​3 days in Moscow: my impression

First of all, three days in Moscow is way too short (actually, it was only two days and a half). Still, I got to catch an interesting glimpse of the Russian capital. Here’s what I loved and what I didn’t like.

5 things I loved

 

1) The subway stations

I’m not entitled to claim that the Moscow subway is the most beautiful one in the world, yet I think it probably is. Each and every station (and there are a lot – Moscow is the biggest city in Europe) is a stunning piece of architecture, with marble walls and fancy atmospheric lighting. Some stations are filled with impressive statues, others boast stained glass artworks, yet others are decorated with metallic sculptures… I took a ride on some lines just to stop everywhere for pictures. A tourist attraction on its own!

2) The Red Square

 

 

I know this is a classic in Moscow, but it has every reason to be. Just walking onto the square and seeing the colourful buildings, especially St. Basil’s cathedral just in front, made me happy as a child.

 

3) The outside art gallery in Gorky Park

 

 

On Sunday, I had the pleasure to stroll around the city with Adam, a Canadian I met at the hostel, who already knows where the nice places are. He showed me a part of Gorky Park, a vivid place where musicians gather and locals as well as tourists come for a relaxing walk. At some point along the Moskva river, you can admire dozens and dozens of paintings, from local artists exposing and selling their work to the public.

 

4) St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin

 

 

All the colourful fresques, the special architecture, centuries of history exposed… Highly enjoyable! Despite the rain pouring down… (see the “what I didn’t like”-part of this post).

 

5) The rooftop bar of the Radisson Royal

 

So my uncle happened to be in Moscow at the same time as I was… and he didn’t have a low-profile bar in mind for us to meet up. I had to dress up, as far as that is actually possible when you’re backpacking. I went with the skirt and the earrings, but had to settle with all-stars on my feet. We got in anyway and took the lift to the 31st floor, where we had a stunning view on Moscow by night. The hotel itself is quite impressive too (photo above).

 

3 things I didn’t like

 

1) The service in the rooftop bar of the Radisson Royal

 

Ok, so the view was amazing, the company was great, but the service… well. We waited for an hour for our food, only to find it was cold when it arrived. And in that case, you wouldn’t want to have my uncle as your client, if you know what I mean.

 

2) The roadworks

 

Many, many roadworks are going on in the city… But hey, that means it will look better afterwards!

 

3) The weather I had

 

Ok, before you say “of course, it’s Moscow”: the weather here was actually really nice a few days before I came, and apparently it will also be in the days to come. I started my trip in summer, well, that was on purpose! But here in Moscow I ended up with chilly weather and Monday it was even raining. I decided to visit the Kremlin anyway, but I might have enjoyed it slightly more without rain pouring down all freaking day long. Bring on the sun, please!