On Tuesday, we went to the Государственная Третьяковская Галерея (State Tretyakovskaya Gallery) which is one of the most highly regarded collections of Russian artwork in the world. The paintings were incredible and included dozens of artists, spanning over centuries. Many of the famous Russian paintings that may come to mind (such as Ivan and His Son) are housed in this gallery. We wandered through the building for 4 hours and still did not come close to seeing it all. Pictures were technically not allowed but many people were taking advantage of the lack of security to snap a few. I did take a couple but they don't really look that great so I wound up buying a book that showcased many of the famous works. Should be a good souvenir to bring home!

Yesterday we had the day off until class at 1 so we took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. That evening, we went to a small cafe near the dorm  which was pretty good. We had thought that it would have some Russian food (considering we were in Moscow...) but it was apparently American themed so all we ordered were overpriced cheeseburgers. Definitely a disappointment. Afterwards, we went to a cigar shop on the other side of town to see what the selection was like. The cigars were significantly more expensive than in the states and most of them were the exact same manufacturers. There were, however, a number of true Cuban cigars since they are legal for purchase here, unlike in the US. We did not buy anything simply because they were so expensive but it was interesting to look.

We took the metro back to Парк Културы and went into the huge viewing area for the EuroCup match (Portugal-Spain). They had a massive screen set up and huge speakers which was pretty great. Tons of people were there and it was a great place to sit and watch. We met a few Russians who spoke a little English and we could use our small Russian knowledge to fill in the gaps. We left just after the second half started because we had a long metro ride back and it was getting close to 1AM. All in all, it was a great time and we'll be back there tonight for the Germany game!

On Saturday we took the metro across the city to see a large set of vendors who sold souvenirs. The cost was just 10 roubles to get in and we were able to see quite a wide variety of Russian and Soviet memorabilia. It ranged from shirts and figurines to military surplus and Soviet propaganda posters. While I did not buy anything yet, we plan on returning and picking something out before we leave. Before we left we had a lunch of beef kabob which was fantastic. Here are some pictures of the place:

On Sunday, we saw an incredible display of Russian folk dancing at Гостиная Космос (Cosmos Hotel). The hotel was impressive by itself but the performance was even more so. The acts ranged from opera style singing to the stereotypical Russian dancing but with obviously incredible skill. The show lasted for about 2 hours and I was not allowed to take pictures which was rather unfortunate. Outside the building, however, was a rather large monument to the Soviet Союз (Soyez) space program which was incredible and resulted in some beautiful photographs. We walked around a nearby park but things were shutting down as it was rather late so we left soon afterwards. One thing that I found interesting was that a number of people had parked expensive cars in the parking lot which were being admired by people walking by. One of the most popular cars was a new Chevy Camaro even next to Benzs and Beamers which just goes to show how rare they are over here.

Today and yesterday were used for a few museum visits around the city. The first was the small Moscow residence of Виктор Михайлович Васнецов (Victor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov) who was a late 19th century and 20th century artist. He was outrageously prolific and his work spanned across numerous mediums including woodcarving, architecture and painting. He is particularly known for his depictions of medieval era Russian fairytales and his home, while modestly sized for someone of his popularity, is designed in the style of such fantastical buildings. The museum was small and showcased his living arrangements along with a number of his works. I was unable to take any photographs inside but I did take a few of the exterior. 

Today we went to Царицыно (Tsaritsyno) which was formerly the Moscow estate of Catherine II in the 18th century. Catherine II had ordered the palace on the location built by architect Василий Иванович Баженов (Vasili Ivanovich Bazhenov) in 1776 but when it did not meet her expectations in 1785, she had it partially torn down and partially finished by Матвей Федорович Казаков (Matvey Fyodorovich Kazakov) in 1797. Catherine II still did not approve of the design and halted construction, never actually residing in the location. The building has a very strong Gothic style which makes it unique for Russia which had few examples of this kind of architecture. It is now a park and is pretty incredible to look at. The buildings are awesome and I took plenty of pictures. Only a few of them are from inside the museum which is full of art from all different regions and time periods of Russia. Certainly a great place to visit!

Yesterday was relatively uneventful with class in the morning and another visit to Парк Културы. That evening, however, we did go back to the Red Square to take some more pictures in the evening. We had heard that the city is far more photogenic at night and that certainly seemed to be the case. Here are some of the pictures I took that evening:

Most memorable part of the night was a drunk man finishing his beer, throwing his can and diving (fully clothed) into a nearby reflecting pool. Many people took notice but no one seemed to care. I guess I might have to try it at some point...

Yesterday was the the first day of classes and it was certainly like being thrown into the deep end of the pool. We started at 9AM with a placement exam which was, many parts, way over my head. After being thoroughly reminded of how much Russian I don't know, I was placed into the 2nd level class which is what I had been hoping for. The class is very intensive, is completely in Russian and relies on mostly oral exercises which are difficult but definitely prepare you for speaking in public. I already feel far more confident talking to shopkeepers and food servers and I haven't even been here a week. The class goes from 9AM until 12:40PM on Monday through Thursday. We had class this morning but it was much of the same. Homework is not too intensive but it does take between an hour and two hours to finish.

Here are some more pictures from yesterday. We took a boat ride down the Москва Рыка (Moscow River) and were able to see some of the sights along the way. Definitely a good experience though I may have gotten some sunburn...

The past two days have been very busy so I've been unable to update the blog recently. This also means that this is going to be a long one!

We've been very lucky lately with fantastic weather as yesterday and today were sunny and in the mid- to high 70s. We left the dorm around noon on Sunday and headed straight for the metro. Our first stop was to Парк Культуры и Отдыха Горького or just Парк Горького (Park Gorkova). It is, in some ways, similar to New York's Central Park but only in that it is a large park in the middle of the city. There were many bikers and people on roller blades riding around but mostly just near the entrance. The rest of the park was full of people laying in the grass and even some street performers. We stopped at a small food stand by a fountain and ordered some блинчики (blinchiki) which are similar to quesadillas but softer and with far more on the inside. The prices were a little expensive (150 roubles or 5 dollars per) because of the tourist nature of the location but the food was incredible and filled us up. We also stopped by a full size model of Буран (Buran) which was a Soviet equivalent of the US Space Shuttle. It only ever made one flight in the 80s but it was done completely unmanned and it remained the only spacecraft to take off and land automatically until 2010 with the launching of the US X-37 space plane. The name comes from the Russian word for 'blizzard'.

After we left the park, we took the metro over to see the Храм Христа Спасителя (Cathedral of Christ the Savior) which is the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the World. It was originally built following the Russian victory over Napoleon under Czar Alexander I but it was completely leveled by the Stalin and the Communist Party in 1931, along with all of the other churches in Moscow, because of the Soviet adherence to atheism. It was rebuilt in 1995 and is supposedly an exact replica if the original. We took plenty of pictures from the outside but were not allowed to bring cameras inside. The interior is gorgeous with an incredible level of detail over every inch. Russian and Latin text can be seen on almost every surface along with images of biblical scenes. It truly is an incredible sight. They have service everyday at 8AM and another service at 5PM.

We left the cathedral and headed back to the dorm for a little rest and then went back out to grab some food. A national fast food chain, Картошка (Cartoshka meaning 'Potato') had been recommended to us  and we headed down the road to the nearest one. As can be expected with a restaurant called 'Potato', everything was made out of potatoes. The main meal is basically a baked potato that has been mashed up on the inside and mixed with meat or cheese. I went with cheese and it was actually pretty good. definitely better than the fast food back in the US.

Just realized that this is only yesterday but I think its long enough. More to come!