Russia, Day 15

 

 

Day Fifteen 

Got up and had our usual coffee.  It’s now nice having a routine – albeit a tiny one.  We took the metro to the station just near the National Hotel, which was where my grandfather stayed when he was in Moscow back in 1959.  The views from the front of the hotel, situated at the head of Tverskaya Street, were very nice.  We walked alongside the hotel, approaching the Czar’s stables, the Manage.  From that vantage point, it was even more stunning.  The sun was very bright and we quickly started to fade.  After walking past the street where we intended to go, I glanced at my map, got my bearings and reversed tracks, eventually finding the street that would carry us to the Zoological Museum.  We approached the museum to find out the price of a ticket and whether or not they had a café inside.  They didn’t have a café.  We walked back outside into blistering heat and soon found Coffee Mania, which was right next to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, another target of ours.  We walked kind of wearily down the street, hoping to spot a great place for lunch.  We walked into a courtyard area, where we saw neatly dressed business professionals going into their offices.  It dawned on me that we were in one of Moscow’s prime commercial and diplomatic hotspots.   

We located a restaurant across the street.  It had a unique look.  I went over and asked if they had a Business Lunch and a gentleman motioned us on in.  We walked down into a basement restaurant.  The ceiling and wall supports made the place seem like a medieval tavern. We sat down and looked at the menu.  We ordered the set lunch.  Out it came! There was a cheese salad and some other interesting dishes.  We ordered some homemade cranberry juice in a pitcher.   We were very thirsty!  As usual, the meal had big portions and was easily divided between us.  The atmosphere, service and food made for another splendid food experience. 

Fairly quickly after paying our tab, we put the complimentary Double Mint in our mouths and exited the front door.  We walked up to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory to see if tickets for the symphony were on sale.  As we approached the main entrance, it was evident that the guidebook was correct – August was the month when the Conservatory was on break.  It was obvious because construction made entering the complex impossible.  So, we took a photo in front of the Tchaikovsky Statue, looked around the neighboring coffee shop and mapped out our next plan.  We were off to the Zoological Museum.  The two or three floors of exhibits kept our minds and feet occupied for the next hour and half.  The museum had some impressive animal skeletons and insect exhibits.  Of course, there was much more.  All together, unless one has a deep interest in zoological matters, the museum can get boring quite quickly.  That, and we were battling exhibits that were only in Russian.  Another negative was that the museum was in need of an update.

We took the metro back to our stop.  Before heading back for the day, we stocked up on juices and bakery goods.  Once we got back to the hostel, I got in line for the Internet.  My legs were aching big-time.  I did meet a guy from England.  His name was Simon and he was traveling solo.  What struck me about him was that he lacked confidence.  He spoke very softly and had a hunched over frame.  After talking with him and using the Internet, my focus was on getting sleep.  The previous night we had very little sleep due to a mosquito problem.  Unfortunately, much to my dismay, this night was not going to be much different.