After Brandon got off work we went to see the former KGB headquarters. It is an enormous building, which this picture does not do justice. Russia's intelligence service is still housed there.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
KGB Headquarters
After Brandon got off work we went to see the former KGB headquarters. It is an enormous building, which this picture does not do justice. Russia's intelligence service is still housed there.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Guided Tour
The firm was kind enough to provide a tour guide for Brandon and I and the one other summer associate to explore Moscow. We originally thought we were going to see The Kremlin, but there was an attempt at a gay pride parade earlier that day so Red Square was off limits. [On a side note, we didn't know anything about the parade until our tour guide told us about it. We did, however, see the rows of the hummer-like police cars and the crowds of cops as we walked to and from the metro that morning. Slightly unnerving.] So, instead of Red Square, the tour guide took us around our area of Moscow and showed us some cool things about where we lived.
A lot of embassies are located in our neighborhood, most, of which, used to be mansions owned by the elite before the revolution. This is one of the smaller, but well-kept, embassies for...I don't remember what country. If you look on the wall by the door, you can see there is a stone carving of a lion. And by the end of the drainpipe there is a carving of two owls.
The church down the street (see post from May 24th) where Pushkin was married. It was almost destroyed by the government during Soviet times. Although not nearly as impressive as some of the churches in Moscow, I love this one.
This is one of Brandon and my favorite monuments. Russians tend to do monuments and statues in a BIG way. Brandon and I had both walked by this one before without even noticing it! We like it because it is so humble. It is a memorial to the former students from this school who were killed during WWII. You can see how young the boys look.
A lot of embassies are located in our neighborhood, most, of which, used to be mansions owned by the elite before the revolution. This is one of the smaller, but well-kept, embassies for...I don't remember what country. If you look on the wall by the door, you can see there is a stone carving of a lion. And by the end of the drainpipe there is a carving of two owls.
The church down the street (see post from May 24th) where Pushkin was married. It was almost destroyed by the government during Soviet times. Although not nearly as impressive as some of the churches in Moscow, I love this one.
This is one of Brandon and my favorite monuments. Russians tend to do monuments and statues in a BIG way. Brandon and I had both walked by this one before without even noticing it! We like it because it is so humble. It is a memorial to the former students from this school who were killed during WWII. You can see how young the boys look.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
VDNKh (if you don't know how to make those sounds using the Russian alphabet, just make three throatal noises)
Brandon decided to give me a taste of the big life and take me exploring. (Also, I needed a hair dryer.) Off we went to VDNKh, which is an area of half a dozen or more beautiful buildings, several large water fountains, and statues galore. All, of which, has been turned into one giant swap meet. Don't get me wrong--the hair dryer works fabulously, Brandon got yet another Soviet belt, and it was my first time eating shashleek, so I'm really not complaining. I just wasn't expecting a mall when I saw all the grandeur.
Oh! And we happened upon a rally for the National Socialist party. We only saw enough to witness a few 'heil Hitler'-like salutes by the crowd before it broke up. Ah well.
About to enter VDNKh (come to think of it, I don't even know what that stands for!). If we had walked another ten feet, we would have caught all the National Socialist action.
Brandon and Lenin
Felicia and random statue-ness
Oh! And we happened upon a rally for the National Socialist party. We only saw enough to witness a few 'heil Hitler'-like salutes by the crowd before it broke up. Ah well.
About to enter VDNKh (come to think of it, I don't even know what that stands for!). If we had walked another ten feet, we would have caught all the National Socialist action.
Brandon and Lenin
Felicia and random statue-ness
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Journey and Arrival
After we finished up our packing and cleaning and Brandon turned in his Law Review competition (alleluia! and keep praying!), we caught our ride to the airport and began the journey. We landed in Amsterdam for our layover at 8am local time (1 am Boston time) and by this time Felicia is cranky. But Brandon found the only other morning person, er, night owl on the plane to chat with about the Red Sox. And soon everyone standing near us is joining in. Go Sox.
All I remember about Amsterdam is the huge cartons of cigarettes for sale, the marijuana t-shirts and souvenirs, and the dang good chocolate.
Our flight to Russia left an hour or so later, and I was able to sleep a little while Brandon was chatting it up with our neighbor about Russia-ness. And the plane food was very good, although I thought the raisins in the juice were a bit much.
Finally, at 3 pm local time (6 am Boston time) we arrived in Moscow. After standing in line at customs for over an hour (we passed with flying colors!), we found our driver from LeBoeuf Lamb who was there to take us to...well, there was a little mix up about that. He drove us (and btw--everything Brandon's ever said about Russian drivers is true; sidewalks, the other side of the street, medians, are all fair game) to an address, and no one answered the buzzer. By this time, we had been driving around for almost 2 hours and the driver just wanted to get rid of us. And we didn't have a clue where we were because it wasn't the address the firm had given us for our apartment or for Brandon's office. Eventually, the driver got on the phone with someone who sent someone else to the building to let us know that this would be our apartment for a week until the partner that was staying at the apartment we would eventually be living in left. Whew! Ten minutes later, we were inside our this-is-shwanky-for-Russia-but-a-flat-screen-makes-it-shwanky-anywhere-in-my-book apartment on the 8th floor.
Our best view from the apartment. Isn't that church pretty? It's where Pushkin was married. And if you can make out that green steeple in the background--that's Red Square.
The view at night.
Home sweet home! The front door of our apartment building.
All I remember about Amsterdam is the huge cartons of cigarettes for sale, the marijuana t-shirts and souvenirs, and the dang good chocolate.
Our flight to Russia left an hour or so later, and I was able to sleep a little while Brandon was chatting it up with our neighbor about Russia-ness. And the plane food was very good, although I thought the raisins in the juice were a bit much.
Finally, at 3 pm local time (6 am Boston time) we arrived in Moscow. After standing in line at customs for over an hour (we passed with flying colors!), we found our driver from LeBoeuf Lamb who was there to take us to...well, there was a little mix up about that. He drove us (and btw--everything Brandon's ever said about Russian drivers is true; sidewalks, the other side of the street, medians, are all fair game) to an address, and no one answered the buzzer. By this time, we had been driving around for almost 2 hours and the driver just wanted to get rid of us. And we didn't have a clue where we were because it wasn't the address the firm had given us for our apartment or for Brandon's office. Eventually, the driver got on the phone with someone who sent someone else to the building to let us know that this would be our apartment for a week until the partner that was staying at the apartment we would eventually be living in left. Whew! Ten minutes later, we were inside our this-is-shwanky-for-Russia-but-a-flat-screen-makes-it-shwanky-anywhere-in-my-book apartment on the 8th floor.
Our best view from the apartment. Isn't that church pretty? It's where Pushkin was married. And if you can make out that green steeple in the background--that's Red Square.
The view at night.
Home sweet home! The front door of our apartment building.
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