Day Three in Moscow - Splendid City

This morning we eat breakfast in a different dining hall - the main one is being used for a large wedding. Russian weddings are huge affairs, usually covering two days or more. Family and friends come from far and wide. No expense is spared. Preparations are made, music is played, performances take place, speeches are long - and presumably a lot of Vodka is consumed along with good food. Arguments are apparently not uncommon. The divorce rate, Kirill tells us, is 80%. 

The breakfast selection for us today isn’t quite so extensive but the harpist plays on and it’s delicious regardless. Some enjoy a champagne breakfast, why not!?

We meet Kirill in the lobby and set off in the bus for another day’s sightseeing. We see the Kremlin from all angles and cross the river several times. We see tenement blocks, older and more recent. They look like many in Auckland, boring and box-like, except the ones here were double glazed and insulated back in the Soviet days - Stalin wanted people to be comfortable. No leaky homes here. 

We learn more about this city and it’s history as we drive around. 

First stop is a nice park where there are bronze ducks and live ducks. There’s a great view of the city skyscrapers as we walk up to the Novodevichy Convent which is undergoing major restoration. Many parts are covered in scaffolding and wrapped. Being Sunday there is a service in progress and we are privileged to see the Russian Orthodox faith in action. There are sermons, singing, blessings and body-crossings and we watch and listen with reverence. Worshippers stand; there are no seats in the Russian Churches.

We carry on through the city, past the Olympic Stadium and various institutes as well as the brand new Rhythmic Gymnastics stadium, with its distinctive wavy roofline. A building that size for one gymnastic discipline? ... hey this is Russia. Next door is a massive swimming complex. 

At Sparrow Hills we can see the University on one side of the wide boulevard - it’s one of 200 universities in the city and this one is the oldest and largest. The main building which has pride of place on campus (indeed in the city) is stunning - and it’s actually the student hall. (It’s the 4th photo below). The idea, in the Soviet years, was that if students had comfy and convenient digs they would study hard and do well. And they probably did. Once free, today it costs to get a degree - about NZ$20k equivalent if I heard Kirill correctly, which possibly includes residency in that monumental building. Vodka would be extra.

To the other side the city spreads before us; skyscrapers to the left, institutes to the right, sports stadiums in the centre. The golden dome of Our Saviour Church pokes out above the Olympic stadium roof. This city has damn good balance. It’s not exactly picturesque but it’s definitely captivating.

BTW these “onion” domes on all the Churches are actually representations of a candle flame, not a vegetable! We should be calling them “flame” domes.

From here we drive to the Radisson Hotel where we see a fabulous diorama of the city - beautiful models of all the iconic buildings and landmarks sit behind a glass balustrade. The various scenes light up to reflect different times of the day and night. The large Rossiya Hotel on Red Square where I stayed in 1982 stands tall and wide in this diorama, but not in real life - it was demolished in 2006 and is now Zaryadne Park, where the floating bridge is located. That gives an idea of the scale of the Rossiya Hotel! 
I’ll never forget wandering out the door of that hotel on arrival in Moscow in 1982 (when I lived in London) and walking in awe past St Basil’s and into Red Square. It was midnight, it was snowing, it was deserted. I was 20. Most people my age were holidaying in Spain or the Greek Islands but Jill and I were keen to experience a slice of Russia in the days when travel here was restricted, somewhat difficult and highly unusual. We loved it.

This time my slice of Russia is summery and warm, and the place has a lightness that was missing 40 years ago - it’s fascinating in a very different way. The buildings tell a zillion stories ... so does Kirill!

Next we head to the pier where we board our fabulous Radisson river boat and set off for a lunch cruise along the Moskva River. The food is exceptionally good (and plentiful), the sun beats down and landmarks drift past the window. What a relaxing and visually pleasing way to spend an afternoon.

We return to our hotel whereupon I discover that Valerie will sadly have to leave us and fly home, along with daughter Helen. The staff at the European Medical Centre (EMC) have been excellent and put a new and more modern cast on her foot but she is not allowed to weight bear so that makes travelling onwards with us too difficult. It’s best to get home and seek further attention asap to ensure the best possible outcome. This is such a shame and so unfortunate for it to happen so early in the trip. But it can’t be undone and there really is no alternative; gutted is an understatement, devastation doesn’t cut it. Valerie had recently completed her first half-marathon - this scenario was not in the plan.

Helen has been marvellous at organising things, sorting hospital visits, getting insurance in motion etc which enabled me to remain available to the group and deal with Kirill. 

I pop into their room to say goodbye and wish them both a safe flight home ... and then head to the EMC myself with Sheila - her leg/knee has become swollen and painful on account of all the walking, and it needs attention. We hop in a taxi and it doesn’t take too long to get there on a sunny Sunday evening. The clinic is open 24/7, all staff speak excellent English and the place is like a mini hospital with departments for every medical issue. We are in the Traumatology and Orthopaedic unit. Not sure Sheila’s issue is either traumatic or bone-related but better to be safe than sorry and get it checked thoroughly. Forms are completed, credit card pre-authorised and signatures obtained, then Sheila is quickly seen by the nice young doctor. He orders an x-ray and escorts us personally to that department. Sheila is saddled with lead patches and x-rayed and we return to the doctor who offers his diagnosis, advice and prescription. 
He straps the leg, and assures us it’s nothing dangerous (phew) but she needs to limit her activity. Apart from one other lady, we are the only ones here. The doctor mentions about another NZ lady who was in earlier - that would be Valerie! We go down to the pharmacy, get what the doctor ordered and return to the hotel. Swift, attentive, professional, helpful, friendly and not too expensive - the way good medical care should be but often is not. Especially, it seems, in Russian public Hospitals where “care” is not really a concept - as Valerie had initially discovered. The learning from all this - if a medical mishap occurs in Russia go straight to an international clinic without further ado.

We will be leaving Moscow very early next morning - I’m tempted to go for a city wander, back to the crystal lights and beyond ... but sleep is required. 

I reflect on an excellent day but am so sad for Valerie.

OBSERVATION OF THE DAY: I taught myself the Cyrillic alphabet before we came away and if you are armed with that knowledge over here it is really very helpful. Many of the words translate directly, or are very similar in structure so if you can work out the spelling you might be able to work out the meaning. Russian is not too complex grammatically as a lot of fiddle twiddly excess words are omitted. Dom tam = house there ... leaving you to interpret the context. This house, that house; is, was - it’s usually easy to work out what is meant.

Also, there is no “th” sound in the language and “y” is pronounced “oo” as in fool - hence I get called Bloot (like put) or a very terse-sounding Blit. 

NB: The Cyrillic alphabet is named after a guy called Kirill - not our guide but a Byzantine monk.