Sunrise: 4:24am Sunset: 8:46pm
Forecast: 18 to 28 mostly sunny.
It’s currently 11:15 pm as I start to write this, and I didn’t make any notes during the day today, as it was a very full on day and I really think that Insight either need to re-arrange when the optional & included visit's happen or add another day to the Moscow itinerary.
I woke up with a slightly sore throat this morning and am definitely getting a cold.
I went down to breakfast about 10 minutes before 8am and there were plenty of seats available. Come 8am, and I think the rest of the people in the hotel had decided that 8am was the time to have breakfast. I had a full breakfats this morning, as I knew that the day would be longish for those of us doing both the included and optional programme.
I went down to breakfast about 10 minutes before 8am and there were plenty of seats available. Come 8am, and I think the rest of the people in the hotel had decided that 8am was the time to have breakfast. I had a full breakfats this morning, as I knew that the day would be longish for those of us doing both the included and optional programme.
First up re our 10am departure, was the optional Mosaic Tour. Seems like quite a number of people didn’t read the description of what it entailed. I did read the description but have to admit that it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.. So many things in Russia are on a massive scale. I know we went to Victory Park Complex. All I know is that a number of people where surprised about where we went and what we saw. It was all about the Russian WW11 experience and a commemoration to their fallen.
I've just had a re-read about the optional and it seems that we were supposed to Finally at the Novodevichy cemetery, see memorials to such greats as Khrushchev, Chekhov, Mayakovsky, Prokofiev and Eisenstein. Well, we didn’t do that and that was perhaps a good thing.
From Victory Park, we were taken to a pedestian mall (road) for our lunch break. A few of us ended up in the same restaurant. I had a Caesar Salad with chicken, that cost 450 rubles or $12.00 at todays rate. After lunch I called into a supermarket to buy a bottle of coca cola. 59 rubles or $1.56.
After our lunch break, we then all went to the Kremlin. The included tour speel says this:
In the afternoon, walk within the walls of the Kremlin Fortress to visit one of the cathedrals. Learn more about Russia’s famous Tsars, the history of the Fortress and how its role has changed over the years.
Photos inside the Cathedral were not allowed.
The optional says this: Walk within the walls of the Kremlin to visit the treasure chest of the Imperial Russian family in the Armory. With your guide, you'll witness the staggering collection of Tsarist artefacts, be it bedazzling crown jewels, jewel-studded thrones or the world-famous Fabergé Eggs!. That cost was €56 or $94.00. was it worth it? For me, no. Others thought it was but thought the local guide talked for far too long. AND you couldn’t take any photo’s in the museum.
From the Kremlin, we went back to the hotel and arrived there around 5.30pm. Our farewell dinner was at 7pm.
Nicole & I had arranged to have a final pre-dinner drink at 6:30. She is taking the 5am transfer in the morning and heading to Turkey to do another tour.
A group of people at the dinner, mainly Australians and Canadians, lingered after dinner finished. I left them around 10pm to come to my room and sort out the luggage.
I’ll probably post a final update, re my trip back home to Australia but that might not happen until I am back home.
I’m off to bed and will enjoy my sleep in tomorrow morning.
Steps Walked 15,178
Hotel: Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow.
2 comments:
If you can read this Pauline..I thought that optional in the Kremlin Treasury I too thought it was expensive the only thing I enjoyed was the carriages and what the Royal family wore the rest wasn't interesting and our guide stopped in one place and was telling us this and that I just walked off and looked around. There is the History Museum facing the front wall of the Kremlin on the right (red brick) has so much more inside and is cheap to enter....
I'm not sure who I'm replying to but thanks for that info. I'd never recommend that optional but like many things, you don't know what it entails until you do it. Like you, I walked around looking at the displays and if something was interesting, I'd read the info in the case about it.
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