Our next adventure took us to Russia—first to Moscow, then a cruise down the Volga to St. Petersburg.
After a long flight with delays and reschedules, we arrived in Moscow. Right outside the airport was big electronic billboard advertising the movie The Great Gatsby, which had just been released at home. I found that a little odd. The Domodedovo Airport was like any other international airport. Most signs are in Russian and English. The ride to the hotel took almost an hour. We met with our tour director and got our information packet, came to our spacious room, showered, changed, and then went looking for a light supper. We ended up eating in the hotel bar. Our “snack” cost over $100 US!
Then we wanted to explore. We strolled down the street almost to the Kremlin, past the Bolshoi Theater. Lots of people walk in the evening, and we saw many street musicians. There is a very small church behind the hotel, the Chapel of the Nativity of the Theotokos. The sign is in Russian, and it seemed to be used from 1860 to the Bolshevik Revolution. This chapel was built in 1997 on the site of a historic church that had been demolished. It is a functioning Orthodox chapel.
This seems to be a big business hotel and area. It is surrounded by designer shops. One feels like being on Fifth Avenue in NYC. Finally we crashed about 10 pm.
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