Moscow (Part 2)

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Me sitting on Brezhnev’s lap
Yet another figurehead consigned to the Sculpture’s Park.

 

 

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Unfriendly-looking sculpture
A gaunt and haunting sculpture.

 

 

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Baz’s new girlfriend
She couldn’t hold a scintillating conversation, so Baz let her go!

 

 

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Peter the Great statue
This statue of Peter the Great by Tsereteli is, in my opinion, an embarrassment to Muscovites. In fact, it was meant to be Columbus, but nobody wanted it, so Moscow’s mayor, Luzhkov, bought it on the cheap and had its head removed.

 

 

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Red and blue church
Another church, but I loved the contrasting colours and shapes.

 

 

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Stalin mosaic in Moscow Metro
One of many mosaics portraying Stalin as the ‘loving’ leader of the people.

 

 

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Outside Kievskaya Station
In the background you can see one of Stalin’s Gotham-City-like Seven Sisters.

 

 

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The Ukraina Hotel
This hotel is one of the famous Seven Sisters commissioned by Stalin to compete with the skyscrapers in the United States during the 30s.

 

 

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Red Square
St Basil’s Cathedral was under scaffolding and the square was inaccessible due to a Beatle’s concert. So here’s a picture of pink and white church and a bit of the GUM giant department store, now sadly occupied by typical chain shops found in any other city in the West. I’m sure they’re plenty of other articles showing St Basil’s Cathedral on the Internet!

 

 

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FSB Headquarters at Lubyanka Square
This is the notorious Lubyanka jail and former KGB headquarters. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the KGB has been replaced by its equivalent, the FSB.

 

 

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Stage curtain at the Bolshoi Theatre
Very elaborate but slightly faded curtain at the Bolshoi Theatre.

 

 

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The Bolshoi Theatre
With a small tripod and timer, I was able to capture the elegance inside the Bolshoi Theatre.

 

 

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The Bolshoi Theatre
I suppose this is where the most important people sit during the performances.

 

 

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An applause from the audience
I don’t know who she was, but she seemed to extract an enormous response from the audience during the ballet performaces.

 

 

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The Bolshoi Theatre
Just at the very last moment, we were sold tickets to watch a performance at the Bolshoi.

 

 

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Moscow bridge in the evening
Gorky Park is situated on the end of this bridge.

 

 

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A grand station on the Moscow Metro
Beautiful chandliers are not uncommon on the Moscow Metro.

 

 

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Gold-leafed mosaic in Moscow Metro
…beats advertising!

 

 

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Ornate ceiling in Moscow Metro
Looking at this picture alone, it’s hard to believe that this is in a metro station.

 

 

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Strange building with stained glass
Near Yaroslavl station I spotted this bizarre brick building with unusual stained-glass windows.

 

 

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VDNKh Expo – Space Rocket
I was intrigued by this huge rocket sculpture rising 300 feet high in the VDNKk Soviet Achievement Expo Park.

 

 

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VDNKh Expo – Space Rocket
Another view looking directly up.

 

 

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For scale, look at the man on the right!
At the base of the rocket sculpture, one can see a man next to the sculpture showing the scale of the work.

 

 

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Base of rocket sculpture
Heroes and workers from the socialist era adorn the base of the rocket sculpture.

 

 

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VDNKh Expo – Space Rocket
A dizzy view looking up the back side of the sculpture.

 

 

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VDNKh Expo
One of many elegant gates in the Soviet Expo park.

 

 

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Russian dolls for sale
The VDNKh Expo park has transformed to a giant marketplace selling food and souvenirs.

 

 

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VDNKh Expo Park
Gold statues around one of the park’s fountains.

 

 

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Food at the VDNKh Expo
Huge lumps of sturgeon fish, massive sausages and cold beer awaited to be consumed!

 

 

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Armenia monument at VDNKh Expo
Elegant buildings now occupied with little souvenir stalls and electronics shops.

 

 

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 Tenement blocks in suburbian Moscow
On our way to the airport by our mad taxi driver, we passed endless rows of giant tenement blocks.

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