We really can’t say what we expected in Moscow, but we were amazed and impressed by its energy, modernity and yet its respect for a long and complex history. In the city center are skyscrapers gleaming bright and mirroring one another. Yet just yards away, one can glimpse the ‘seven sisters’ architectural stars from the 1930s that stud the skyline as well. And tucked among them are the many jewels of churches in brilliant color and golden onion domes.
Dining was fabulous, perhaps even better than St.Petersburg. Near our hotel on the Garden Ring, we found a small cluster of shops and restaurants tucked into the entrance a park. The park, we discovered, is Peter the Great’s botanical gardens, dating back 300 years. It was a restful and deeply impressive garden. An incredible array of trees and shrubs in full and showy flower. Plants that looked like elephant sized cabbages, though in a deep green. On that hot day, we were glad of some shade.
Besides the glorious plants, it was nice seeing young people dressed up for photos, either for graduation or weddings. Speaking of young… we saw very few older people out and about. We pretty much topped out the age demographic.
My personal bonus in the park was coming across a bevy of red-gold ducklings, so tame that we could almost touch them before they’d nip at us. They were not shy away like our ‘home’ Mallards. I am a complete goofball for baby ducks; I joyously welcome them every spring at our own San Elijo Lagoon.
But back to Moscow! The restaurants adjoining the park included a coffee and pastry shop, a modern open space restaurant with a huge selection of cold and hot dishes where you grab a tray and a number, then choose a quiche, sushi, delicious meat dishes or dessert. And upstairs, overlooking the park, is another restaurant with energetic and colorful decor, along with an intriguing menu. Sadly, they were full when we stopped by.
Tomorrow we invade the Kremlin!
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