My First Weekend in Moscow

July 23-24, 2016

My new boss, Nathalie lives in the same building as me so before I left Ottawa she had made arrangements to meet me at 10:00 am for a tour of the hood and shopping for essentials.

The local coffee shop wasn’t opening until 11:00 am (apparently, weekend mornings are a quiet time when folks are recovering from their revelries of the previous night!) so we opted to head to the Embassy so I could get my bearings and after we arrived Nathalie gave me a quick tour. I actually have an office with a door and a window rather than a cube so I’m thinking my office is posh as well.

Along the route, we visited the local corner store and a small grocery store (Magnolia) where I picked up a few groceries including a bottle of Russian vodka. On our way home, we stopped at the local café now open and had a hot drink. Once home, I had the chance to meet my neighbours Craig and Kerry and  requested their internet code until I can get mine installed in a few weeks so I could keep in touch with folks at home.

Nathalie’s posting is almost finished and she is heading back to Canada on Friday so there was a BBQ at one of our colleague’s family SQ in the Burbs. We arranged a time to grab a cab and I headed off to take a nap as I am still not in the zone! Our hosts (Rob and Alice and their children) and the many other colleagues and their families that I met that night were very warm and welcoming. Mike, another newbie who had arrived Friday night with his wife and four boys under eight (all suffering from jet lag) were also at the BBQ. The food was great, the drinks were flowing and the company was fantastic but soon enough it was time to bum a lift with Quyen, the Embassy's IT guru, who was giving my downstairs neighbours, Jack and Shirly, a drive home.  I didn’t think a late night of dancing and revelries was the way to go (yet!).

Sunday, the sun was up early (4:30^ish) but I didn’t get going until closer to 10:00.  I grabbed a quick breakfast and then headed to the beautiful gold-domed church that I can see out the window of my guest room; the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.  The Cathedral, located on the northern bank of the Moskva River a few blocks southwest of the Kremlin is the tallest Orthodox Christian Church at 103 metres (338 feet). I didn’t have a head covering so I didn’t go inside but as you can see even from my photographic efforts it is a beautiful, imposing structure. 

 

After wandering around the cathedral, it was time for the short walk to the Kremlin. There didn’t seem any “legal’ way to get across the many lanes of traffic so I waited for a break and made a dash. I found out Monday that a colleague had received a j-walking ticket for doing something similar (guess I was lucky) and that for crossing big intersections there are pedestrian underpasses (sometimes quite far from where you are going) that must be accessed. I’ll endeavour to do better in the future!

Anyway, I made it without incident and started wandering through Manezhnaya Square; oases of beauty and calmness in the midst of this beautiful, bustling city. Walking along the shores of the Neglinka River, I gaped at the beautiful fountains and whimsical statues from Russian fairy tales including the one of the golden talking fish who can grant your wishes. 

 

 

 
Apparently the glass domes, aka the roof of "Okhotny Ryad" at night, when they are illuminated display a map of the world. 

One of the “interesting” tourist activities is to have a photo taken with someone in costume ranging from ladies of the court, to Rasputin, army officers, etc. I did note that the folks that opted to pay for the privilege were typically being asked for more money so it seemed like a bit of a shake down, one that I won’t be indulging in …Eventually, I found myself in Alexander Square, a massive garden that was laid out to commemorate the victory over Napoleon (that French guy who thought Russians were easy!!) at the order of Tsar Alexander. 

Among the beautiful flowers and gardens, lies the Tomb of Unknown Soldier. Honor sentinels stand on guard there, right next to the eternal flame. The tomb, built in 1967, contains the remnants of a soldier who fell during WWII.

There is so much to see, I am sure that it will take many, many trips before I have even scratched the surface. Apparently, I didn’t even make it into the Kremlin proper before I hit the wall and headed for home.  

Again, no obvious way to get where I wanted so I braved the eight lanes of traffic without incident. On the way home, I picked up a roasted chicken and a few more groceries.  After lunch and a quick nap, it was off to Jack and Shirly’s to find out how the spa day for the ladies went. Everyone was pretty relaxed after their massages as they shared tales of the later night shenanigans shared. Then, it was off to Nathalie’s apartment to divvy up the supplies that she isn’t taking back to Canada at the end of the week. I left with a bag of groceries that will help me get my pantry stocked and a wheeled carryall for future shopping expeditions. Back home, I chatted with my folks on the phone, FaceTimed with Robyn and read the many birthday messages from friends. It was a great birthday my new home even without cracking open the bottle of champagne in the fridge. That will have to wait until I have a partner-in-crime as it’s no fun drinking alone.  Off to dreamland as tomorrow is my first day on the job!