Moscow Vacations

For quite a while I was in two minds about my attitude to the city. I saw its pluses and minuses, and generally considered the ratio to be 45/55, or 40/60. (Please, remember that I'm viewing it from within (Russia) rather than from without). Now I've changed my mind: I love it and I feel responsible for it. The better and the worst parts of my days passed here. The atmospere and the overall feel of the city has been changing for the better (more hospitable, humane and attractive) of late. Come feel the unique blend of predominant Asia and deep-rooted Europe, come see how the present generation of Russians is tackling the problems it inherited from its ill-fated predecessors.

A beautiful and understated city, Moscow has over 1000 restaurants to choose from, a sprawling city of things to do and is often misunderstood for its coldness and how expensive it is to travel here. There are many options from museums to parks, from theatres to metro stations and from pizza to caviar.

Moscow is an amazing city. Lots of very interesting architecture showing a unique blend of Byzantine, Western European, and Asian influences. Plenty of interesting iconic buildings like the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral, and the opportunity to see some very unique Soviet era sites.

This arch looks a little like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and it is located near the Victory Park Metro Station in Moscow.

This Grand Triumphal Arch is decorated with the coats of arms from the 48 Russian provinces. To celebrate the victory over France in the war of 1812, it also includes bas-reliefs of the "Expulsion of the French." The arch was originally built in 1834, but has only been on this site since 1968.

Moscow was beautiful in the winter when I visited, and despite the cold, I think it's a great season to go in to get a true Russian Winter experience. The Kremlin is like something out of Candyland, and definitely looks other worldly when snow is falling around it. Still, it's an expensive city, and don't expect a lot of smiling.

Even though I went in December, I enjoyed walking around Moscow and seeing how rich this city is in culture, food, architecture and above all history. Moscow is a city still in transition, and still relatively closed off -- despite being the capital of Russia and a sprawling metropolis, it gets about 1.5 million visitors per year (San Francisco, by contrast, gets around 16 million visitors per year, according to the city's travel association). It's also home to a growing arts scene, where artists are taking over former factories and displaying some of the most creative and innovative art in the world.

The mix of Soviet, European and new industrial architecture along with Communist decoration splashed with Capitalist adverts is immediately fascinating and, ultimately, addictive. I felt so proud when I started to pick up a little Cyrillic and loved the passionate arts culture and slightly off-the-wall feeling.

I didn't really like Moscow. There are a loooot of people there. It's realy hard to concentrate and try to feel this city. Although the architecture is amazing, noise, cars and people are very irritating.

There isn't a place in Russia that you will feel more like you are standing on the pulse center of a unique world. There are so many things to do, historical, cultural, modern, art, fashion, and sports. It's amazing how much there is to do, and how easy it is to get around and do it.

Been almost twenty years, but Moscow is a wonderful city. Not as European as St Pete and the Stalinist brutality is still in evidence (particularly in the architecture), but still incredible.