Like I said....when we got into Moscow we went straight into our room and hibernated. Hibernation food for adults consisted of
a club sandwich (for moi) and the cheeseburger for my wife. The cheeseburger was definitely over-rated....later we had some ice
cream..which thankfully was very good.
The next day we got up early to go to the clinic. You really want to get there early...By 10:00am both kids had seen the doctor and we were free until the afternoon. As soon as we got back to the hotel we figured brunch would be great....there we met a bunch of people who were adopting kids from all over Russia and Kaz. At 1:50 we went to the US embassy. This was a very smooth operation. When we first met Philip (WPA co-ordinator in Russia) he went through our paperwork in the time it took us to
get from the airport to the hotel....This guy really had his act together. When we first got to the Marriot we had absolutely nothing
else to do until the next morning. When the time came to go to the embassy; Philip just handed us a small slip of paper with a time on it; we proceeded to the Immigration floor/window #7 and in 35 minutes all of the paperwork for the kids admission into the US was complete. This was really a painless op.
After the embassy we had a couple of hours to see Moscow. Now, for the two hours of sight-seeing that was alotted to us; we did the very best we could do....did we see everything? Nope...and I'd love to be able to see more....but for now here is our worldwind trip across Moscow....
Russian White House
This is a picture of where the Government does its
business. Shot from the car...we didn't really have a chance to do much walking at this point...besides it was really cold today...
Peter The Great
This monument was located
in the river that circles Moscow.
Two Views of Moscow U
Moscow University is a very beautiful school. It was
built at the beginning of the Stalin era. The top of most of his buildings seemed to have the "Star" of Russia as seen at the picture on the left.
4 Cold People
After a bit of driving...Philip took us to this overlook which spans the Moscow city limits. You can see all across Moscow from here. In this shot we have the new Correia Family...Yep the kids are there...but we've got them bundled up nice and tight. Notice how I'm
dressed..no hat, no gloves, and an open jacket....well
that did eventually change....I bought a nice russian hat....cost? $15.00 ....not a bad price to pay for a
warm head.
Olympic Stadium
Here's a shot of something many Americans never got a chance to see. Its the stadium they used for the 1980 Olympics. The US boycotted those Olympics in
protest for the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
Matrushka's All Around
Vendors are all over the place. They've also got a lot of stuff to buy for prices that are much more
negotiable than the Almaty places....We liked the boxes we bought in Almaty better...but D managed to pick-up one more box that looked really pretty from this vendor....we'll show the pictures later....
Russian Arc de Triumph
Here is the sister arch in Moscow (the other is in Paris). This one was built to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon. Again, we didn't have time to stop and take a better picture...I shot from within the van....
On Our Way To Red Square
After a bit of a drive...we left the warmth of the van and walked (yup...walked) to Red Square.
St. Basil's Cathedral In Moscow
Nope this is not the Kremlin...this is an actual
church very close to the Kremlin.
Again, sorry I don't have pictures of the inside of this place...I'm sure it would be stunning but our walking tour was pretty much-get around Red Square and then get back to the car.
You will notice how beautiful the sky is by the way.
Moscow enjoys perhaps 10 days of beautiful weather in winter. I think we were lucky to get these shots.
Definitely I would love to come back and do Moscow justice; to really check out the city.
"Red Square"
This is the street sign that says Red Square....
Church and State
On the Left is the Great Church; On The Right...The Kremlin.
Kremlin Entrance
Kremlin is Russian for Fortress....and
from this picture you can see why. Check out the door...The Kremlin is literally a big fortress. There is a big wall that encompasses the entire compound. By the way, does the clock look familiar? This is where they celebrate New Year's Eve...
Kremlin Wall
Far Side of Red Square
Lenin's Tomb
Halfway up the square we came across the Tomb of
Lenin. The old boy is still in there too. You can see him if you're so inclined...but visitation is open for only 2 hours a day...get there early morning if you want to see him. By the way- other Soviet Greats are buried up behind the tomb and 1 American (A writer who documented the Russian Revolution)
Statues in Front of The Church
The Saviours of Moscow
These two gents are credited with pushing back the
invading Polish army. One was a nobleman the other a peasant...and they managed to push back the Polish army all the way back to Warsaw...
Old Church In Red Square
During the height of communism Religion was officially poo-pooed. So we were very surprised to see so many churches still standing. Many of the older ones
were either converted into warehouses, museums or
just simply destroyed.
Other Side of Red Square
I've referred to this image as the other side of Red Square. In fact this is really the front of it....Sorry for
the misnomer...but we entered Red Square from the back.
Ruby Star
The tops of the towers in Red Square have
many of these Stars on them. They are
in fact made up of Rubies.
The New Russian Symbol
This Gold-Gilded Spire top is the new
symbol for Russia.
The Real Entrance to Red Square
Crushing Nazis
This statue commemorates the General
in Charge of the Russian Army at the end
of WWII. Here you can see his horse
standing on top of the German Symbol-
It is an eagle...so don't freak out...its not
a bald eagle...its a Nazi Eagle...I have
another picture with the Swastika on it.
Kids Rank and File
Here are some school kids walking past.
Church Entrance
This church entrance butts up against the main building whichmarks the front
of Red Square...
The Golden Angel
Here is more detailed look at the angel
on top of the church entrance.
The 5 of Us
Here we are after our worldwind tour of Red Square. The gent on the right is Philip. Great Co-ordinator and fantastic tour guide....
