Monday, September 26, 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

Soviet Style Airport and Capital

Posted by Hippobean at 9:43 PM
The 9 hrs flight was stuck between 2 noisy rowdy kids, their parents and 1 uzbek dressed woman. Even though i had the front row with plenty of leg room, they were on either side of me and not a moment of peace and quiet. First time with Aeroflot and it actually wasnt too bad. The female flight attendant uniforms were elegant and the food and service were good. And no problem at passport control. Out in the arrival area, I've started to walk and heard 'Hippo' and C was there as promised. We took the electric train and then the metro to Red Square. Moscow metro stations were very deep. The walls and ceilings were decorated nicely. Too many metro lines going in every direction. We had to ask many times to find the one we needed to go on to. I was right that I couldnt have managed it on my own. The Russian capital didnt impressed me too much. Red Square wasnt as big as I've imagined. St Basil wasnt as colorful as I've seen in pictures. But nonetheless I got an exhilirating moment when I've realized I was finally in Russia! The sentimental Romanovs, the romantic Dr Zhivago, the heart tugging Tchaikovsky's melodies! It was very cold. There was no time to take any tours in the Kremlin. I've wandered alone in Red Square while C went to a sushi place in the GUM State Department mall for internet access. She needed to find a place to spend the night. The mall was modern and the shops all upscale. There were many Asian tourists but nobody was buying anything. We both fell asleep on the train on our way back to SVO. It's been a long day for both of us. Old soviet style Terminal F was confusing. No indication on where to go in to board the planes. One needed to go through 3 checkpoints: 1 to get in to the airport, one to get in to check-in, and 1 final time to get to the gate. Once I found my gate, there was no place to sit, and for the first time, I saw central asians. When boarding was announced, there was no order, no line, everyone just rushed in. Welcome to soviet style ...

st basil's

Moscow pictures

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