The most famous dog in Moscow is in the metro stop Revolutionary Square. No one knows why, but Moscovites rub the dog's nose for luck. The metal is acutally worn down, as you can see. It is a doberman, I think, but soon it will look like a pug. And yes, I rubbed the nose too!
The metro, as I have said, is really incredible and a wonder to ride. Here are some random shots of some different stations:
.
A flutist was playing in one of the coridors which had incredible accoustics.
Having grown up during the cold war, remembering the Cuba Missile Crisis when we had bombing drills in elementary school, walking through the Metro evokes many emotions.
On another note, I had my conference yesterday on Capsule Endoscopy. It was the fourth course I have taken on the subject and, by far, the best....a pleasant surprise, even though it was held at the "brothel hotel" (or maybe BECAUSE is was held at the brothel hotel). The talks were in both Russian and English and it was absolutely great. Terrific speakers and very well organised.
Here is a snapshot of the decidedly Russian-looking audience. This was the first course on Capsule Endoscopy ever given in Russia! They actually introduced me as a guest from New Zealand although there were attendees from as far away as Siberia.
Today I had a busy day as a tourist. I bought some more souvenirs and took a picture of my favourite Matryoshka lady. She is the artist and does beautiful work. After buying souvenirs I went to the Tretyakovskaya Gallery. It was wonderful and I will return later in the week (unfortunately no photos are allowed).
Food in Russia (or the lack of it) seems to be a theme for me on this trip.
I almost screamed when I saw what was on the menu for lunch at the conference
Here is what I had for dinner at the apartment (Nadejda made it). Your guess is as good as mine. It was actually very tasty! I think it was kasha and mystery meat.
I went to a coffee shop and the menu had a listing that said, in Russian, that they had a new offering, a "флейт вейт", pronounced flat white. They had a blurb on it that said it was the national coffee drink of New Zeland. It was pretty good!
This was lamb from a street vender. It was great, but I may be in trouble tomorrow.
Finally, I offer this final video to show that there are some things that are the same no matter where you travel:
I wonder if your hosts are having their main meal at lunch. That would explain the awful dinner menu. You are quite lucky to have access to Flat Whites there! Are you getting yours 'trim', or would that be a step too far?
ReplyDeleteMoscow subways are interesting and well decorated. It would be lovely if NZ put in subways that went everywhere I wanted to go. They wouldn't even have to be particularly well-decorated, just clean.