Moscow, Russia- July 2011

Moscow. The main capital of present day Russia and the foreground of Soviet Union control. This place reeks of communistic ideology just by the rows of old homeless people in the streets. These old timer's don't understand the idea of making your own money and supporting yourself. They were use to head figures like Stalin or Khrushchev to take care of everything they needed. That's why they lay out in the street. A representation of Communism in the country of Russia. Washed out and done with. There was so much to do in this city I didn't believe 3 days was enough. Especially with a metro system the size of Manhattan. Colored subway lines taking you north south, east, and west. I just had to see as much as possible.

Fallen Monument Park was the first stop in our sight seeing in Moscow. This place was incredible! Iv'e never seen so many statues in one place. Like I said earlier after this trip I could start up a career as being a statue photographer. All the communist leaders like Lenin, Stalin, and even the statue that was placed in front of the KGB building are scattered around this big park. While stopping at many important statues we learned vital information in the communist time about all these figures. After we were aloud to walk around and explore on our own. I took a bunch of funny pictures with most of the statues. Like kissing Stalin on the cheek. I'm not sure a lot of people come to Statue Park to do something like that but it was pretty hilarious. After about 30 minutes of voyaging thru these works of art it was time to get back on the bus and head out to our next landmark.

  One place Iv'e heard of when it came to relation with Moscow was a place called Ismaylovsky Park. I originally heard about this place on the show "Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations". He came here and bought cool old school Soviet Union propaganda posters and other Communist things for very cheap. At this point in the trip I was tired of packing my suitcase with little souvenirs that have the name of the place I went to. I wanted something unique for the place I was in. Going thru the different markets there I got a hold of a great propaganda poster and even an old passport from the early 1900's that belonged to some woman. The best part was everything there was dirt cheap. Not like by the Red Square where everything would cost you times 30. While walking around we found this military layout of flags and different guns. I picked a gun up and took a picture with it. They were pretty chill about it. After spending a few minutes there I decided to buy a Russian flag. Shopping there was probably the most cost effective idea being in a city like Moscow. You could spend hours looking at the things they have. It was tremendous. 

One interesting museum to definitely check out in Moscow is the Central Museum of Armed Forces. Here you can get loads of information on the Red Army. This place even has rows of airplanes, helicopters, tanks, and missiles in the back ranging from different years. On the inside you can see artifacts from Communist hide out spots and vehicles. Your suppose to pay 10 dollars to take pictures but you don't have to actually do it. They give you a wrist band but no one is actually in the museum looking. Save that 10 dollars for a little souvenir or a quick bite to eat. The tanks were pretty impressive but the thing that really caught my eye was the dedication to Sputnik. The Craft that was launched out to space before the U.S.

The most important building in all of Russia. You can obviously guess that I'm talking about the one and only Kremlin. This is the powerhouse to the control of all of the Russia Federation. It even served as a center to the Soviet Union back in the day. Something about this place has the word Russia written all over it. It was a very hot day out and I remember that I had my backpack with me. Little did I know the Kremlin is like the White House to America. I needed to check the bag in somewhere because it wasn't aloud inside. I had to run across the whole Kremlin to get to my group in time. Did I mention that it was 90 degrees out and humid? I thought I was going to die of a heat stroke but I told myself that it is a once in a life time experience to check out the Kremlin. We went inside and started in on a tour. We got an amazing look at the Armoury Museum. This place was overflowing with Tsar's treasures, dresses, weapons, and carriages. Everything was in glass cases and you were not aloud to take pictures. Me being me of course I snapped a few good pictures. We got upstairs and to our surprise the famous actress Mila Kunis. She was sitting on a bench next to one of her body guards. We saw her posters all around Russia. Since she is of Russian heritage and the movie was being released in Russia the most logical explanation was that she was in town to promote her new film.

After the Armoury Museum we walked further down and in front of us lied a big white church. Of course, The minute I touched ground in Europe/Russia all I've seen is statues and churches. This particular church had a very interesting named. It is called the Church of Deposition of the Robe. From the outside it looked like something from a fairy tale. Or just the movie Shrek. It stood right in the middle of the square, representing the importance of religion. We decided to take a look inside the place hearing that its something you've never seen before. Walking in you almost bump into the person in front of you because your head is just looking completely up, looking at the artwork on the ceilings and the chandeliers. Even here they do not let you take pictures inside but that devil inside me decided to snap a few quick ones. Who's it hurting?

Red Square is the center of where Moscow meets it's economic hub and social outlet. Here the Kremlin's entrance meet with all sorts of buildings and landmarks. The pink coated Kazan Cathedral is fascinating because of its rich detail and light color. The Voskresensky (Resurrection) Gate divides the Kremlin's entrance to the big open space that leads you down to the St. Basil's Cathedral. The Kremlin wall stretches out for miles with its huge brick structure. Going past the major shopping mall called GUM. In here you could get anything from your Hugo Boss to Prada, Calvin Klein, Etc. The St. Basil's Cathedral is very impressive when you look at it from the center of the square. The Cathedral was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the 1552 capture of Kazan from Mongol forces. It was completed in 1560. You can watch the changing of the guard every day at the Kremlin and even see Lenin's body. That's something I did not have a chance to see but honestly I can easily do that at any funeral. There is a market right near the metro station where you can pick up some expensive but cool gifts for your loved ones back home. 

Although I am not much of a circus person I couldn't give up the chance to experience the one and only Moscow Circus. This is the place where the word Circus actually means something, and I'm not talking about some of the freaks walking on the streets. This place was very clean and huge. Our seats were decent and we had a good laugh at some of the acts. Including the clown and the different dancing monkeys. Dancing to different styles of music like Mexican, Rock, Pop, Rap, etc. The camel's filled the ring and danced in a synchronized order. We had dinner earlier eating at this Italian/American place where it was nice to have some steak. I was getting tired of the dill and potatoey foods that I was being exposed to for the past week. During the intermission of the circus we decided that we were over it and that we wanted to go back to the hotel and get some rest before a big night out on the town. Being in Moscow you have to enjoy the clubs and the bars. Especially all those 1 dollar shots of vodka at your finger tips. We took a cab back to our hotel and got ready for the night out.

Other people in our group went to Club Pacha. Pacha is mostly for 25-30 year olds and I wanted to party with people around my age. Hitting on a 30 year old woman probably wouldn't get me very far. So we heard about this club called Zona. My friend Ramon and I were on the subway and some kid from Ukraine told us about Zona if we wanted to be with younger people. We listened to his word, since he was the only one around that could speak english. We decided to check the place out. The metro station was a block away from the hotel. We got on the train and we were looking at this big subway map. This thing was ridiculous. There was 30 different lines and on that big map was a small dot of where we needed to be. Asking this drunk guy next to us on the train he was telling us more about his failing acting career than the actual directions. Sitting a few seats down were two guys around our age. They walked over to us and told us that they spoke a little english because they both lived in Britain for one or two years. After getting to know them they told us that they were on their way to a friends house. Their names were Das and Dennis. They understood that it was impossible for us to get the hang of this subway thing and they were nice of us to show us how to get to the club. They literally got off the subway with us and went on the other connecting train. Once we got there they actually got out of the subway and walked us to the front entrance of the nightclub. It was pretty nice of them to do that. We got their numbers and told them that we were going to call them tomorrow night to pick up some girls. That was the last we saw of them. 

We got to the club a little late so we had to pay the 15 dollars for the VIP. Which was no problem for me. When you walk into this place your blinded by the rows of christmas styled lights leading you to the front door. Once you get inside the outside lights don't even compare to what's going on inside. A good amount of people are filling the empty spaces on the dance floor. We walked over to the rotating circular bar. I sat on it for about 2 minutes and I was done with it. If you don't pay attention or hold your drink in a matter of 20 seconds it could be on the other end and someone else could be taking a sip out of it. We went upstairs to check out the VIP lounge. I had a cheese platter and a few shots of vodka. of course with that lemon right after. Downstairs next to the bar we saw 2 girls sitting at a table talking. I came up with the idea to go sit down next to them and introduce ourselves. Thinking to myself that they hopefully speak a little bit of english. To our surprise we were sitting down next to 2 engineer majors in the local university. They knew a lot of english and they were really fun to talk to. I remember one girl was very unique because every time she would talk her eyes would go in a million different places. Then finally they got back to the middle. They taught us a bunch of Russian curse words and other daily things we need to know language wise. All of a sudden a song goes on and the girl with the crazy eyes began to go nuts! She grabbed her friend and said that they needed to dance. After their dance we talked with them for a little bit but we were getting tired of sitting around. We went back to the hotel and called it a night.

While exploring this city I learned a lot of new things about the former Soviet Union. Being in the Kremlin I got to see up close and personal the actual things that were apart of the old Tsar's daily life. Taking the subway tour showed me all the propaganda civilians were exposed to during communist times. Even understanding that prostitution is a normal thing in a city that's always looking out for a sign of wealth. There was a prostitute downstairs in our hotel lobby and I actually went up to her and asked her how much as a joke. I even brought my friend's computer over and started translating questions about her services. We were cracking up about the whole thing. Who google translates what they want to do with a prostitute. Besides all of that Moscow is a breath taking city. Just the idea of walking down the Red Square and taking in the same air of generations before you is incredible. The shops and of course the ongoing night life. This city is as close to New York in the sense that it's a place that never sleeps. 

Novgorod, Russia- July 2011

On our way to Moscow from St. Petersburg we stopped off in a little town called Novgorod. This little town ended up being the old capital of Russia back in 1727. As we took a walking tour of the town we learned a lot of things about the different landmarks. The statue called the Millennium of Russia consists of important figures from the country's history. Another amazing landmark is the Saint Sophia Cathedral which was built between 1045 and 1050. This had to be one of the oldest churches iv'e ever step foot near. Another church we saw was that of St. Nicholas Cathedral which was also very old. There was walls that surrounded this area. Almost like a fort protecting the people who lived inside from outside influence. We learned about how the Nazi's came in and destroyed the place and most of the buildings were damaged by bombing's and other weapons. During WW2 the city was occupied by the German army. The Red army liberated the city on January 19th, 1944.

While walking a little further in the center of the Old Kremlin area we came across this huge Bell tower. Earlier in the tour we kept hearing loud obnoxious chimes and bell sounds echoing over the buildings structures and nearby trees. Finally the closer we got to it we realized where it was coming from. One of the bells weighs over 26 tonnes! This tower is actually apart of the Saint Sophia Cathedral. It is located right behind it to the right. You walk down this cobblestone street and it leads you to this incredible view of the river and the building towering from the ground. From there we decided to check out this river that the tour guide was talking about so much.

Between the beach and the Old Kremlin walls marks a black and gold coated fence that separates the external and internal world. Once you step outside from the interior your welcomed to this beautiful site of the Vishera River. There you see tons of people in their bathing suits relaxing on the sand and jumping in the water. Seemed like a place that Russian's from St. Petersburg or other areas would go for a day to relax and enjoy the sun. Our tour walked past it and we were on our way to the hotel to get ready for dinner. I knew at that moment that I was going to come back after dinner and check out this river. Not something you can say that you got a tan in Russia. Especially it being a place that goes below -15 degrees during the winter. It was just a matter of time, or a matter of a good russian harvest. Onion and Dill salad with a chicken like dish and ice-cream that tasted more buttery than creamy. There was a DJ playing a little organ very low. We all joked around asking him if he did Birthdays and Bar-Mitzvah's. Maybe i'll invite him to do my wedding. Probably not. 

After dinner the temptation of that beautiful river standing just a half a mile from the hotels door step was hard to bear. Finally walking over the bridge that separates the Old Kremlin's wall to the other part of the town we saw a bunch of guys jumping off this platform. We decided that we wanted to try it out. Although I don't know how to dive I just plunged in the river without giving a shit. The river's current was very light and it drifted you towards the right. We kept doing it over and over again. After about 6 or 8 times we were over it and we were ready to check out the other side, where the beach filled with people. We put our stuff down on the sand and went into the swimming area. The water was perfect temperature. Especially with it being so humid and hot in Russia it was the luckiest thing to be able to take a swim. Good thing the river was very clean. I had my doubts about the water in Russia due to the Brown colored water spraying from my shower in St. Petersburg. I wasn't going to let myself walk out of the river looking like a fudge Popsicle.  But to my surprise it was genuinely fine. After meeting up with a few people from the tour who decided to just sit out on the sand and watch the sunset we decided to challenge some Russian's in volleyball. 

There was about 6 volleyball courts on the beach. Going up to 2 Russian guys playing against each other we tried as close as possible in Russian to ask them if we could play. They accepted and we were split in 2 teams. I happened to be with the guy that was a pro. I mean this guy was spiking balls like it was his day job. My friend Ramon on the other hand got this old guy who tried to keep up. Even though I would say he was a lot better than me. Since iv'e never really took a game of volleyball seriously. Learning from these guys was definitely something one of a kind. Having a guy in Russian trying to explain the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd steps up hitting the ball over the net. After a while 2 more guys got in the game and it was 3 on 3. Our team ended up winning and we felt it was time to head back to the hotel.

Novgorod, the once upon a time capital of Russia has a lot more to offer than just a title. Between its beautiful churches dating back to 1045 and it's river landscape it's a day trip delight to locals and history buffs. The statues and bells that label this city establish a reflection on the Russian people. Although the German Army took control of this place back in WW2 the Russians and the Red Army did not give up and retaliated for the control of the city. Just shows the fight and drive the Russian people have. Coming here for either a day on the River or a good look at Saint Sophia's Cathedral you wont be disappointed. 

St. Petersburg, Russia- July 2011

Getting into St. Petersburg around mid day gave me a good idea of what the city is like. With the bustling cars and pedestrians flocking everywhere. There was still a sense of Western European influence. Getting to our hotel which was the St. Petersburg Hotel. Located right over one of the draw bridges. The first thing we learned about this place was that you need to be very careful when going out at night. Not because of muggers or serial killers, But because between 2 AM to 5 AM the draw bridges go up together and let in cruise liners that need to go thru the canals/rivers. So if your out partying and the place you need to go is over a bridge you need to choose if you want to leave at 2 or end up staying out all night. Finding out about getting my own room in St. Petersburg was a great addition to being in the city. The first night we took a detailed bus/walking tour of the city. Stopping off at many different landmarks. Our tour guide Anna was funny she came on the bus with a bottle of Vodka slurring that she was already drunk. So much for a history tour of the city. A lot of "Thats a building".  Either way the Champangeski and Vodka was great. Started to actually feel like a Russian.

Waking up with a hangover in the city of St. Petersburg with a view that would be found in a travel magazine was exactly what happened to me the next morning. Having a traditional Russian breakfast. I tried the pancakes, sausage, eggs, and other pastries. Seemed like bread and pastries was a big thing in a Russian diet. After loading up on food I made my way downstairs to the bus. Where we were on our way to Peterhof's Summer Palace. Taking about a 20 minute drive in the outskirts of the city lead us to this gravel paved parking lot. Getting out of the bus we walked a few minutes to find ourself in a complete heaven of royalty. There standing before my eyes was one of the residences of Peter the Great. Dating back to the 1700's. It's unreal to be around something that's 300 years older than you. A long canal stretches from the center of the Palace where golden statues are everywhere to be found. These statues are also fountains that go off around 10-3 pm daily. Crowd's of people stand on the bridges overlooking the show, to take pictures and watch the beauty of it. The actual grounds of the Palace is very big. I remember going thru 20 different kinds of gardens. Taking so many pictures of statues I felt like I could start up a career as a statue photographer. It was beautiful to also walk up to the Baltic Sea and to think that a powerful king like Peter the Great would take walks around the same place I was standing. 

After being dropped of at the Marlinsky Palace which is pretty much the center of town. We were on our own to voyage and explore what St. Petersburg had to offer. Walking thru the narrow streets I got a solid idea of what locals went thru. Old women which are called "Babushka's" Sit outside their apartments or stores enjoying the hot weather. Right across from Marlinsky Palace is Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Where you can get great views of the city from up above. We didn't have time to do that but we did see the hotel in which Hitler was favored to whenever he came to Russia. It was called the Hotel Astoria. After walking around the area and having a Russian meal consisting of Dill, Potatoes, and Duck. We decided that we were going to go clubbing at night. The club was named Club Metro. We all went inside and payed the entry fee. As we walked upstairs you could feel the excitement of being in a nightclub from a foreign country. As we reached the main level we walk into the neon filled room blasting with beats and techno bass to find something more out of a comedy act. These young Russian people were dancing like something out of a movie. It was something so foreign from U.S. culture that it almost seemed as a joke. There was a guy with his shirt off and a cigarette bobbing his head and circling his hands like he was on some sort of acid pill. It was a lot of stuff to take in. The bar felt like a good place to be, at least to get enough drinks in so everything around us would begin to seem normal.

Shot by shot of fresh Russian vodka and a chaser of a split lemon piece. I felt like it was time to check the action on the dance floor. There me and my friend Ramon never experienced so many rejections. In the U.S. girls would let you down easy saying they had a boyfriend or something. Not in Russia. Here if you even look a girl the wrong way you will get a very short and direct "Nyet!". Especially asking a few girls to dance. Not like I'd even know how to dance the way they do, Just my drunk mind thinking I could give it a try. Finally I find one girl and her friend. She motions to me that she wants to drink. The only thing I could understand in this club due the fact that NOBODY could speak a word of english. I take them to the bar where I buy them both a beer. Standing next to us is another St. Petersburg local who knew a few words of english. Still very hard to understand. I was trying to tell him to tell her that I was interested in her and that I thought she was cute. He didn't get what I was saying though. After the drink I figured the girl would at least want to hang out for a little longer. Little did I know she goes up to some guy standing in the club. She is whispering to him and then he looks at me. He charges right past me in an angry manner. I ask the french St.Petersburg local what the deal was and he starts pounding his fist. Motioning to me that he is getting his friends to come kick my ass. What did I get myself into? I'm clubbing here for one night and I'm about to get myself killed. Trying to find my friends I finally find them. Telling them what the deal was they tell me to stick with them by the bar and chill out. There 2 other locals were hanging out with them. One was named Andre Ortega and the other I'm not sure. Andre knew a little english and he was one funny ass kid. His accent was like something out of Borat. We sat there and hung out for a little and the French local came by and told me that he took care of the problem and that I had nothing to worry about. Good, Now I can relax and not worry about getting myself killed in this Mafia run club. Andre told us he wanted to go upstairs to dance. We followed him and we met a guy that lived in Boston and is living in Moscow for a few years. Yes! Someone who could speak english and translate Andre and help us get some girls. It was like a blessing especially in a nightclub like Club Metro. 

As we talked to Andre and our translator. We found out that Andre likes to party all the time. Not like we didn't know that the way he was dressed and his Stunna shades and his love for dancing. He also was trying to offer us some prostitutes cause we mentioned about the girls in Russia and if they are easy or not. He kept saying that he would get us girls to our hotel for 4000 rubles. Which would be 112 dollars. We kept telling him no and that we were going to Moscow next. He then began to pound on the table in anger and say "MOSCOW NO! Stupid girls in Moscow!" Over and over again. We started cracking up. He then was telling us that he is in the Mafia and that he has a lot of guns at home. We asked him because there was a line of Black BMW's and Mercedes outside the club. Later we found out that it was a club owned by the Mafia and it also serves as a mob hangout. It was pretty funny meeting a Mafia Pimp local from St. Petersburg. He was probably in his 20's and it seemed like he goes to Club Metro every night. About 6 in the morning we felt it was time to go back to the hotel. Since the draw bridges were down. We headed our way back. But not sleep for us. Stayed up all day.

One cool attraction we did was go to the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad. There stands a monument dedicated from the Siege of the Nazi's. The monument is dedicated to the soldiers, sailors, and civilians who did not surrender to the situation given at hand. Even with starvation, coldness and enemy attacks. Underground from the Monument lies a museum with different artifacts from the time of the siege. One thing that I found interesting was that there was food shortages during that time and people were really only eating 400 calories a day. Which obviously is not enough. There was a piece of bread in a glass case to show how small of a serving they got every day. I was pretty hungry after not eating since breakfast but after hearing the stories of people dying from starvation I felt that I could wait another hour or two for some fast food. Something they didn't have back then.

I dont even know where to start when the word Hermitage Museum is used in a conversation. This place was ridiculously big. It's the biggest museum in the world. My friend and I actually got lost trying to get out of there. The bus was leaving at 1:45 and we couldn't make it in time because we still had to go thru 45 other rooms to get to the exit. There is different works of art from places like Western Europe, Japan, China, and Asia. The first rooms you go thru you see original portraits of old Russian rulers like Peter the Great and all of his wives and mistresses. Some of them were pretty ugly looking. We got upstairs to where one room was of complete gold. It was crazy to think that someone had the money for a huge palace like the Hermitage. It has like 100+ rooms. Who needs all that space? Either way we had to hail a random car to drive us to St. Isaac's Cathedral to meet with the group. In Russia there is taxi's but its more cost efficient to hail a random car to drive you to where you need to go. In the U.S. you would be standing outside for days for some random person to drive you. In Russia it's just another quick way of making a couple hundred rubles.

One way to really see St. Petersburg is by boat. Within the city there are small canal like rivers that flow thru the cross sections of main parts of the metropolis. Right by the St. Isaac's Cathedral there is a dock with little boats that take you around the rivers. Going under these very low bridges. These bridges are probably about 8-11 feet tall. You could easily put your hands up while going under and be able to hold on to it. While on the boat tour you really get to see the different colors of the buildings and the different style. More mid-town shows a lot older styled buildings. Our tour guide told us that the different colors represent that popular color in a certain time period. Whether it was the 1700's-1800's-or 1900's. While on the boat we were served bottles of Champangeski. Cant get any better than a bottle of Champagne and a boat ride.

Another place i checked out while I was in St. Petersburg was the Peter and Paul Fortress. Going here in the morning was a great time, the summer crowd of tourists usually swarm mid-day. You arrive and see this huge brown stone building with gold tops. You look up in awe in how something like this was made. Inside your breath is taken even more for a ride when you see the detail in the ceiling and marble floors. This place is the burial ground for all the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Alexander III. The cathedral was the first church in the city to be built by stone between 1712- 1733. Standing over where Peter the Great is buried is a very eerie feeling. They have lined up big marble plaques over there grave with big golden crosses. The history of this place is just something you don't find everyday. The fortress is located on Zayachii Ostrov which is an Island. Near by there is a military museum with a few tanks outside.

Last but not least no trip to St. Petersburg could be complete without visiting the world famous "Church of Spilt Blood". This church is seriously one of the coolest things Iv'e ever seen traveling. Just the exterior of the place calls out independency and unearthly measures. The detail put into this place must of taken years. Construction began around 1883 by the order of Alexander III as a memorial to his father Alexander II. On March 13th 1881 Alexander II's carriage was passing by when a grenade was thrown within the area. Alexander was shaken but not hurt, he got out of the carriage and proceeded to catch the culprit,  Meanwhile another bomb went off and brutally hurt Alexander. Alexander II was rushed to the Winter Palace (Today the Hermitage museum) where he died a few hours later. As you walk into this regal cathedral you see columns and columns of mosaic's of different saints. 7500 square feet of Mosaic artwork fills the interior of the church. This is definitely a place you need to check out if your ever in St. Petersburg. If you don't come here you can say that your trip wasnt 100%. Outside the church there is a small market place of souvenirs and other goods. 

St. Petersburg. A city of western Europe influence and Russian idealistic emperors. A mecca where one can visit the very places that 17th century society once roamed. The markets, cathedrals, and delectable restaurants by day. The bars, lounges, and Mafia social nightclubs by night. So much is happening in this city that it's hard to grasp all of it in a 72 hour period. Meeting the locals was a great touch in understanding the actual pace of the city and where it's at present day. Also meeting a pimp from the Mafia who said he would take care of anyone who gave me a problem was a great addition. Either way its a place where people come to enjoy the culture of both Western and Eastern Europe, that of Russian blood. Doing all of this can make you lose track of your mental clock. Just be sure to get back to where you need to be before 2 AM. Or else your stuck there till 5 in the morning.