Day 12: Moscow Metro

Sunrise from my hotel window. The forecast is for sunshine today which made me feel happier. I had breakfast in the hotel this morning and what a selection. Anything you could have wanted was there including glasses of champagne. P joined me and we had a good chat. She has let her home in the U.S.A and is travelling around the world. After this trip she is going to Warsaw for a week's rest and then I think she said she was off to the Middle East. I was just about to get another cup of tea when I looked at my watch - 9.55am. We were meeting at 10am for our final tour this morning and I hadn't sorted my things out for the day yet. We both dashed to our rooms passing Svetlana and our Moscow guide on the way. Got back down as quickly as possible then realised I had left my travel card in the room! Not a good start as I dashed back up the 25 floors (by lift) to retrieve it.

Today's tour began with the Metro.  It opened in 1935 as part of the government's plan to transform Moscow into the world's capital of communism. British engineers were commissioned to help with the first stations. The earliest stations were built as a showcase of Soviet success. Thousands of labourers and patriotic volunteers ( yes apparently some people actually did volunteer!) dug the tunnels initially using simple tools such as pick axes and shovels. There are 189 stations on 12 lines compared to London's 270 stations on 11 lines.  Every station is different depending on the year it was built and who was the political leader of the time. With the marble facing, decorative inserts and heroic statues, I could have stayed underground all day going from station to station.





I was in my element. This is Komsomolskaya station built in 1951.  It has a domed hall with framed mosaics embedded into the ceiling, showing scenes from Russian history.

The station also has a bust of Lenin and a large mosaic of the Hammer and Sickle.

We went from station to station and I didn't always catch the names of them so apologies if I have got the wrong names. I think this one is Prospekt Mira. Hopefully the photos speak for themselves. Looking at the above photo who would guess that it was a metro station.

The marble relief work centres around the theme of agriculture.

Novoslobodskaya (1952) is known for its back lit glass panels made by Latvian artists depicting Soviet citizens.  This station was my favourite, more like an art gallery than a metro station.

Could even see the art work reflected on the train windows

Even the trains were decorative.

This is Belorusskaya station. It opened in 1952 in 'appreciation of the Slavic brethren of Belarus'. The mosaics set into the light coloured marble are the highlight of this station.

 

This is Mayakovskaya which opened in 1938 and won an architecture award in New York in the same year.

I reluctantly left the Metro with our guide who wanted to finish our tour by pointing out a few more buildings of interest before leaving us in Red Square. As we exited the Metro I noticed this mosaic which was an image of the surrounding buildings.

The now familiar metro sign.

She took us into this large, very upmarket grocery store.

Oh, how I wanted one of these faberge style eggs with a decanter and glasses inside. Can't remember the exact price but I do remember there were a lot of zeros.

The name of the store on the pavement outside (can't remember its name!).

A Georgian restaurant which we earmarked for our evening meal.

The Bolshoi's Grand Portico with Apollo and his four flying horses. This current building reopened in 1856 after its three predecessors were ravaged by fire in 1805, 1812, and 1853.

 

The Bolshoi theatre was established in 1776. The  theatre and ballet companies are amongst the oldest in the world.


This is the New Stage Bolshoi theatre, which was built in just six months to stage performances while the main theatre was being renovated.  Four people in the group had geot tickets for a performance there in the evening.  I regretted not being more organised and could easily have booked a ticket a couple of months ago. Rare to have any seats that have not been pre booked apparently. Although I'm sure that depends on the time of the year and how good your Russian happens to be.










The guide finished her tour outside the Bolshoi theatre.  It was time to say our goodbyes not only to our Moscow guide but also Svetlana who had a plane to catch to Beijing that afternoon where she was meeting her next Gadventure group.

This was the end of the tour. It had been an excellent tour. A good mix of friendly travellers and on the whole, I was delighted with the places we had visited. I was glad I had arrived in St Petersburg a couple of days before the tour started to have an opportunity to look in more detail at the city. I am also in Moscow for another couple of days so will have a chance for more exploring. After saying our goodbyes we wandered off towards  Red Square which is just around the corner.

We walked past the Metropole Hotel.  Famed for its art nouveau decor and  the many famous people who have stayed here from Tolstoy to Kennedy.

Some of the group went off to visit St Basel's Cathedral, others went to get something to eat and a few of us went to a toy store that had a viewing gallery. The view was Ok but I would have liked to have been a bit higher.

The dark clouds had started to gather and so L and myself decided to go back  and visit a large market close to the hotel. L was leaving early in the morning and wanted to pick up a couple of mementoes.


It was raining cats and dogs by the time we got there.

 I managed to buy a faberge egg for half the price they were asking in the shops. Although cheap and tacky it will be my reminder of the trip.

Finally the rain had stopped. We walked back to the hotel for a rest before meeting the others at the Georgian restaurant we had spotted earlier.

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