Moscow -> London
Highlight
- Weather was slightly better today. Decided to go to the Novodevichiy Covent anyway.
- It was very nice, except that the people were all lazy and all the churches were closed and not all the museums were opened.
- Walked outside by the lake.
- Visited the cemetery where famous people were buried, except we couldn’t read any of the writing as usual.
- Sun came out so we decided to head to Gorky Park. Except Slokky totally underestimated the time and it started raining again, so spent about 10 mins there before heading back, as Slokky was being paranoid again.
- The usual hotel, crowded metro, train ride lifting up and down stairs. Got to the airport in good time.
- As usual, it took forever while we past about 4 different checks at various check points and finally made it to the Transaero lounge.
- It was quite bad, nothing much to eat, no space for relaxing. At least after all those queues we didn’t spend long there.
- Flight was fine. No entertainment available for some reason, but flight wasn’t full so we got to spread out.
- Back to the rudeness of UK people again.
Food
- Café Puskin:
- croissant
- sausage bread
- chocolate twist danish
- Transaero lounge:
- smoked salmon, eggplant ,olives, ham
- chips
- cakes
- BMI flight:
- sour cream pretzel
- beef lasagne
- couscous salad
- strawberry mousse and cream pot
Moscow
Highlight
- Absolutely pouring with rain
- Couldn’t sleep because of the train and traffic noise, so I asked for a room change. Good thing I did because they upgraded us to the large room again.
- Headed to Lenin’s (again). We took turns going in. Slokky took ½ hour and I took 10 minutes. IT was interesting just to see the amount of guards around.
- Back to get tix for the armoury. There were some very good stuff on display, including the cool Feberges, eggs and some amazing silverware, diamond thrones, dresses and carriages.
- There wasn’t that much there though, so we finished the whole thing in 2 hours, but there was nothing else to do in the rain. Decided to go to Pushkin Confectionery. It was actually very good.
- The weather cleared, so decided to walk around old Arbat….as soon as we got there though it poured. We tried to wait it out but it didn’t stop. The walk was not enjoyable, mostly filled with fast food chains. The only things of notes were the Spasopeskovskiy Perewlok and the Church of the Saviour
- Dinner at Turandot, since we didn’t want to risk going to another place and not finding it again. Food was average, especially the Asian offerings. The setting was scrumptious but the service was pretty bad. They gave us the wrong thing then was trying to get us to accept it and not give us the original.
Food
- bean stew pie
- meat fried bread
- mince fried bread
- Café Pushkin:
- medovnik honey cake
- ”tiramisu”
- Turandot:
- borsche with foie gras croissant
- salmon and scallop dumplings
- black cod fillet with Chinese veg and green caviar
- beef stragonooff, bread with picked cabbage
- crab terrine with black caviar
St Petersburg -> Moscow
Highlight
- Woke up early to pack and breakfast, then off to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, the burial ground of famous Russians such as Tchaikovsky.
- The whole thing turned out to be a big rip off – 2oo rubles to enter and another 100 for the monastery for “tourists”, i.e. non Russians.
- We managed to find most of the famous graves by matching the years of birth and deaths, since, naturally, there was no English.
- Back to hotel, picked up luggage and another 4.5 hours train back to Moscow.
- Raining v heavily so no fun. Our room was much smaller and noisier than the last one.
- Tried to go to Uncle Vanya, another recommendation for dinner. Lo and behold, it didn’t exist or we couldn’t find it (turns out they moved). It left us in a lurch in the rain again.
- We decided that instead of hunting around, we would just walk into any restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant we wanted to go to seemed to be the only one that was actually full in the whole of Russia. We got kicked out as there was no room.
- Ended up at Tepemok (fast food chain) due to the lack of other choices. The food ranged from bad (soup) to ok (semolina, sweet pancake), to quite acceptable (savoury pancakes). Too bad it was 1.2 hour travel to get there and there were outlets of this place everywhere, so we didn’t have to make such an effort.
Food
- Nashotel:
- smoked salmon, potato hash, smoked meat and cold cuts cheese
- fried dough fritters
- pirozhki (small bun with meat and cabbage)
- orange juice
- Tepemok:
- mushroom pancake
- goose liver, pickled gherkins and herbs pancake
- red caviar pancake
- juice
- borsche
- pea and smoked bacon soup
- wood berry and almond semolina
- caramel and apple pancake
St Petersburg
Highlight
- A day that went totally not according to plan.
- Started off with nice weather so decided to go to Tsarskoe Selo.
- We managed to find the station and our train platform without too much trouble. Unfortunately there was no train for another 1.5 hrs. For some reason, there was only trains every 2.5 hours.
- Eventually we made it after guessing the train and stop and hopping on the local bus and having locals tell us the stop.
- Met some lady from Toronto at the station who followed us there. She was travelling by herself, but luckily got rid of her once we got to the Palace.
- The palace was nice – not as interesting s Peterhof, except for the amazing Amber Room. They had tours again, not in English of course so we wondered around by ourselves.
- The park and landscape is better than Peterhof though, with the lake resembling an English garden.
- Did half the lake walk, looked at some buildings and sculptures, saw lots of weddings again.
- The way back was much easier. 5 minutes wait for the bus and a train straight away, so we got back by 5:15
- Tired to go to the pancake place recommended in the guidebook for dinner, only to find out it was closed down when we got there, so we wasted a metro ride. At least we checked out Our Lady of Vvaldamir which was nicer on the outside than in.
- Decided to go to a place close to St Isaacs for dinner. After another metro ride and lots of walking, found that Lenin’s Mating Call was now a pizza joint. We should have given up at this stage but we decided to try one more, as this was on the way to our next site.
- Well, Noble Nest was still there, but it wasn’t opened (on a Friday night!) for some reason.
- By now it was closer to 7:15, we spent 2 hours travelling and walking and couldn’t find a single open restaurant. We decided to check out the outside of the Marinskiy Theatre (ballet) and the St Nichola’s Cathedral.
- Finally managed to make it inside St Isaacs. Luckily the inside was interesting and worth the hassle and money. The door and marbles being highlights.
- One last try, as we were going to go past the Stroganov Palace anyway, to see if the eatery was opened. Well…. the Stroganoff Yard has turned into yet another sushi bar, but Russian Empire was still there (although pretty empty again).
- They had piano and violin as live entertainment. The best we’ve had so far. Allie really enjoyed it, and the décor was scrumptious. The food was also good but expensive.
- Made it back to the hotel just before 11pm…
Food
- Nashotel:
- smoked salmon, potato hash, smoked meat and cold cuts cheese
- dough fritters
- Russian “cereal”
- orange juice
- Russian Empire:
- appetiser – green cream, crisp bread, caviar
- Zalivnoye of Sturgeon served with crayfish tails and fresh dill according to the recipe of Princess Ekaterina Petrovna Trubetskaya 1764
- Galatine of pheasant with Foie Gras, infused in armagnac 1888
- Pike perch in Stroganov style poached in apple juices served with tartar of tomatoes and fresh spinach
- Deer Stroganoff – the original recipe of Alexander Segevich Stroganoff served with puree of topinamburg
St Petersburg
Highlight
- Very bad weather so we hung around the hotel for awhile.
- Waited in the rain for a tram. The wait took ages and the tram didn’t stop where we thought. Once we got on, it chugged along very slowly through the traffic, then went totally out of service because of a car crash blocking the track.
- We managed to walk the rest of the way, and toured the Cruiser Aurora (it was free!!).
- Peter the Great’s cabin was not opened as advertised.
- Got to Peter and Paul Fortress. Luckily the rain stopped by this time.
- Only got tickets to the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, to see the burial place of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. The other interest was the beach, but only for the view as the sand was grey and ugly.
- Walked into town to see the rest of the sites.
- Church on Spilled Blood was very cool, a riot of colour. The outside was actually better, but the inside was worth a look for the mosaic and the stuff about the restoration.
- Onto Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan – worth a look for the line of people kissing the pictures of saint.
- Saw the statue of Peter the Great on the horse, before trying to go into St Isaacs Church. For some reason it was closed between 6-7, so we couldn’t visit.
- Tried to go to see the theatre but it started to rain, so off to dinner we go.
- Went back to the fish restaurant near the Pelmini bar. The food was very good and we got “entertainment” from a much better singer.
Food
- Nashotel:
- smoked salmon, potato hash, smoked meat and cold cuts cheese
- dough fritters
- omelette with tomato, mushroom, ham, cheese
- yoghurt
- orange juice
- Demyanova Ukha:
- solyanka (mushroom) soup
- ukha (fish) soup
- pike-perch crumbed fillets with sautéed potato strips
St Petersburg
Highlight
- The weather was bad and Slokky forgot to set the alarm. Unfortunately, the shut day is Wednesday, so we didn’t have much choice in what there was to do, so we still headed to the Hermitage
- The so-called line we were warned about was pretty much non existent (not surprising considering everyone is on tours anyway), so we got in relatively quickly. Alas, it took us ages to figure out the cloaking system. It turns out they didn’t want us to leave our pram.
- Paid 400 for (foreigners) entrance and another 350 for audio guide. Definitely not cheap, but at least the exhibits were definitely worthy. The audio guide turned out to be good and you were allowed to photograph everything pretty much.
- Managed to see Winter palace interior, French Art 15-18th C, French Art 19-20th C, a bit of European Art 19-20th C, European Arms and Armour, some Italian, some Dutch and Flemish, a bit of British and even managed to see some Egyptian and antiquity.
- Highlights were Matisse, Rubens, Gauguin and Picasso.
- Spent the whole day there, then off to dinner at another Georgian place. The waiter’s English was very good so we managed to get some recommendation and as a result tried some nice food. The “entertainment” though, left something to be desired, and the smoking was not pleasant.
Food
- Nashotel:
- smoked salmon, potato hash, smoked meat and cold cuts cheese
- dough fritters
- danish
- orange juice
- Suliko:
- eggplant with nuts (200)
- Chicken Satsivi (250)
- Khachapuri bread Adzharsky – with cheese and egg
- Yakanyau soup (420)
- Kharcho – beef in walnut sauce (280)
St Petersburg
Highlight
- Woke up early because of snoring and the inadequate curtains.
- Very lazy people at breakfast. They didn’t want to clean up any places. Seems like only French people were staying at the hotel. Food was less variety but it was tastier than Hilton.
- Walked down by the river, with view to St Isaacs and crossed the bridge, since the weather was very good.
- The Hermitage and Winter Palace was not that impressive on the outside.
- Caught the Hydrofoil to Peterhof. It was twice the price for “foreigners”.
- Everything costs money to go in. We entered the lower garden, which had loads of lovely fountains and shrubs shaped up.
- The Grand Palace – had tours only in Russian, and we had to follow the tour grip. There was no explanation for anything in English. The rooms were grand, on par with the stuff you see at all the major palaces around Europe. The thing is, the place was bombed through in WWII and everything was rebuilt anyway.
- Wondered the Upper Garden with the hedges and fountains, then back to the lower gardens for more wonder through the grounds and the lovely weather.
- We didn’t visit any other buildings due to more admission charges, and had to go extra early to the hydrofoil because of Slokky’s paranoia.
- Walked to the Pel’mini Bar since the weather was good. Had all different variety of pelmini and manty and varenki. We definitely got our fill.
- Tried to get the tram back but waited 20 mins and nothing came, so ended up walking to the Metro.
Food
- Nashotel:
- smoked salmon, potato hash, smoked meat and cold cuts cheese
- cream cheese fritters
- orange juice
- Pel’meni Bar:
- beef, cheese, onion and parsley pel’meni
- beef, mushroom, onion pelmeni
- mutton and onion manty
- cottage cheese with raisins varenki
- fried cabbage varenki
Moscow -> St Petersburg
Highlight
- Had a very relaxing day. Woke up late, had a leisurely breakfast, then took our time to pack.
- It was easy to figure out the train and tickets, and English on the train!
- Very comfy, and Allie didn’t misbehave. The 4.5 hrs journey passed quicker than I thought.
- St P was quite different to Moscow surprisingly. Not as many Asians, the Metro is much more user friendly, and signs in English. It was less grand though.
- No police or uniform people, much more graffiti and people hanging around on the streets.
- Checked into hotel – not bad since there is free internet, otherwise not as good as the Hilton of course.
- After our welcome drink, went to dinner at another guidebook restaurant. Only English tourists were eating there.
- Food was not as good as the Uzbak place but still pretty decent.
Food
- Hilton breakfast:
- fried egg
- cream cheese fritter
- tomatoes, grilled vegetables, noodles, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, hash brown
- smoked salmon with dill, smoked white fish, herrings
- cold cuts
- cheese
- ham and onion cake
- lemon poppy seed cake
- pear tart
- fresh fruit
- Café Ketino:
- Shashlik – previously marinated sautéed pieces of pork (550)
- Chakhokhbili – pieces of chicken cooked with walnuts, tomatoes, greens and traditional spices (570)
- Lobio – Georgian style stewed red beans with walnuts and traditional spices (350)
- Lavash – homemade Georgian bread (90)
- Mors cranberry (100)
- Lemonade “Svyatoi Graal” pear (150)
Moscow
Highlight
- Another latish start. It was colder today, but no rain. The sun came in and out.
- Metro to Kolomenskaya then followed the crowd to Kolomenskoe Estate. Turns out there is some Historic Day on, so there were lots of people and activities. Best of all everything was free.
- Walked around, saw Church of Our Lady of Kazan, where everyone was praying and kissing portraits.
- Went through the Front Gate to see a great view of the Church of the Ascension.
- Walked down to the river to hear the Belgian marching band, and watched families go about.
- Finished the rest of the sites including the museums, the water tower, the interesting Peter the Great’s Wooden Cabin.
- No time to do much else, headed to Dorogomilovsky Market. It was actually very interesting and different to the usual markets. All tiny stalls, selling one specialty. Lots of whole carcasses, caviar, smoked fish and cigarettes.
- We got a few fried bread from 4 different stores. Yum!
- Decided to tour the shopping centre and ate at the fast food chain. Interesting buffet style experience. Not that great but agreeable.
- Left us time to enjoy the pool at last at the hotel. There was no one else there so we had lots of fun.
Food
- Hilton breakfast:
- poached egg
- cream cheese fritter
- tomatoes, grilled vegetables, noodles, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, hash brown
- smoked salmon with dill, smoked white fish, herrings
- cold cuts
- cheese
- ham and onion cake
- lemon poppy seed cake
- pear tart
- fresh fruit
- fried bread with dill and pickled onions
- baked bread with mince and onion
- bread filled with jam
- fried bread with minced meat
- Grabli:
- Kholodets - meat and garlic in jelly
- borsche
- courgette, tomato stew and rice
- chicken in egg coating
- blini with ham and cheese
Moscow
Highlight
- Had a very nice sleep. Off to breakfast, which had lots of variety, but the food itself didn’t taste great, especially the Western stuff
- Metro to the Kremlin, and straight away it started to rain.
- Got tix to Cathedral square and visited in turn: Cathedral of the Archangel, Annunciation, Deposition of the Robe, Assumption. All were impressive with their frescoes. There were lots of tourists though (on tours of course, especially the Asians) so it was very crowded all the time.
- The promised Parade did not materialise at 12 as it said on the website
- We finished quite early, so headed off to Red Square. They were rehearsing for the military tattoo so the sights were all blocked.
- Visited the Kazan Cathedral before heading to see the much more impressive St Basils. The inside is made up of a series of small churches.
- Toured around GUM shopping arcade with the designer shops.
- Off to walk the streets around Kitay Gorod with some fine buildings and several churches along Ulitsa varvarka and the old monastery of the Epiphany.
- Walked around theatre square including the famous Bolshoy Theatre with the ballet, several other theatres, the Hotel Metropole, and some shops.
- More metro rides to see the outside of the Puskin Museum of Fine Arts and the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer, which was very large and mass was on at the time, so it was interesting.
- Brief walk around the garden around the Cathedral before off to the Metro again (and a long walk underground) to dinner.
- There was a wedding on, we didn’t know what was going on, and they didn’t give us any menus. The waiters were a bit offish and the chef was smoking at the table, but we had an excellent degustation of deconstructed Russian flavours, featuring lots of cod, caviar, beetroot, sour cream and truffle.
- It was expensive, £400 without any alcohol, but definitely a unique experience.
Food
- Hilton breakfast:
- mushroom pancake
- cream cheese fritter
- tomatoes, grilled vegetables, noodles, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, hash brown
- smoked salmon with dill, smoked white fish, herrings
- cold cuts
- cheese
- banana cake
- yoghurt with apricot
- fresh fruit
- VARVARY by Anatoly Komm Summer 2011 menu:
- “Original Russian Flavour”, Broccoli Cream with Cod Liver, Sea Buckthorn with Cottage Cheese and Herring Mousse with Sorrel
- Baked Oyster – baked oyster, oyster leaf with lemon foam
- Spring lawn - Egg covered with Spinach in Morels Snowdrift (sour cream snow) with White Truffle Sauce
- Borsch with foie gras - Borscht with Foie Gras and veal, sour cream ball, bread puff + vodka
- Ice-cream “Gazpacho” with Lobster Bisque and shiso leaf
- Soup with langoustines and Squid essence, quail egg, cod roe
- Dumplings with Kamchatka Crab and Sour Cream Snow and Herbs
- Silver Cod with Peas and Beans, mussel sauce, mushrooms
- Potato with Dill and Red Caviar, white truffle sauce
- Veal on the Bone with Pepper Sauce and Crispy Roll (cigar) with Wild Mushrooms, carrot paprika sauce
- Strawberry jelly, condensed milk, cake, strawberry foam
- ”cake potato” - chocolate cake with alcohol and cream
- dessert jars – granola and cream, strawberry and cream with green tea
London -> Moscow
Highlight
- No problems getting to the airport. Lounge was nice and we got priority tagged.
- Plane was pretty empty so we got to spread out. Allie slept a bit and I watched Midnight in Paris (very bad movie with good actors)
- We arrived a bit late. Things weren’t as hard as I thought. There was a long time at Customs, but we got through with no problems.
- Waited in line again to get the tickets for the train, but no problems on the ride
- Another long time to get Metro tickets as all the machines broke down just as we got to the front.
- Metro was very crowded due to rush hour, but the stations were very pretty. Most of the trains were old and very noisy, with hardly any poles for you to hold on (and you def need to hold on).
- Finally got to Hilton, more than 2 hours after getting off the plane. It’s one of the 7 “sister” buildings from Stalin’s era apparently.
- It was already past 7pm when we were ready to venture out for dinner. Decided to go to Uzbek cuisine restaurant. Communication was difficult but the food was delicious.
- I was surprised that there were lots of Asian looking people around so we didn’t stand out too much.
Food
- BMI Lounge:
- waffle, Danish, chocolate croissant
- bacon roll
- yoghurt with fruit
- BMI Flight:
- fruit salad
- cranberry flapjack
- potato hash, baked beans, sausage, omelette
- Restaurant Hodja Nasreddin in Khiva:
- Lagman “Uygar Style” with lamb ribs soup (490)
- Pairie quail “in Uighur”, marinated in herbs (640)
- Horse in a pot, languishing in puree of tomatoes and greens (460)
- bread (200)
