35,000 ft over Greenland

Back in the states. Here are some photos of beautiful eastern Greenland from 35,000 ft. Glaciers, huge mountains, icebergs...wow.

Singapore Airlines flies from Moscow up/over Finland, Sweden, Norway over to Iceland, Greenland, northern Canada and down. (See the flight path on the monitor above). What a great trip!

"Dasvidanya" (goodbye) Moscow

Sara and I went to breakfast this morning and had the best porridge a human can consume. Then off to a couple museums - I can't believe I leave tomorrow already...

Sunrise from Sara's apartment/hotel

The Contemporary Russian History Museum.

After Sara headed to work, I metro'd north of the city to the Space/Cosmonaut Museum.

And a couple other miscellaneous photos from a few days ago. The three sisters on the metro - we used the metro a lot! (a big Russian lady was shaking her head at us while we took this picture!)

'Spaceeba' Moscow and 'dasvidanya'!!

Day 10 (Tuesday): Old Arbat, Red Square

Charles headed out on his favorite Singapore airline this morning. Here in Moscow it was aNOTHER beautiful day-crystal clear. I started out this morning at Old Arbat - shop central. Cool pedestrian mall-type place. Even a Starbucks...(see it right above, on the left)

ANNND, if you missed the 1st couple times we've highlighted Red Square and the Kremlin, here's more!! Russia is beautiful and Red Square particularly is incredible - you have to see it if you can...

Right outside the Kremlin wall.

Red Square - you just can't get enough of it!

Lenin's Mausoleum

Looking toward St. Basil's.

Ohhh yeeeaaahhhhh....(the end of a hard touring day!)

Day 9 (Monday): My-o-Mayakovsky, Novodevichiy Convent, and the craft market

The Mayakovsky Museum was one of the coolest art museums, hands-down. Mayakovsky was a revolutionary, poet and poster artist in the first part of the 1900s. The museum takes you through his mind, an evidently very troubled one. There were some incredible exhibits here, slanted chairs, spilled over bottles, broken things, total mayhem. In the middle of it, a replica of his room in perfect organized shape. This museum was fantastic!

Getting to the Novodevichiy convent tested our metro and out-of-town navigational skills - but nothing that an espresso and blini can't cure. We stopped first at the Cemetery - a photo of Nikita Khrushchev's tombstone above. The convent grounds were beautiful on this coooold fall day.

Sara told us about this huge souvenir market, so we had to go shopping. This lady was showing us a nesting doll Charles was considering...

And then...finally some relaxation where we could get a cup of 'hot chocolate'. In retrospect, we should have ordered the 'hot cocoa'. Nothing like a mug of melted chocholate!

Day 8 (Sunday): Moscow and Opera

Not a cloud in the sky yesterday...

We started the day at Lenin's Mausolem. No cameras allowed! Quite a fasinating experience. After walking past the graves of many heroes that died during the Revolutionary War, we entered the granite slabbed mausoleum. It is extremely dark and spartan with Lenin's body illuminated in the middle. After walking out, we strolled past other famous early Communist leaders, including Stalin. It was Sunday, so we peaked in at an Orthodrox service being conducted at the Kazan Cathedral (above). Incense, candles burning, and chanting sing-song prayers.

We left Red Square and passed by the State Museum on our way to the opera. Statue of war hero Marshall Zhukov on horseback above with Russian guard next to it.

We saw a Russian opera, Iolanta, by Tchaikovsky at the New Bolshoi, right next to the famous and currently being restored Bolshoi Theatre. Luckily they had an english translation on two screens. Good to know what's happening!

Afterward we relaxed for some traditional Ukrainian food. Green Borsht, baked pork with mushroom and cheese. I also enjoyed homemade kvas, a fermented beverage of unknown ingredients.


Charles had to try some Abisinthe - banned in the U.S.

We hopped on the Metro to visit several famous stations (above photo and several photos below) with murals, mosaics, and sculptures. They were built in the 30's and 40's and doubled as bomb shelters. The Metro system is just amazing.

Metro Art (public transportation is like a museum!)

Late afternoon we made our way towards Victory Park which celebrates the Great Patriotic War (World War II). After emerging from the Metro, we gazed upon the Triumphal Arch (see us doing YMCA!), built in commemoration of the victory over Napoleon.

This tall monument is covered by the names and pictures of the major battles in Russia. The height of the monument is about 30 stories tall (466ft; 10cm for every day the war lasted). It has St. George slyaing a dragon with Nazi symbols on it.

We finished at Victory Park at a sculpture commemorating the war dead. It was extremely moving...

A beautiful sunset near Victory Park

Day 7 (Saturday): Touring Moscow

Red Square (we went inside St. Basil’s Cathedral this time)

Tolstoy House Museum (above)

Sculpture Park and Gorky Park (above)

Peter the Great Statue (Sara said this was a Christopher Columbus statue they were going to donate to the U.S. but we turned them down.)

Sunset on the Moskva River (with Peter the Great statue)

Cathedral of Christ the Savior (view from the bridge)