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Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/10 - 7/10/2012 10:20:02 AM
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Conifer water rat
Posts: 3560
Joined: 11/10/2009
From: Conifer, CO
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I would LOVE to see Yuzhno in July or August. Our translator told us that was the most beautiful time to see it. I was sad to leave the new friends we made, but happy to put the nasty weather of Yuzhno behind us! We BARELY made it to the plane. There is as much order in lines as there is in the traffic - none!  If you are polite, you never advance & that's a difficult thing for me to do. DH doesn't have a problem doing it however!!  AND we were out of rubles & they didn't take plastic. Thankfully, our friends, Gordon & Lori, bailed us out & paid for our baggage fee.
The way Aeroflot does their baggage is so very inefficient. You go check in. They keep your passport, luggage & boarding pass. Then you go to another window to pay for your luggage, then bring back the receipt & wait in line again to get back your passport & boarding pass.  We weren't allowed enough time at the airport & therefore making the plane was by the hair of our chinny chin chin!! (I don't like that ) But we made it, so my blood pressure went down a bit after we got on the shuttle to the plane.
So, on the 9 hour flight to Moscow, the flight attendant says over the PA system, "Smoke has been detected in the Restroom." and then repeated the Federal offense thing... Those crazy Russians!!! lol
We landed in Moscow & got taxis to take us 1+ hours to our hotel. The Olympic Renaissance Hotel, Moscow. This blonde thought that was just the name of an area & didn't realize it was a building that had been constructed for THE Olympics!! 
These next few photos are taken on the way to the hotel.
This building is just down the street from our hotel
The Olympic buildings & our hotel were used in the 1980 Olympics.
Mark getting ready to go out. Russian people - no matter what their situation, dress fairly formal where ever & when ever they go out.
The "saddle dome" is where the swimming events took place. The round building in the distance is a smaller coliseum for events. The next few photos are taken from our 10th floor room.
You can see the shape of our hotel in this photo. Also, the tall building to the far left is one of those I spoke of earlier. The crane's up & no work is being done. They ran out of money or something happened & "poof!" it's not being built any more! So let's call those ghost buildings cause I have more pictures of them!
DH after breakfast. It was$50/person, so we didn't eat at the hotel anymore. We had room service dinner the night before & it was $70!
The plaza at our hotel
The beer garden restaurant
Looking back at our hotel. Our window is the farthest to the left that is open.
So, there's a bit to get you back to Moscow. We didn't leave Moscow till the 18th, so we got to see & do quite a bit, but of course, not as much as I wanted to!
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ABR-12/08;4/09;12/09;4/10;12/10;12/11
Bonaire 4/11; Coz 11/12
Rata de agua de coníferas
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/10 - 7/10/2012 11:57:48 AM
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ulle trautvag
Posts: 376
Joined: 3/28/2008
From: Manhattan/nyc
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CWR: You are so right about the pushing. Even now, when I shop in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York's largest Russian community, it's difficult to put up with the pushing and shoving in the stores. However, I remind myself that during Soviet times, those who pushed to the front of the line got the goods. Being polite was not an option when a carton of Marlboros (that could be sold for many times the price on the black market) was at stake. Super reporting and great photos. Thanks!
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/10 - 7/10/2012 5:07:52 PM
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Conifer water rat
Posts: 3560
Joined: 11/10/2009
From: Conifer, CO
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Kwing
Really enjoyed your pics and report!
Bet that was one helluva expense report dh turned in
Lol - yup!! It's not over yet, still have 4 more days in Moscow & we got to do & see some COOL stuff!!
quote:
ORIGINAL: ulle trautvag
CWR: You are so right about the pushing. Even now, when I shop in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York's largest Russian community, it's difficult to put up with the pushing and shoving in the stores. However, I remind myself that during Soviet times, those who pushed to the front of the line got the goods. Being polite was not an option when a carton of Marlboros (that could be sold for many times the price on the black market) was at stake. Super reporting and great photos. Thanks!
Yup, that's EXACTLY what I was thinking. I think they do it when they drive too & why there are such jams in the intersections in Moscow. Don't EVEN get me started on the horrific traffic in Moscow!!!  Even tho the country is "federated", I think they are still used to 'get there or it's gone' way of thinking. Interesting that it happens after they move to the US too.
quote:
ORIGINAL: crunch
50 bucks per person for eggs? Holey Carp!
Well, technically, they were omelets, but still... It was way to much to spend every morning!!
_____________________________
ABR-12/08;4/09;12/09;4/10;12/10;12/11
Bonaire 4/11; Coz 11/12
Rata de agua de coníferas
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/18 - 7/19/2012 2:12:32 AM
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Conifer water rat
Posts: 3560
Joined: 11/10/2009
From: Conifer, CO
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So, now on to part dos After the Armory & the diamond exchange, we went to the area of the Kremlin with all the church buildings.
this building is where Putin & the country conducts business. We were not permitted to walk beside it, we had to cross over to the other side of the street. The Moscow River is below us, to the right.
This area is filled with church buildings
>>>
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Video
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How would you like to move this thru mud????
Heading out of the Kremilin to the McDonald's there.
Our way out
Those are some huge doors!
On the way to McDonald's, we happened to be going by at the changing of the guard. It was quite the spectacle!!
They casually walk till they reach a certain point, then start this!!
Changing of the guard
Yup - those white letters say "Big Mac"!!!
Headed back to Pushkin square for our ride
These are guides for WHEELCHAIRS!!! Yikes!! Can you imagine????
There's some beautiful gates in the inner circle of Moscow. Moscow has three "rings". The Kremlin & Red Square are in the smallest, center ring. I believe our hotel was just outside the second ring.
We went inside this building to get some groceries. It was so ornate & beautiful!! They took the bags we had & put them in another bag & sealed it before we were allowed to go in.
This is the outside of the store - it was much more ornate than this photo shows.
statue in Pushkin square.
Not sure where this statue/building is located, but I saw the postcard & bought. Wish we could've seen it in person.
A huge building that is just sitting - no one's working on it because they ran out of money.
Back at our hotel for our next to the last night in Moscow.
What a wonderful day!!!
So, now we begin our last day in Moscow at the market near our hotel to try & find breakfast.
DH's breakfast!
Another Olympic building. This is where I found my sandals for our evening out this night!
The store where I bought my sandals.
Here they are!! No one had my size which is 42. All stores only went up to 41. Thankfully, these ran a bit on the large size!!
Waterfall inside the Olympic Plaza
hot dog bun - guess maybe we got up late & it was more like 'brunch'!!! lol
OK - next time photos from our dinner cruise on the Moscow River!!!
< Message edited by Conifer water rat -- 7/23/2012 9:19:20 AM >
_____________________________
ABR-12/08;4/09;12/09;4/10;12/10;12/11
Bonaire 4/11; Coz 11/12
Rata de agua de coníferas
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/18 - 7/19/2012 6:18:16 PM
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Conifer water rat
Posts: 3560
Joined: 11/10/2009
From: Conifer, CO
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: crunch
Coats off and everything! So, how much was McDonalds?
Yup - even with it being cloudy, Moscow was about 10 degrees warmer than Yuzhno. DH's boss paid for lunch, but if I remember right a big mac combo was around $10 USD (+/-).
Also, something I forgot to mention. When we were in Yuzhno, we could NOT drink any water from the tap. Apparently, when sewer & water lines were installed, they didn't always make sure the water lines were above the sewer lines. SO, it was bottled water for everything, although we did boil water to use as well. Apparently Moscow either fixed that problem or the area we were in doesn't have it.
_____________________________
ABR-12/08;4/09;12/09;4/10;12/10;12/11
Bonaire 4/11; Coz 11/12
Rata de agua de coníferas
[/url]
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/10 - 7/20/2012 6:12:52 PM
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ulle trautvag
Posts: 376
Joined: 3/28/2008
From: Manhattan/nyc
Status: offline
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Very nice shot of you and DH in front of St. Basil.
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/10 - 7/21/2012 9:28:28 AM
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ulle trautvag
Posts: 376
Joined: 3/28/2008
From: Manhattan/nyc
Status: offline
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I believe St. Basil is the one with the multi-colored domes. The photo is dated 5/15 11:28; you are wearing a blue poncho.
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/22 - 7/22/2012 5:58:45 PM
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Conifer water rat
Posts: 3560
Joined: 11/10/2009
From: Conifer, CO
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ulle trautvag
I believe St. Basil is the one with the multi-colored domes. The photo is dated 5/15 11:28; you are wearing a blue poncho.
Got it!! lol I went to a Moscow Info site & got "oriented".
quote:
ORIGINAL: barata
That breakfast pasty looks really nummy and I love your new sandals - little roses, how cool!
Why thank you!! I've never seen anything like them here, so I was pretty happy!!
**************************************************************************************************************************************
So, The day has passed and we are now in a hotel taxi heading toward the Radisson Royal Hotel (it used to be the Ukraine hotel) on the river front for a dinner cruise on the Moscow river.
I took photos of buildings we were going by. I wanted to take as many photos as I could of the city so I wouldn't forget how it looked.
Again with the parking on the sidewalk!! lol
That could be us!!
Going to buy our tickets
The Moscow Radisson Royal - one of 8 planned, only 7 completed, buildings that Stalin ordered to show Russia's power & prominence.
We had a bit of time to kill, so we went inside the lobby & checked things out. This is a mural on the lobby ceiling.
This is the diorama that told about the history of Red Square & the Kremlin.
This will be us soon!!
Heading to the boat with Gordon & Lori
My vacation just HAD to include some kind of water!!!!!
The cruise tickets were $30 US per person. The meal was $250 US per couple. It was 3 hours long, very relaxing & wonderful!!
There were lots of boats on the river. Some were apartment complexes that reminded me of the floating homes in Key West & Seattle.
I can't remember if this is a bus terminal or train terminal??
Looking at the Kremlin from the river
some of the bridges were very ornate
We passed several parks along the river
One of 8 identical buildings that were around the Olympic Grand Coliseum.
Olympics Grand Coliseum - 1980
Train stop at the Olympic Grand Coliseum
We wondered if the stuff on top of this building were radio/tv 'stuff' from the Olympics. it was right beside the OGC.
This is the steeple of a famous convent (who's name escapes me!!)
The waiter laughed when we asked if this was real. She said it's fake!
This statue was kind of creepy, but impressive!
Now we are heading back to the Radisson
Back to the Kremlin/Red Square again.
The Kremlin - we were walking up above along the river the day before!!
This ship was painted like Russian China.
Almost back to where we started.
Headed back to the hotel. Not sure, but it seemed like this driver took us the loooooooooong way so he could get a higher cab fare.
So, tomorrow (as in when we were in Moscow) we leave our hotel at noon... I have a few more photos I will add later..... Hope you enjoyed the Moscow River dinner cruise!! We sure did!!
< Message edited by Conifer water rat -- 7/22/2012 10:56:46 PM >
_____________________________
ABR-12/08;4/09;12/09;4/10;12/10;12/11
Bonaire 4/11; Coz 11/12
Rata de agua de coníferas
[/url]
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/10 - 7/22/2012 9:02:41 PM
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SchnauzerDog
Posts: 6351
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Trina,
Thanks for posting this. What an adventure. I was trying to wrap my head around how it could take 9 hrs to fly from Moscow to Yuzhno.... not realizing you were almost in Japan when flying to Yuzhno! Wow. What a tremendous country.
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RE: Russia Trip - 5/7-5/18 new pix 7/23-finished! - 7/23/2012 10:01:54 AM
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Conifer water rat
Posts: 3560
Joined: 11/10/2009
From: Conifer, CO
Status: offline
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Well, since I wanna start focusing on our Cozumel fall trip, here's the end of my Russia report
Our last full day we didn't do much. We were tired AND we spent a load of $$$, so we just relaxed & DH worked while I packed up.
We did venture out for a bit, though.
Late lunch at the hotel beer garden
I couldn't eat the pita bread, but the rest was yummy!!
Mango dessert - YUM
DH's sorbet
The maids' helper!
Heading out to the park. Sculpture in the hotel courtyard area
a look down the street to our right as we walked out of the hotel area.
The park's side entrance - right across the street from our hotel.
It looked like these signs were about Victory Day
Kids will be kids...
I've never seen geese that look like this, but they were geese.
There were people using the park, but it was so quiet. They talked in hushed tones & even the children weren't laughing while they were playing.
Another view of an abandoned building & crane. Wouldn't you think they might fall at some point - the cranes??
Don't know what this bldg was, but I thought it was interesting,
Crazy Americans!
We figured the water sprays were to keep boats & water fowl away from the restaurant.
Heading out of the park, toward the main entrance, behind the restaurant.
Flower mobile
There's so much to see, but we are out of time.  Goodnight, Moscow! 
Time to head to Moscow DME. See, even Russia's sad to see us leave, it's raining!!
It's builder bob on the semi!
My kind of airport art!!
Wonder what this is? It was given to us as after we entered the airport. In Russia, you have to put all of your luggage thru a scanner & you walk thru a metal detector BEFORE you can enter the airport.
Airline club - they allowed United Club members - at Moscow DME
Landed in Denver! In Russia you can have your checked & carry on bags shrink wrapped - which we did. It helps prevent theft & also keeps them from getting cruddy.
And that's all she wrote! It was a great trip - I had to keep pinching myself that we were really there & I still have a hard time grasping it as I look back through our photos!
Here's the link to ALL of my photos! Thanks for your interest in our trip - next report - COZUMEL!!! 
https://picasaweb.google.com/108727642126634489637/2012MayRUSSIA?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKj9voiSlYLe3AE&feat=directlink
< Message edited by Conifer water rat -- 7/23/2012 10:09:44 AM >
_____________________________
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Bonaire 4/11; Coz 11/12
Rata de agua de coníferas
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