scubacruiserx2

The fountains of the Alexander Gardens Near our hotel was the Four Seasons Hotel ( was the Hotel Moskva formerly ) is on the label of Stolichnaya Vodka .

20 min to the port is great . We're 75 to Ft. Lauderdale . We are doing better with Pat and we caught the Rocky the Racoon . We were trying to meet you guys in Tampa but our Thanksgiving with the family begins on that day . We did the Canal both ways so if you might like some tips on most of the places we may be able to help if you would like . Here's the East to West review :

We had some free time before meeting our guide so we went for a quick walk across the street . There is a 3 story mall beneath these domes across from hotel called Okhotniy Ryad . The center dome has a map of the world when seen from the mall underground . Not my video

After popping up I was near the State Historical Museum and the Resurrection Gate that leads to Red Square . Red Square wasn't open yet But the Kazan Cathedral was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan_Cathedral,_Moscow Returning to the Hotel for breakfast

I was awake before my wife and breakfast and took my camera for a walk . I found a colorful underpass to cross the busy street to Red Square under the street . The State Historical Museum and the Resurrection Gate that leads to Red Square

Breakfast at the National The buffet The Chef The dining room The plate The View of Red Square

We met Michael and Anna while waiting in a long line to board a cruise in South America . We were behind them and they were speaking in Russian and I started a conversation with them in Russia . They were very surprised that we could speak Russian . We had a nice cruise with them and they invited us to meet if we went back to Moscow . Dinner was next at another Ukrainian Restaurant with strolling musicians this time . We walked them to their Metro station and said goodbye before walking back past the Kremlin , which we would explore in the morning , to our hotel .

Well hello Tony and Antony . We hope that you are well and enjoying life . Any cruises planned ? We have had a busy Spring with some racoons in the roof , meeting our new in laws and a case of identity theft . What a pain ! Additionally , Pat was in the hospital last week. If you would like to chat please use our scubacruiserx2 @gmail.com account . @F19810 We will bounce this question off of our TA here in Florida who is pretty up on these things and return with an answer if she can be of any help .

Our friends called for us early and we found out from them that the State Historical Museum was open for free and that they we having a tribute to WW II , so went there first before dinner . There is a statue of General Zhukov a hero of WW II and WW I In front https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgy_Zhukov It was mostly Soviet propaganda WW II posters that I got a kick out of . There were some American thinks as well like a Tommy Gun . Here's a photo from Wikipedia showing the ornate building inside

After this our guide took us to check in our hotel before we met our friends for dinner . It was directly across the street from Red Square . It has a very long and storied history and was the most that we had paid for a hotel room up to that point , but we bit the bullet and paid it . It included a BIG breakfast . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_National,_Moscow It had doormen open the doors for us , a first for us . Pat checking in and our guide in the foreground . The sitting room The Common area Our bed room

Inside of GUM ( pronounced goom in English ) Extreme close up . A DSLR is considered a sign of wealth in Russia . Most people have cell phones but can't afford cameras .

What we see from left to right in the last photo is : The Kremlin ( Fortress in a city) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kremlin Lenin's Mausoleum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin's_Mausoleum We found this photo on line even though photography is forbidden Taking photos of Lenin's body isn't permitted. This rare shot shows the revolutionary leader in October 1991. AFP/AFP/AFP/Getty Images The State Historical Museum is the large red building which we would visit later that evening with our cruise friends from Moscow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Historical_Museum The Resurrection Gate and Chapel Destroyed in 1931 by the Soviet regime, the Gate and the Chapel were rebuilt in the 1990s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Gate_and_Chapel And GUM Department store which we visited next is 800 ' long . GUM (Russian: ГУМ, pronounced [gum], an abbreviation of Russian: Главный универсальный магазин, romanized: Glavnyy universalnyy magazin, lit. 'Main Universal Store') https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUM_(department_store)

We were at # 37 on this map of the Kremlin so we decided to walk to the right of this map and see Red Square . Nothing says Moscow more than Red square and nothing says Red Square than Saint Basil's Cathedral . A Babushka sweeping the street . The stands were for the Victory Day Parade in Red Square . The Red building on the right is where Lenin is entombed and you can see his preserved body , creepy to us but there was a big line to see him . The roof of the tomb is where the President and other high ranking people watch the parade . Minin and Pozharsky statue outside While it is beautiful outside it's rather plain on the inside . It had began to rain and we took this photo from the front looking back across Red Square with some places annotated in black if you enlarge the photo by clicking on it .

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in the Alexander Garden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Garden In the upper part of the garden is a grotto using rocks from when Napolean invaded Moscow and the Russians set fire to Moscow in a Scorched Earth policy that they also did in WW II when Germany invaded . When the French Grande Armee invaded Russia they had 685,000 men that constituted the initial invasion force . But only 93,000 survived to leave Russia . In front of the Grotto is a obelisk celebrating 300 years of the Romanov rule . Lunch was at a Ukrainian place

We popped up from the Moscow Metro like 3 groundhogs on February 2nd . We were there in time for the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier near the Kremlin wall . The video It reminded me of when I was on a drill team in the Navy in 1973 . But our team carried the 50 state's flags and I carried a sword .

The Kiyevskaya Station shows mosaics of life in the Ukraine and is near to the train station to the Ukraine . All of the photos are ours except the panel at the end of the hall from Wikipedia

A map of Moscow from above Komsomolskaya Station is one of the busiest is near 3 rail stations including Leningrad ( Saint Petersburg ) It has mosaics of victories on the ceilings . 1292 Alexander Nevsky leading Russian orthodox vs Roman Catholics 1612 Minin and Pozharsky vs Poland attacking Moscow . Their statute is in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Red Square 1945 Soviet Union troops at the Reichstag building in Berlin Bust of Lenin under the Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union

This is the Saint Petersburg Metro map that we are familiar with and we rode to the train station with 5 lines . And this is the Moscow Metro map with 15 lines . We hired a guide from Tours by Locals to meet us at the train station and the first thing that we saw was some of the Metro Stations . Maps from Wikipedia

In order to get to Moscow we would be riding the Sapsan high speed train . It was quicker , cheaper and more convenient than flying and having to go thru 2 airports . We just took the Metro to the train station and showed our Passports when boarding the train as we had pre purchased the tickets online . The Sapsan , Russian for Peregrine Falcon , could fly us at 150 mph nonstop to Moscow in 3 hours and change . Since we were in First Class it included a meal .

There is so much to see and do in Saint Petersburg that we would not recommend going to Moscow if you are visiting on a cruise ship . But we were staying there and we had an invitation from a couple that we had met on a cruise in South America . Anyone who knows Scubacruiserx2 , knows that we like Al Stewart . His song that we remember and listened to as we were traveling there is called Roads to Moscow . This is a video that we shot of him in the Royal Albert Hall a week after visiting Moscow . The Song is about the German invasion of Russian after the secret signing of a non aggression pact . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov–Ribbentrop_Pact Here's an explanation of the song and the lyrics . Al revealed that the song was based on the life of Russian Nobel Prize winning writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_to_Moscow All music and lyrics by Al Stewart They crossed over the border the hour before dawn Moving in lines through the day Most of our planes were destroyed on the ground where they lay Waiting for orders we held in the wood Word from the front never came By evening the sound of the gunfire was miles away I softly move through the shadows, slip away through the trees Crossing their lines in the mist in the fields on our hands and our knees And all that I ever Was able to see The fire in the air, glowing red Silhouetting the smoke on the breeze All summer they drove us back through the Ukraine Smolensk and Vyazma soon fell By Autumn we stood with our backs to the town of Orel Closer and closer to Moscow they come Riding the wind like a bell General Guderian stands at the crest of the hill Winter brought with it the rains , oceans of mud filled the roads Gluing the tracks of their tanks to the ground, while the skies filled with snow And all that I ever Was able to see The fire in the air, glowing red Silhouetting the snow on the breeze x4 - all thru bridge In the footsteps of Napoleon, the shadow figures stagger through the winter Falling back before the gates of Moscow, standing in the wings like an avenger And far away behind their lines, the partisans are stirring in the forest Coming unexpectedly upon their outpost, growing like a promise You'll never know, you'll never know, which way to turn, which way to look you'll never see us As we steal into the blackness of the night you'll never know, you'll never hear us And evening sings in a voice of amber, the dawn is surely coming The morning road leads to Stalingrad, and the sky is softly humming Two broken tigers on fire in the night Flicker their souls to the wind We wait in the lines for the final approach to begin It's been almost four years that I've carried a gun At home, it will almost be spring The flames of the tigers are lighting the road to Berlin I quickly move through the ruins that bow to the ground The old men and children they send out to face us, they can't slow us down And all that I ever Was able to see The eyes of the city are opening Now it's the end of a dream x4 thru this section I'm coming home, I'm coming home, now you can taste it in the wind the war is over And I listen to the clicking of the train wheels as we roll across the border And now they ask about the time that I was caught behind their lines and taken prisoner They only held me for a day, a lucky break I say They turn and listen closer I'll never know, I'll never know, why I was taken from the line with all the others To board a special train and journey deep into the heart of holy Russia And it's cold and damp in the transit camp and the air is still and sullen And the pale sun of October whispers the snow will soon be coming And I wonder when, I'll be home again and the morning answers never And the evening sighs and the steely, Russian skies go on, Forever...

These are friends Yuri and Nellie who we met for lunch after our morning in Smolny . Behind them are a number of icons from their families used to have to hide buried so the Communists would not destroy or confiscate them . We found that we much more in common than our differences . Yuri is an artist who paints and makes porcelain objects like eggs seen over his shoulder and like Pat , was a swimmer in collage . Nellie was a scientist which I love especially Anatomy and Physiology and loves to cook . They introduced us to a friend of theirs who was an actress on the many stages in Saint Petersburg . The meal was prepared by Nellie who refused to allow us to do dishes as their guests and Yuri was the toastmaster with wine for everybody and Vodka , usually for the men and always a a cold shot followed with a bite of food after the drink . We asked if we could return their hospitality by taking them out for dinner and we're glad that they chose Georgian Cuisine . The Georgian love of family and friends is one of the reasons why the supra (tablecloth) is so important in Georgia. Supra is offered spontaneously to relatives, friends or guests. Every supra has its tamada (toastmaster), who gives the toast and entertains the guests . Wikipedia Dinner was here Khinkali you bite the dumpling and slurp the juice and meat Adjarian Kachapuri - Cheese bread with egg and a pat of butter Nellie painted this bottle that sits on the mantle of the fireplace

The Smolny Cathedral from a helicopter and then the ground http://www.saint-petersburg.com/cathedrals/smolny-cathedral/ Busts of Marx and Engels in the garden of the Smolny Institute The Communist Manifesto, originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party, is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, commissioned by the Communist League and originally published in London in 1848. Wikipedia

On Monday we had a tour in the afternoon with DenRus who was the company that we used in 2006 when we went to Saint Petersburg on the NCL Dream . We liked that they had a phone number using our same area code so we could phone a local number and speak to their office in St. Pete . The tour was called Have lunch with a Russian Family . But Gennadiy had promised us a surprise in the morning . He told us a bit about the Smolny Institute on the way there . In 1917, Vladimir Lenin chose the building as Bolshevik headquarters immediately before and during the October Revolution. It was Lenin's residence for several months, until the national government was moved to the Moscow Kremlin in March 1918.[3] After that, the Smolny became the headquarters of the local Communist Party apparat, effectively the city hall. In 1927, a monument to Lenin was erected in front of the building, designed by the sculptor Vasily Kozlov and the architects Vladimir Shchuko and Vladimir Gelfreikh. The Smolny Institute was also the site of Sergei Kirov's assassination in 1934.[4] After 1991, the Smolny was used as the seat of the city mayor (governor after 1996) and city administration of Saint Petersburg. Vladimir Putin worked there from 1991 to 1997 in the administration of Anatoly Sobchak. Today, this historic building is the official residence of the governor of Saint Petersburg and also houses a museum dedicated to Lenin. Visitors to the museum can tour Lenin's office and living rooms and see the assembly hall where the victory of the October revolution was proclaimed in 1917. Wikipedia What he didn't tell us was that he was a Colonel in the Russian Army and had retired to become the head of Security at Smolny Institute . We had to wait in a room while he got clearance and he walked us past Security and guards with AK -74 's into the building . The Ball Room where Lenin spoke from a painting there In Lenin's office We had the resident guide give us a tour of the office and artifacts while while Gennadiy translated . It was like stepping back in time to 1917 .

The next evening we had concert tickets to see Blackmore's night in concert . Richie Blackmore and Deep Purple were one of my favorite bands growing up and they were also one of President Medvedev favorite bands . When Richie met his wife , Candace Night , the band was formed with Candice on vocals and Richie playing acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar . Wikipedia When we got to the concert , I noticed men in suits wearing hearing aids and talking to their coat sleeves . I told Pat that the President may be at the concert . We were allowed to photograph and video the first band . But in about 10 seconds after videoing Blackmore's Night one of the coated men shined a bright flashlight into my face and yelled at me in Russian ! So this is all we got . We don't know if the President was at the concert but Pat did point out to me that a red Laser was pointed on the back of peoples heads when they took photos , showing the coated men their next target .

On Victory Day we walked down to Palace Square to try to see the parade but it was packed . We went down to the Neva river which was less crowded and the Rostral Column were lit - only on national holidays . There were also some Naval ships on the Neva River We also went to the Peter and Paul Fortress And the Artillery Museum which was free on national holidays to everyone Lunch was at The Other Place owned by an American married to a Russian . Doug's daughter was there and a WW II Veteran who we bought a drink . On the previous evening we saw this carriage at a rainy Palace Square And we saw it a dinner at the pie shop near where we stayed A lot of people on cruises would grab and go here but because we were staying at dinner time it was uncrowded . We usually had Salmon , mushrooms or this one if they had it Rabbit . And after dark there were fireworks over the Neva River