Moscow Redux

This time, with a mission.

For the sole reason of 'I didn't want to spend 30 straight hours on a train', I decided a stop-over in Moscow was in order on the way back home from Volgograd. My train arrived shortly after 10am and the next leg would begin at 1:10am. I had lots of time to fill.

Probably my favorite structures in Moscow are the skyscrapers constructed as per order of Stalin. There are seven of them, often called the 'Seven Sisters', and they are quite the sight on the Moscow skyline.
In terms or architecture, they are pretty good representations of the Stalinist style, about which I do not know enough about to even try to sound smart, so Wikipedia that or something. The really interesting part is that there was a eighth one planned, but was never constructed. Just off of Red Square, there used to be an absolutely HUGE church which was demolished pretty early on in the history of the USSR for the construction of this eighth sister. After the government realized that it didn't have the funds for its construction, nor would the ground support the tallest of the sisters (including a gigantic Lenin on top), construction was ended and the already-completed foundation was turned into the largest swimming pool in Europe. The church was eventually reconstructed after the collapse of the USSR, but hey, nobody's perfect.

Names of the buildings in Moscow:
-Main building of Moscow State University

-Kotelnicheskaya Embankment

-Red Gates Administration Building

-Ministry of Foreign Affairs

-Kudrinskaya Embankment

-Hotel Ukraina

-Hotel Leningradskaya

Regardless, I love the way these buildings look so used my time in Moscow to seek them out. Despite some people I know who say Moscow is difficult to navigate, I found it incredibly easy to find my way around. That is, if you know what metro you're going to, it's practically impossible to get lost there.
Fun story: It only takes a couple hours to see all 7 skyscrapers and if your train doesn't leave for another 8 hours, one day in Moscow quickly turns into "Let's see how many McDonald's I can find" Day.
I also had time to stroll down New and Old Arbat, cruise through VDNKh, and ride the longest escalator in the world (and yes, it is as exciting as it sounds).

The Arbat's are a couple of the older, main streets in Moscow. Old Arbat is pedestrian whereas New Arbat is a pretty major road through downtown. Old Arbat has a mix of older businesses, souvenir shops, and Western stores. New Arbat is partly residential and has some mall-looking things on it. Old Arbat wins.








VDNKh, now called VVTs, was built as an exhibition center to feature the various successes of the republics of the USSR. There is a pavilion for each of the republics plus many more for other uses. There is also a monorail, an airplane, and a rocket. All in all, it's the Soviet Epcot Center.