Moscow - The way I see it.

[oliver]

Just one more step, and you can call each other "Comrade."

You got that right!

 

[Fratzog]

The Russians have already figured out that Marxism doesn't work. Why haven't we?

 

[69monaco]

................

 

[1978 NYB]

Carlisle man... You are sending yourself to Siberia... is the weather there really better than Calgary?

C'mon Graham....

We need you to come to Carlisle one of these years! You could even trailer the car since it's quite a distance....

 

[DeltaV]

Pictures! Hmmm, how about old architecture, bridges, coffee shops/gathering places, attractive women (from the neck up is fine), married couples of any age, young couples, fountains, and farming communities.

 

[cantflip]

Flying to London and hopping on the Pacific Princess. Stopping in Denmark Sweden Estonia Latvia Germany Russia Finland....it’s easier to travel with a wheel chair halfway around the world than in a 48 year old 300 with no AC.....apparently ...so I’ve been told....by management

I think she booked July on purpose... just to save you from coming home with another car... sorry I told the story of my NYB purchase in front of Laurie. I suppose now you'll have to show her who's boss... enjoy your trip.

 

[cantflip]

So tonight I am asleep but keep hearing something that sounds like a giant weed-eater, you know that waspish sound.
I look out the window and it is snowing but I also see smoke and flashing emergency lights. I open the window and now I can really smell smoke and the weed-eater noise is really loud. Suddenly this object about 5 ft long goes screaming by about 6 ft from the window. Now i am really nervous what the hell is going on?
I go to another window and can see that the street is blocked off by squad cars.
There are lots of people milling around and i am thinking that i need to wake my wife, get dressed and try and figure out what is happening.
All of a sudden the police cars turn out their lights and people start running an i am thinking oh crap I waited too long and there is a fire, raid, terrorist attack or......and then that weed-eater noise starts again and I see someone in the next block setting something on fire and rolling it under cars.
Now i am really confused and I wish that:
1. I had a gun....if this was Texas I would have all the guns I could carry.
2. I was someplace I could speak the language cause i cant ask anyone whats going on, heck I even cant call 911, or if 911 is the right number to call.
So what do I do now?.
Then I see the weed-eater, it has green and red lights on it and is flying up and down the street at the next intersection.
Then I realize it is a huge drone and as it passes by i can see it has a large camera mounted underneath.
Then all the people that have been milling around rush out into the street and take up poses. WTF?

AND THEN I realize they are filming a movie and the fire and smoke are special effects. And everybody else is an actor or special effects person.
Now I cant get back to sleep.

Sounds like you are managing to get into everything over there.

 

[66/440]

My neighborhood: Patriarchy Ponds

 

[66/440]

There are lots of churches in central Moscow. Some of the more famous were torn down in the Soviet times and have recently been rebuilt such as "The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour" which was rebuilt from 1995 to 2000. It was torn down in the 1930's and replaced with a open air heated swimming pool. Cant find the photos I took so here is one from the internet. Also a photo of the swimming pool that no longer exist.

 

[66/440]

Further to the last posting regarding the number of churches. I took these photos in the span of about a 10 minute drive. I reference time to give you an idea of the density.

 

[Fratzog]

According to Marx, religion "is the opium of the people" and was therefore actively suppressed right through the era of Khrushchev. Now under Putin religion in the form of Orthodox Christianity has assumed a cornerstone role of diverting the attention of the population and cheer-leading Russian nationalism.

 

[Fury440]

I'm loving this "trip" into Russia!
Are the driver's as crazy as the many accident compilations on YouTube lead us to believe? Considering the large number of individual accident video clips, is it safe to assume everyone has a dash cam to ensure their actions are well documented?

 

[66/440]

I'm loving this "trip" into Russia!
Are the driver's as crazy as the many accident compilations on YouTube lead us to believe? Considering the large number of individual accident video clips, is it safe to assume everyone has a dash cam to ensure their actions are well documented?

Drivers do some stuff that make their life expectancy in the greater LA metro area about 48 hours. BUT, other drivers seem to accept it for the most part, I guess it is the norm here. I have seen the YouTube videos but have not experienced that level of mayhem. Just for the record I am NOT allowed to drive here as it presents too great a liability. I do however spend a lot of time in the car going to the various places we all need to go in our daily life. I can tell you that the traffic I have seen here is like no other place in the world except MAYBE Jakarta. The last time I flew in from the U.S. it took 4 1/2 hours to go 30 miles on the freeway and that is really not all that uncommon. Last Saturday we went to the mall and it had been snowing heavily for 24 hours and it took 2 hours for an 8 mile trip, one way, on a really good day it is an hour out and an hour back.

 

[oliver]

It must be wise to keep an empty jar in the car when you travel there

 

[66/440]

It must be wise to keep an empty jar in the car when you travel there

Yes as well as your own bathroom supplies and a supply of 10 ruble coins for admission.

 

[ceebuddy]

There is also a junkyard, err... private collection of American cars in the outskirts of Moscow, among them at least two Fuseys and a 1970 Challenger. All of these cars came to the Soviet Union in the 1970's. Usually only party officials or famous people could lay their hands on these cars. It was very difficult to get them into the country but is was possible. Leonid Brezhnev is said to have had more than 100 American cars and the owner of this collection has a 1971 Ford Mustang from Brezhnev's garage.

The Challenger was "imported" by a Customs official in the late 1970's and because his wife had an accident with it soon after it stood most of its time to slowly decay.

Most of the cars had their V8's replaced with some Russian motor from a Volga or a Tchaika sooner or later in their life.

The guy who has that collection is also the proud owner of a 1959 Plymouth four-door hardtop that is quite famous in Russia. It was first shown by Chrysler Corp. at the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow. It staid in the country, was eventually painted black and served as a prop in a Soviet Anti-Imperialist movie before being forgotten, rusting away and then being restored.

 

[66/440]

Snowing again, looks like another sleepless night as soon as the street crews start working outside my window at about 2 am.

 

[66/440]

The Kremlin on New Years Eve.

 

[polara71]

Too crowded for me. Id have to go to Siberia

 

[66/440]

Moscow Celebrates the New Year in a big way. The festivities start around the 15th of December and last until the 15th of January. On new years eve they close some of the main roads and turn them into pedestrian malls with different performers on each stage. Here are some videos and stills I took on New Years.