbyes at the hostel and headed via metro to the train station, finally holding my own among the crowds with heavy luggage, for my overnight trip to Moscow.