So I know it's been a whopping 48 hours since I've posted -- or actually more than that, I think. Oh well. There actually wasn't a whole lot to write about yesterday, which I feel slightly guilty about, but I think that everything has worked out well.
Yesterday was our last full day in Moscow and in Russia. I woke up and worked out for a little while and then realized that I wasn't feeling so well. I ate breakfast and then when we met Victoria, I decided to stay behind in the hotel -- especially since it was just going to be a shorter day of sightseeing before going to the concert in the evening. I had a happy time just relaxing and watching some tv on one of the English channels. It was some much needed rest time.
My parents got back to the hotel around 3, and then we ate a little something before Victoria came back to pick us up along with her son! We drove out of the city center about 40 minutes to an estate which was really beautiful. It turned out that it was free to get into all of the buildings and gardens because every 3rd Sunday of the month all of the museums are free.....but the concert that we were going to was in the main house of the estate. We were there early and so we had some time to wander around and see the grounds and buildings. It was really beautiful -- it almost had a Versailles feel -- same type of gardens!
Yesterday was our last full day in Moscow and in Russia. I woke up and worked out for a little while and then realized that I wasn't feeling so well. I ate breakfast and then when we met Victoria, I decided to stay behind in the hotel -- especially since it was just going to be a shorter day of sightseeing before going to the concert in the evening. I had a happy time just relaxing and watching some tv on one of the English channels. It was some much needed rest time.
My parents got back to the hotel around 3, and then we ate a little something before Victoria came back to pick us up along with her son! We drove out of the city center about 40 minutes to an estate which was really beautiful. It turned out that it was free to get into all of the buildings and gardens because every 3rd Sunday of the month all of the museums are free.....but the concert that we were going to was in the main house of the estate. We were there early and so we had some time to wander around and see the grounds and buildings. It was really beautiful -- it almost had a Versailles feel -- same type of gardens!
One of the buildings
Estate gardens and main house
Someone wanted to show off his trig identities!
At 6, we went into the main house for the concert which was a few students from the Moscow Conservatory -- there were 2 organ players, a clarinetist, and a guitar player. It wasn't the best music I've ever heard (the guitar player was pretty great though) - they were grad students, and as my dad says, I've been spoiled with the music that I've grown up listening to with Eastman being right around the corner from us...but it was a pretty unforgettable atmosphere, and the whole experience was really nice.
We had a quick dinner at Le Pain Quotidien which is a chain restaurant around the corner from our hotel. It was simple -- clearly not Russian -- but as Victoria said, when Russians, especially in Moscow, go out to eat, they don't go out to eat Russian food! So technically, we were fitting right in....
This morning I got up and spent a little time in the gym downstairs before heading off for a few last hours of sightseeing. We walked around some parts of Moscow that were next to Red Square -- the oldest parts of the city. Victoria showed us a few things that were definitely off the beaten path -- like a church hidden in the courtyard of a beaten down apartment building and this crazy little museum of architectural artifacts -- there was no one there which was kind of nice!
Cool flower ball-y things
Hidden church
It had sort of started to rain at this point but we kept going! We made a stop at a little monastery bakery which had freshly baked Russian rolls -- yum! And then we went on to the Moscow Palace of Romanov Boyers which showed one of the ancient homes of the first Romanovs -- also very interesting.
Bakery
Museum
From there, it was about time to head back to the hotel so that we could get our bags and head off to the airport! We said goodbye to Victoria and got on our way. The taxi driver was quite a pro, I guess you could say. I think we all saw our lives flash before our eyes at least 3 times from some of the maneuvers he made. It was insane. But we got to the airport with more than enough time to spare...and then our flight was delayed another hour...so we had even more time! Hooray!
Last view of St. Basil's
Us with Victoria, our lovely guide.
And here we are now in Berlin. We have a lovely room in the Hilton Berlin and have had a fairly relaxing time this evening ending with a nice stroll around the square over which our hotel overlooks. It's really nice. More about that tomorrow though -- this is the only city on this 'tour' that I've already been to -- but it's still a great city. It's interesting to see what's familiar though.
A demain!
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