Farewell to Moscow

Thursday, May 20, 2010

We awoke to sunshine for our last day in Moscow and half day bus tour. Again it took over an hour to reach the city centre, if the traffic wasn’t so dangerous I’m sure a cyclist could do the trip in half an hour.

On the bus we again drove past Red Square, the Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral before making our first stop for a panoramic view of the outside of the New Maiden’s Nunnery, this nunnery as well as accepting Novices was also used by Noble families to control troublesome members of their family. Peter the Great banished his sister there after she tried to over-throw him and assume the throne.

In a park across the lake from the Nunnery was a statue of a large mother duck followed by a number of ducklings, this was commissioned after a visit of Barbara Bush, when the normal population of ducks on the lake were absent, and she commented about the lack of ducks.

Our next stop was at Sparrow Hills one of the highest points in Moscow (220 m.) where an observation platform provided a view over the City, the 1980 Olympic Game’s Stadium and the Moscow River, the whole area was populated with souvenir sellers hoping to relieve the tourists of the Roubles, Dollars or Euros. Our guides advised us to avoid these and to wait till we arrived at the small towns along the river where we could obtain genuine hand made items, if we wanted a souvenir.

Driving on we stopped near "bow-down hill"; metaphorically "Worshipful Submission Hill"') is, at 171.5 metres, one of the highest spots in Moscow. Its two summits used to be separated by the Setun River until one of the summits was razed in 1987. Historically, the hill had great strategic importance, as it commanded the best view of the Russian capital. Its name is derived from the Russian for "to bow down", as everyone approaching the capital from the west was expected to do homage here. In 1812, it was the spot where Napoleon in vain expected the keys to the Kremlin to be brought to him by the Russians.

Victory Park, in the 1960s, the Soviet authorities decided to put the area to use as an open air museum; dedicated to the Russian victory over Napoleon. The Moscow triumphal arch, erected in wood in 1814 and in marble in 1827. At this location we descended ninety metres to board the Metro at Victory Park Station on the Red Line.

Like many underground systems all the lines are colour coded on the maps to make it easier to find your way around. The Metro has 12 lines and 173 stations with lines being extended and new stations being added every year. In peak hour trains run every 30 seconds and then every 2 minutes and in the quiet periods every 5 minutes. Melbourne commuters “eat your heart out”. Arriving at Arbatskaya station we walked for a while along the Arbat shopping mall before being picked up by our bus to return to the boat for our 2:30 pm departure from Moscow.

Tonight we have the Captain’s reception and Welcome Aboard dinner – strange timing as we have been onboard for four days, though I supposed this is the first day of sailing.