“The Kremlin released a statement today…” “Sources close to the Kremlin…” The Kremlin. It’s a dominating presence overlooking the Moskva River and Red Square, housing the upper house of the Russian parliament, a presidential residence, and numerous cathedrals and museums. In American news, the above statements are quite frequent when referring to the Russian government […]
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect to think or feel when visiting the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery or the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad. I figured that because I have no personal connection to anything related to the war in Russia, I would not be able to connect with either of these two […]
Before arriving in Russia, I’d been really excited to jump right into the coffeehouse culture in Moscow. I often imagined myself repeatedly rising early, finding a cozy, hole-in-the-wall café, and sipping on some strong, black coffee, either while doing homework or simply enjoying the atmosphere. These visions have largely come to fruition over the last […]
Do you ever stand still in a city, close your eyes, and simply sense? What do you hear? What do you smell? Are you cold, is there a breeze, are you holding someone’s hand? This is one of my favorite exercises to do when I go to an unfamiliar place, or when I want to […]
If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to read Ma’ila’s earlier post about our first trip there. It focuses mainly on the Vvedenskoye cemetery, and it’s a good read. Our second trip back did not take us back to the cemetery, much to my relief. I found the cemetery crowded, the graves almost piled on […]
To see a show at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater you can simply go online and buy a ticket at the official website. But where’s the fun in that? And why pay such a hefty price? Here’s the story of how I got my ticket to the best ballet in the world. When arriving in Moscow, I […]
I decided to go on a whim. It was something I had passed by before while wandering through Chistye Prudy, thought looked both interesting and unsettling, and then passed by. It’s small enough that you might miss if you’re not looking for it, marked by a small sign on the front window: The Museum […]
When we flew in, seven and a half weeks ago, Moscow was still in the throes of winter. Playing fields that we walked past on the way to our classes were shrouded in a foot of snow, still. The sun set early and the fashion that people were flaunting was one of coats, leather or […]
The Presnenskii neighborhood is located right in the center of Moscow. It is a large neighborhood, home to many interesting buildings, parks, and monuments. The first time we went to the region, we got off the metro at 1905 Street, and were immediately confronted by a huge monument to the 1905 Revolution. It takes up […]
A few weeks ago we read, in Caroline Brooke’s Moscow, about the Khodynka Tragedy, in which a crowd of some 50,000 trampled 1,389 in a mad dash to try to get free goods celebrating the coronation of Nicholas II. We’ll let you be the judge of whether that was a bad omen for his rule. […]