moscow hit the ground running

continuing on my anti-SQ rant from the last post, we are on the verge of transferring our loyalty to BA. especially when BA offers deals like tax-free ticket redemption. you know the drill. redeeming tickets on SQ isn't worth it because there's still at least £350 to pay in tax. so while the ticket is free, it's not really free. not the case with BA! we redeemed the mister's air miles on a tax waiver (?) deal and the tickets literally cost us nothing. moscow was an un-obvious choice, especially with tensions rising in crimea.  but the mister had never been to russia and it was less than 4h away. didn't hurt that we hold passports that the russian embassy is partial to and getting a visa was a doozy. yay singers! i suppose what i mean to say is that russia has a bad rep. and while i was initially against going to a country whose values i largely disagree with (don't get me started!) i was a little curious about its capital. and moscow didn't disappoint. 

the 4h flight and 3h time difference made for some awkward timing. we landed at 4am and arrived at the hotel at 5am. however, the ararat park hyatt (gotta give credit where due!) was superlative. they let us check-in right away, which gave us some much needed shut-eye before we hit the ground running. have nothing but good things to say about the ararat park hyatt. stellar service, amazing location smack in the historic centre, surrounded by lovely restaurants and bars, right next to the bolshoi theatre... i could go on and on!

the first thing we did when we woke up was to join the free walking tour. elena, our siberian guide, was effervescent and cautiously anti-establishment. cracking the odd putin joke in hushed tones while dramatically looking over her shoulder. even more dramatic was the 5 x 4 fly by just as the group gathered round the meeting point. the mister convinced me that the americans were attacking and laughed on the inside as i went into a frenzy, plotting the quickest way out of the country and wondering which diplomatic hotlines to ring. turns out it was merely russian planes rehearsing for their big victory parade on may 9th. 'the underbellies were empty, i don't see why you got so worked up.' sniggered the mister after i let rip into him for giving me a heart attack. didn't hurt that i heard my parents going, "i told you so" soon after thinking moscow was under siege. the rest of the walking tour was less fear-inducing and i would highly recommend it if you're ever in moscow. it was a great way to orientate ourselves and elena had plenty of tips for the city's hidden gems.

obligatory shot of the basilica. gruesome fact: after it was completed, the baddie who commissioned it asked the architects if they could replicate it. they said a resounding yes, and promptly went on to have their eyes gouged out. eerie parallel of the taj mahal where the maharajah had the workers' hands chopped off after its completion, so as to prevent them from ever making another bigger and better :(

"the fountain" at the most famous mall in russian. elena explained quite poignantly how for ages and ages there would not be anything for people to buy, even if they had the money to. and now, the shops are full but the tills are silent. and people would come from far and near to sit at this fountain with its plastic cherry blossoms.

changing of the guard

columns where if you flip a coin up and it remains on the ledge, you're destined to return to moscow. sort of like the trevi fountain in rome but with the added challenge of getting the coin to stay. the russians have a unique sense of humour that rewards skill while the italians seem to value participation.

there's a food court near these horses where we'd lunch on the first day. no one spoke english, all the words were in syrillic and thank goodness for picture menus and an adventurous palate. till now i don't know what it was we ate.

beautiful churches dotted across the city. it's a branch of christianity i'm unfamiliar with. women have to cover their heads upon entering and men have to expose theirs. the devotees are also a tactile bunch, touching and kissing saints' relics, queuing to whisper to and kiss their sarcophagus-es. lots of them were very emotional with tears streaking down their faces as they wrote their prayers and petitions on little sheets of paper.