Go back to Russia.
Go back to Helsinki. Saint Basil’s Cathedral from The Red Square.We decided to go via Moscow as it was a bit cheaper than the flight option going over the Pacific. Additionally, we wanted our tourist day in one of the cities we actually had some interest in seeing. And so we planned on having about 24 hours there – this would also allow a small safety cushion in case our bags suffered any minor delays (ongoing flight was a different booking). We met our local guide Alina in the city center and went on a pretty packed tour of the city’s “must see” highlights, including the tour of the Kremlin grounds. Touristy but not in a bad way – quite interesting and enjoyable in fact. And Moscow is a pretty nice if a huge city. Then it was back to the airport (Vnukovo this time) for our long, “overnight” (never got dark) flight to Anadyr on the Bering Sea (Pacific) coast. That 8.5 hour flight – courtesy of Utair – was kind of memorable. The highlight was sitting next to a lady (Russian) working for the World Wildlife Fund in the Arctic regions of the world. In her perfect English, she asked me whether we were scared of going to Chukotka. When I asked whether we should be, she just smiled. Everything else about the flight was a definite lowlight – try it and you won’t complain about United as much.
Photos
Yeah, that’s pretty much how the first leg of the journey went (July 2018).Our first daytime sights in Russia. Views from the window in our hotel by Vnukovo Airport (July 2018).Driving through downtown Moscow (July 2018).Crossing a street by the Bolshoi Theatre (July 2018).The Bolshoi Theatre (July 2018).Karl Marx Monument (July 2018).Entrance to the Moscow Metro. Check out the bust (July 2018).Long way down but worth it (July 2018).State Historical Museum? No, a station in the Moscow Metro (July 2018).And one more. Pretty mind blowing (July 2018).Same station (July 2018).On the Moscow Metro (July 2018).And another work of art…I mean station (July 2018).Entering The Kremlin (July 2018).A sentry (July 2018).Kremlin grounds (July 2018).Kremlin grounds (July 2018).The Tsar Cannon at the Kremlin (July 2018).The (cracked) Tsar Bell on the Kremlin Ground (July 2018).A wider angle view that includes Shirley and Alina (July 2018).Grand Kremlin Palace (July 2018).One of the many cathedrals (and the Tsar Bell) on the Kremlin grounds (July 2018).Gold plated cathedral domes (July 2018).A church dome poking out of the trees (July 2018).Shirley admiring the cathedrals in the Kremlin (July 2018).Another cathedral on the Kremlin grounds (July 2018).Kremlin grounds (July 2018).More gold plated church domes at the Kremlin (July 2018).Kremlin grounds (July 2018).Changing of the guard at the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. Click for a short video (July 2018).A park somewhere in Moscow (July 2018).The State Historical Museum (July 2018).Headed for the Red Square (July 2018).Alina and Shirley (July 2018).Shirley admiring the Red Square with Saint Basil’s Cathedral visible in the distance (July 2018).Red Square with the State Historical Museum in the background (July 2018).Shirley on the Red Square (July 2018).Saint Basil’s Cathedral as seen from The Red Square (July 2018).The Red Square (July 2018).Saint Basil’s Cathedral and two wankers. Photo by Alina (July 2018).Saint Basil’s Cathedral (July 2018).Check out that samovar (July 2018).The Amphitheater in Zaryadye Park with one of the Seven Sisters in the distance (July 2018).Another colorful church near Zaryadye Park (July 2018).Moskva River and The Kremlin (in the distance) as seen from The Floating Bridge at Zaryadye Park (July 2018).Another shot of Moskva River from Zaryadye’s Floating Bridge. And another shot of one of the Seven Sisters (July 2018).A church in Zaryadye Park (July 2018).View of Saint Basil’s Cathedral from Zaryadye Park (July 2018).Outside the GUM market (July 2018).Inside the GUM (department store) in Moscow (July 2018).Going in to check out the grocery market inside the GUM (pretty cool that one; July 2018).Caviar selection…got a sample (yeah, we’d be into that).Alionka chocolates. Alina is showing us a photo of the baby that has been gracing the packaging going way back (July 2018).Tapping some Georgian food (we think) at Vnukovo Airport. Probably one of the culinary highlights of the trip (though that canned premium cut beef we had in camp was good shit too; July 2018).Shirley about to board our Anadyr bound flight at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport – a little 8.5 hour red eye nightmare through a polar night (July 2018).
