2009 - Scandinavia - Day 14 - Moscow, Russia

We met in the lobby this morning at 8:00 am. and listened to Mike talk some about Russian literature and Svetlana (our Russian guide) talk to us about her history. She is the daughter of the main advisor to Stalin. We then got on buses and had a city tour of places outside of the downtown area which we have been in so far. Our first stop was at a cathedral called the Church of Christ the Savior. It was just completely rebuilt in 2000; the original had exploded in the 1930’s. It was rebuilt to look exactly as the original. It was gorgeous inside, bright and ornate and beautiful paintings everywhere. Afterwards we went to a look out area of the city of Moscow, and it also had the University of Moscow across the street. Then we stopped for lunch at a hotel, it was a buffet. I was so grateful or warm, cooked food and enjoyed most of it. Mom didn’t care for it. They had yummy fried potatoes and rice and soups. The desserts looked really good, and I got 4 different kinds to try, and I didn’t like any of them. We then had about 3 hours to go to a famous market. It was 2 mile square city blocks full of outdoor shops. I bought 3 Marushka dolls, a watch, and 2 T-shirts for my girls. We got back to our hotel around 5:00 pm, but then left at 6:15 to go to the circus. It was really fun, I really enjoyed it. My favorite act was the cats. About 8 cats performed for us, rolling on cylinders, doing back flips and jumping over legs as she kicked and even some trapeze acts. It was so cute. When we walked back into our hotel room at 10:00 pm, the phone was ringing; it was Dave and the kids. It was the first time I have talked to them since I have been away, so I was very happy.