I have always had a fascination with Russia. This is what I call a stupendous country. The country with the largest territory in the world. This has to mean something. It is just the materialization of its mind state. And when I think of Russia there’s always one city that comes to my mind: Moscow.
It is definitely one of the most important cities in History. Huge contributions of art, personalities and politics came from there. And History. Lots of it. All of that made me want to be there so bad and feel the Muscovite mood.
Obs: The challenge was to make use of just my brand new LG G4 phone.
What a camera!
The Red Square
A very strong name, that’s for sure. Makes sense for a communist government, but it can be darker when you know that a very bloody moment of Russian history took place at this same square. This is where the military power was shown during the Cold War era.
I have to admit that I was nervous before reaching it and had goosebumps.
It was the big point of the trip for me. The great Red Square.
Naturally, the Armed Forces is a big part of their culture. Its history is permeated with wars and conflicts, and the government uses it a lot as a symbol of nationalism.
Below is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the Eternal Flame in the center. This is a memorial for the Russian soldiers that died in the WW2.
The Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Maybe the most famous Russian thing in the world. After vodka.
Scroll up and take another look.
Saint Basil’s Cathedral is marvelous. All of the architecture is special. These towers are one of a kind. The feeling of being in front of it is unique. You can go inside to visit, and I have to say: it’s really worth it.
There were few tourists inside the Cathedral, the second floor was quite empty. With its lots of rooms, narrow corridors and few windows, you almost don’t see anybody. I was wandering alone, staring at the intricate arabesques on the walls and ceiling.
Then I started to listen to a sacrum choir music. I thought that it was a nice touch of the staff to make the experience even more immersive.
Being a musician, I usually can tell when it’s recorded or live music. However, it sounded so crystal clear that I started to question my talent. All of a sudden, I saw an actual choir of 4 guys singing in the main room! It was an amazing experience. A magical moment that happens once in a while.
The Subway
Muscovites really take the subway seriously. They have gorgeous stations. Each one is very different from the other. Even so, there are special ones that are a real piece of art.
Some show moments of Russian history, others praise certain professions and activities. You can see some examples below.
The Streets
Moscow is a gigantic city. But its stark mindset and industrial development resulted in a grey city, with squared, stiff-looking structures and buildings.
The Izmailovsky Market
One of the things that I always like to do in a city is to get to know its public markets. The one that locals go to, to buy food or things for their houses.
In Moscow there is the Izmailovsky, where locals go for antiques and tourists for a better price in souvenirs. It would be interesting enough to visit it for its architecture that is so unlikely different. Fantastic, like a Russian fairy tale.
You can see lots of Lenins all around. A few Stalins. No Trotskys.
The Art
Constructivism, Suprematism, Kandinsky, Malevich, Dostoyevsky, Bulgakov…Lots of movements, painters, writers. Russian art is huge and had a big impact in occidental world. It is one of the main reasons that makes me so interested in the country.
The Tetryakov Gallery is situated at an open park with a big selection of sculptures and installations, called Muzeon Art Park.
A place that I would highly recommend that it’s not that famous, is the Artplay Gallery. It’s a design and architecture gallery inside an old factory neighborhood. Cool stores and restaurants. Interesting enough. But Artplay has a multimedia exhibition that changes from time to time that you can’t miss. When I went there, it was a video montage with animated projections of Bosch’s paintings. Unbelievably good. Just go, it’s a no-brainer.
The Science
To be a great country you must have advanced technology. That is clearly a Russian way of thinking. And the biggest challenge was the Space exploration, which they had the lead on for a long time. The first man in space was Yuri Gagarin, a very decent Russian guy. This achievement was the embodiment of the country and communism’s power. Monuments were built, postage stamps printed, streets were baptized after him.
The Goodbye
I learned that after all, is not that hard to learn the Cyrillic equivalences in Latin letters. After a couple of days, I was obsessed with reading every word and translating it to our alphabet. And lots of words are understandable once you do it because they would have Occidental roots.
You can notice that the city is filled with important places all around, in every subject and period. It’s surely a full plate.
I hope to go there again soon, there are still lots of places I want to visit.
It was an amazing time I had there.
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I’m producing an evolved version of this for Stockholm, talking more about places and streets.
