Moscow: One Expensive City!

July 21, 2007

Last night's evening was wonderful! Marina met me at my hotel and we went to downtown Moscow to find a nice place to eat. She guided us through the maze of subways. It isn't hard for Muscovites, but for the uninitiated, there are too many lines, too many colors, not enough signs even in Russian, and I'm glad I did not have to navigate them by myself. My wife knows that when given the choice, I usually make the wrong decision on turns and I would be going the wrong way most of my life!! I'm good with a map, but this country boy says the subways are for the city folk.

Anyway, we went straight down to Red Square (near it) and walked through many streets to Cafe Pushkin. It was a lovely restaurant with beautiful decorations and impeccable service. Never mind that I was paying $5 dollars for a small water. It was opened for me, poured for me, but I still had to drink it myself. A wonderful salad, a dish of lamb that melted in my mouth. Marina had trout and said it was very tasty. Ice cream and sorbet, tea and the bill! When I write about Murom in the days to come, you will realize what a contrast of lives are lived in this country. Here in Moscow was fabulous food, service, and bathrooms fit for a king, sorry tsar! Our group has been comparing toilets ever since we have arrived, most in a negative view! Marina caught up with all the news of our families, her job in Moscow, and her recent trip to Western Europe. A great evening of discussion food and the most expensive city in the world! Yes, that was a 20% value added tax added to that bill - OUCH!

Today, we toured the Kremlin, the Kremlin Museum, took a bus tour of the city, and visited the Museum to the Great Patriotic War (WW II). The WW II Museum is HUGE! I could have spent another hour reading and looking at the displays. The dioramas were HUGE and very impressive. I had been to the Kremlin and its museum but should add that it is there where one can see Faberge eggs, crowns of the tsars, thrones of the tsars, carriages of the tsars, coronation dresses of the lady tsars, the boots of Peter the Great and more! Dinner was Pizza and Coke Light for $3.50 a small bottle!! Did I say expensive? YES!