Moscow Day 3

This was our last day in Moscow so we wanted to see and do as much as possible. No trip to Moscow is complete without a trip to the center of government in Moscow, the Kremlin. After a quick breakfast, this is where we started our day.

The Kremlin is an impressive compound with several churches, government buildings, an armory with the jewels from past czars, and exhibition halls.

Pictures were not allowed in the churches but I have attached several pictures of the outside of the churches and compound below. The Kremlin is very impressive:















The Trinity Tower which is where Napoleon entered in 1812 after defeating the Russian army.















The imposing walls of the Kremlin.















The largest bell in the world, the Tsar Bell which lost an 11 ton section when it fell from a bell tower and shattered in a fire in 1701.





















The Cathedral of the Annunciation which was closed on our visit but is the only Russian designed cathedral in the Kremlin compound.

The Cathedral of the Assumption which since the early 14th century has been the most important church in Moscow. At this site princes were crowned and patriarchs have been buried. It is quite a site to walk into a cathedral and see coffins all around.

The Tsar Cannon of the Kremlin which was cast in 1856 and weighs 40 tons.
















One of the government buildings on the compound















We went to Red Square on Saturday but went back today to visit St. Basil’s Cathedral. We got to go inside and see the magnificent stain glass and ornate décor. It seems we were able to take some pictures on the first floor but I was yelled at as I tried to take pictures on the upper floors. Here are a couple of shots:

















It seems that everywhere you look you see a church. Russians are a very religious people and have many churches built throughout the city of Moscow. This is the view from my friend’s apartment of one of the seven Stalinist-Gothic cathedrals built during the 40s and 50s that outline Moscow’s skyline.















On our way to a stop at the Embassy we walked passed Lubyanka Square which is the former home of the KGB.















After I took the picture, I walked down the street and thought to myself about the horrors that have been committed in that building and then I thought what would the founders of the KGB think if they knew that across the street from the Headquarters they created to ensure the success of the communist movement now resided a Bentley dealership and a Prada store.

We have only a few precious hours left in Moscow before our long day of travel home. It has been quite a trip and I will summarize my thoughts on my return. I thought I would leave you with one last picture of our group of explorers

Moscow Day 2

On Sunday, we headed to the World War II Museum or the Great Patriotic War, in Russia, Museum.
















Like many of the museums in Russia, there are no pictures allowed but it was a fascinating view of the war from the Russian perspective. Russia was invaded by Germany and the war was not going well for Russia but through their persistence won the war. They have created a bunch of life size dioramas that make you feel like you are in the 1940s at the sites of the battles.

Next we moved on to the Tretyakov Gallery and were planning on going home when we decided to stop at Gorky Park. Sometimes the best travel experiences are those that are unplanned and this was one of those.
















We weren’t really sure what we would find but it was a true winter wonderland. They ice over the whole park including the walkways and everyone ice skates with the exception of me and the other five guys I was with. As you can imagine it made it difficult for us to navigate the park when everyone else is flying by on skates. Imagine if you were on one end of Lake Shore Drive and decided that you would run across to get to the other side. That is what it was like to navigate Gorky Park.















Travel broadens an individual's horizons. Different cultures have different ways of doing things and there isn't anything wrong about it, it is just different. Participating in these experiences add a different dimension to yourself and to your character. Here are a couple of different experiences that is part of life in Moscow that is different On Sunday night there was a couple of interesting experiences that would never be seen in the United States.

I posted earlier that folks in Moscow throw all rules of the road that we are used to out the window. Not only do cars park and drive on the sidewalks but it appears that horses are now present on sidewalks throughout the Russian Federation.

Finally, growing up in Chicago, I used to run across the street when I needed to get from one side to the other. In Russia that is a big no-no. I was told the first night that the police will arrest you for jaywalking and as you have read, there is no reason to bring attention to one's self. In Moscow they have tunnels every few blocks where you can go cross the street. During the day these aren't bad but at night they are pretty scary if you are alone. Here is a pic of one:

Thankfully I have been travelling in a group and haven't needed to go through these late at night but it is certainly an interesting concept.

Technology Problems

It has been almost two days since I got a chance to get on the computer. We have had some problems with the internet at my friend's apartment. We are now at the US Embassy while he finishes some work and so I have a chance to get on the computer.

Over the past two days we visited the World War II Museum (The Great Patriotic War in Russia), the Tretyakov Gallery, Gorky Park, the Kremlin and back to St. Basil's again. There are some interesting highlights that I will try to post when I can.

The scariest incident happened to us yesterday. In Russia, anyone of the various security services can ask you for your identification at any time. They only speak Russian so commuication is difficult if you don't speak Russian. We were stopped yesterday in one of the underground tunnels on the way to the World War 2 museum and the police officer asked for our identification. My friend, who works for the embassy, provided his documentation first, no problem. I was next and he held on to my passport for a long time, asking when I arrived, what I was doing here, etc. I was pretty nervous but it ended up ok and I was told by my friend that this was one of the nicer police officers. It is all racial profiling which is the saddest part.

Freedom is one of those things a lot of Americans take for granted, I for one know that I do. That experience made me a lot hapier to be living in the US where these things don't happen.

Hopefully, we can get the technology problems fixed at my buddy's apartment and I can share some of the experiences of the past two days.

Our shuttle leaves at 3 a.m. for the airport and then it is another 16 hour travel day home with a 4 hour alyover in Munich. It has been a wonderful experience and I hope to share some more pics and stories very soon!

Moscow Day 1

This morning we headed to Isizmailova market, which included a ride on the Moscow subway.
















The market had some very interesting items for purchase including:

Street Meat,
















Big fur hats,



























Dead animals,

Matryoshka dolls and

a woman whose sole job was to stand at the counter of a coffe shop and sell cigarettes. She didn't even walk around she just stood there the entire time.

One of the interesting things about Russia is that you have to pay to go to the bathroom everywhere whether it is in a port-a-potty or a mall:

Next we headed to Red Square and saw the St. Basil's, the Kremlin and Gum, the local department store. I took a bunch of pictures but none of them do them justice until you see the places at night, they are pictured in order.

We are planning on going inside these places tomorrow so be on the look out for that.

Gest Column Part 2

Rev. Gest will be contributing to the blog through our journey. Here is his second entry:

So, what our hero is trying to say is that the Russian economy includes the world’s oldest profession. Last night, at the pub, I was approached numerous times and it wasn’t simply due to the fact that I have great eyes…it was due to the fact that I may have rubbles.

These “women of the night” were shocked that I was comfortable saying that I wasn’t someone who would pay for, um, phun. But they were nice people—one even had a Master’s degree.

Today involved a lot of train rides and hat buying.

~Rev. John Baxter Gest Jr.

The Buyer's Market

After establishing ourselves in Moscow it was time to go out, celebrate and enjoy the nightlife of Moscow. I have grown accustomed to going out in Chicago and the routine is similar night after night. The evening starts with some pre partying and then heads out to a bar in a cab or on the “el.” In many cases you see if you can spit game and the night ends in late night food. In Moscow, I found a different story.

First off, the pre partying starts around 10 because nothing really happens in Moscow until after midnight. Secondly, there are no cabs in Moscow, well there are a few but the way Moscow works is with “gypsy cabs.” Basically you stick your thumb out and you barter with the driver to take you and your friends to the nearest metro station to your locale, then you walk from there. There are a lot more "gypsy cabs" than there are people so if someone won't take your rate that you are asking, someone else will.

Luckily we were with a few guys who spoke Russian but it was an interesting experience. Lastly, everything is for sale in Moscow and it is a buyer’s market, I will let you take that for it is. The bar experience in Moscow is much different from any bar experience I have ever experienced.

Finally, there are a couple of other interesting differences. It doesn’t appear that the Russians put salt on the ground to prevent slipping thus making the ground very slippery.

Secondly, it appears that parking on sidewalks and driving on sidewalks is tolerated and even encouraged.

Finally, if the Russians state something you do it. For example, the following site was posted in the bar we went to tonight.

Since we didn’t see it we were visited by some very large bouncers who instructed us that the fine would be enforced.

The club scene is apparently much different from the bar scene and we will head there tomorrow evening. Tomorrow morning we are headed to Isizmailova for some shopping and sightseeing.

The Rev's Travels

In the last post I stated that we were still waiting for a friend who got stuck in Cleveland. So what happens when you have a car arranged for you to be picked up in Moscow and your flight gets canceled. Here is the Rev's true story:

Gest Column:

Everything looked “all systems go” when I was at home preparing for my trip. The internet showed no relevant airport delays and the fact that I was traveling overseas convinced me that I could leave the mobile phone at home because I would be jumping on my on-time flight and connecting in DC where the snow storm (which dumped over 15 inches at my home the day before) wasn’t causing any havoc.

I arrived at Cleveland-Hopkins early, as suggested, and grabbed a beer (optional, but highly suggested). Things seemed peachy as I approached my gate until I saw that my 2:20 p.m. flight had been pushed back to 5:00 p.m. The biggest issue was that I was to meet our hero and Andy Hughes in Frankfurt to fly together into Moscow. This would not be happening and I needed to get word to the troops.

With no cell phone I was stuck until I recalled that Sigma Chi Headquarters had an ultra secret (more so than the grip I have come to find out) toll free number for staff members. Since I didn’t get my Grand Consul’s Citation or Cross Pen (made in Rhode Island) when I left staff I feel that I can still use this number. And this is where the real INTERNATIONAL aspect of the frat came into play.

I dialed, from Cleveland, Evanston, Illinois. Evanston connected me via a conference call to a Maryland phone number that relays to the embassy in Moscow. The embassy connected that call to our host’s cell phone number as it was after hours. While I talked to our host Doc was on the line, from Moscow, to Andy’s Orlando-based cell phone that he had at O’Hare. Thus, we were all connected. (note: this leaves out the other international aspects of Andy being British, host Tim being born and raised in Papua New Guinea, Doc being a Canindian—born in India and educated in Canada--and Manshio being, well, Manshio).

What happened next? To sum it up a 24 hour door to door trip for me that included 2 Sam Adams at Cleveland-Hopkins, 3 Sam Adams at O’Hare, a flight to Frankfurt that included 5 gin and tonics, 2 glasses of red wine and one glass of port. Next a flight to Moscow that included two Warsteiner’s. (keeping with the international theme, and in the interest of full disclosure, I AM of Irish heritage which makes that consumption understandable).

All this with about 2.5 hours of sleep mixed in has made tonight (8 hours ahead of East Coast US) phun….

~John Baxter Gest, Jr.

Arrival in Moscow

After an 8 hour flight to Frankfurt, a 2 hour layover, a 3 hour flight to Moscow and a 2 hour car ride from the airport to our host's apartment we have finally made it to Moscow. We landed and headed through passport control which was a nerve racking experience. The guard sits there and examines you, your visa and your passport and doesn't say a word. Since I don't speak a word of Russian, I was really nervous that she was going to ask a question and I wouldn't be able to answer and my Russian experience would end before I even entered the country but everything ended up okay. The Moscow airport reminded me of a big factory, not the kind of airport I am used to.

Our friend who lives in Moscow arranged transportation for us to his apartment. On the way we passed the Russian Parliment, the White House.

We would have been screwed if he hadn't done this for us. We saw a McDonald's and IKEA on the trip in which was like rush hour in Chicago times 50. It must have taken 2 hours to commute 20 miles.

My buddy's appartment is an a huge apartment complex which is duplicated all throughout Moscow.

We were greeted by my friend Doc who had flow in from Toronto. His apartmenmt is huge, it has 2 bedrooms, a huge living room and kitchen and a bar stocked with Guyanese rum, trophies from his last posting. We still have one friend who we are waiting on, he was stuck in D.C. but we are excited to explore the neighborhood and see the sites.

The Russian Adventure

I spent 9 months of my life traveling from fraternity house to fraternity house so you would figure at the very least I would know how to pack a suitcase for a short weekend trip. I even spent a month of winter schlepping through Colorado and Wyoming which involved packing winter shoes and multiple layers of clothing. When I traveled for 30 days at a time, I took one bag for my clothes and one bag for my laptop and work and did fine. Why then am I taking three bags for a three day trip?
















In all fairness, I am lugging one bag of Apple computer products 5,100 miles for my friend who is putting us up. It seems that ordering them and having me transport them over is quicker than Fed Ex to Moscow but I have also packed a ton of clothes. Most of it is the fear of the cold. For all of us Chicagoans it has been miserable here lately. With wind chills at 15 below and the recent snow you would think that I would be prepared to battle the brutal Russian winter but I have no clue what is in store for me besides what I read on the Weather Channel web site which is forecasting mostly cloudy and highs from 12 to 25 Fahrenheit. In my luggage is three sweaters, four oxford shirts, 8 pairs of socks, I figure that I will double up each day, several pairs of jeans, a tweed blazer, a fleece and my overcoat. Not to mention the double pair of gloves I am taking and one of those awkward headband things that don’t really look right but they keep your ears warm.


Besides the fear of the cold, I am nervous and excited about the trip to Moscow. I am excited because it is a part of the world I never dreamed of visiting before and I am excited for the adventure the trip will provide. I am nervous because of the uncertainty the lies with visiting Moscow. I don’t know the language, crime is definitely a problem as on more than one occasion I have been warned to “be very, very careful” and I am not sure what I am going to eat for 4 days. Let’s just call this a nervous excitement!



The journey starts in a few hours at O’Hare where I will meet my friend Andy who is flying up from Orlando and we will board our nine hour flight to Frankfurt. While this flight may seem long, I feel adequately prepared after my experiences last year. In Frankfurt we will meet our friend Johnny and after a three hour layover board a flight for our 88 hour trip to Moscow.

It reminds me a lot of my time in Tokyo last year. I look forward to exploring as much of Moscow as possible!