Last Day in Moscow

We pulled into Moscow at almost 8 AM on January 1, to an absolutely quiet city.  The streets and the metro were deserted.  In Red Square, we could only see some stray bits of confetti as evidence of the previous nights' festivities.  From there, we walked around in vain searching for an open coffee shop or bakery.  I knew that Russians took their New Year celebrations seriously, but I had thought at least some cafes would be open.  I was pretty much dead wrong on this point.

After walking for ages in vain, we finally spotted what looked like an open restaurant.  I was super excited until we got closer and saw the door swing open and a couple stumble out.  It was a nightclub, and the party was still going at 10:30 AM.  Impressive.

Finally, we heard music being pumped out of a diner.  It turned out to be The Beverly Hills Diner, serving up America's finest breakfast and burgers:

Oh well.  We were cold enough and hungry enough to stumble gratefully into the only establishment open in all of Moscow.  After loading up on breakfast and coffee, we began our tour of the Moscow metro.   Commonly referred to as "The People's Palace," the metro was one of the USSR's most extravagant projects.  Nearly all of the stations have marble walls and floors, high ceilings and lots of chandeliers.   Today, the Moscow metro carries over 7 million passengers every day - the largest flow of commuters in the world.  Taking a tour is quite cost-efficient too, since every ride costs the same no matter the distance traveled and regardless of the number of transfers.

When we travel in Asia, people always think that I'm the local and Michael stands out as the tourist (not surprisingly).  Before this trip, Michael and I had laughed that I would finally stand out more than him in Russia.   But many Russians that we saw on the street and in the metro have strong Asiatic features.  In the end, we concluded that I still stand the better chance of blending in as a local!

Overall, I'd have to say Russia was one of the most interesting places we've been.    The people are... brusque (but they left us alone -- no pickpockets, no stop and frisk by the police -- which is better than we expected).  The food is hearty and tasty.  And finally, and obviously, the architecture is out of this world stunning.