Russia, Day 14

 

 

 

 

Day Fourteen

 

We got up mid-morning and started getting ready.  We said our goodbyes to Timour and then walked to the metro station.  It was a bit awkward leaving Timour like that.  He was still a bit hung over from the previous morning.  I was thinking he’d be taking us to the metro, but he didn’t.  Of course, as we found out, the metro station was right around the corner.  We went all the way back to Tsetnoy Bulvar – to Godzilla’s – where we had a new room waiting for us.  Before walking back to the hostel, we had a coffee at our joint.   

In the afternoon, we decided to go to Patriarch’s Pond.  In trying to find it, we got extremely lost.  I misread something in the guide book and really got turned around.  We walked from Pushkin Square up to the next intersection – where we actually needed to be – but I kept walking further.  Some few hours later, after drinking a Sprite, buying some magnets from a kiosk in the underground passageway, saying “no” to some street musicians asking for money, we eventually got reoriented.   

We walked past a monument to a poet that was a revolutionary figure.  We also noticed some lovers fighting.  Eventually we walked down a huge boulevard to the area known as Patriarch’s Pond.  It was a lovely area with colorful streets and nice apartments.  The centerpiece of the area was a giant pond surrounded by walking paths and green embankments.  There were kids playing in the park.  There were couples lost in their own worlds.  The whole environment was relaxing.   

One of my goals was to find Café Margarita.  We did.  We ordered some herring with onions as an appetizer, one other dish and a couple of cocktails.  At a nearby table were a lady and daughter from the UK.  What was unique about the café was the fact that young musicians from the Tchaikovsky conservatory play there every night.   100 rubles was tacked on to our bill for the entertainment; it was worth it.  Not surprisingly, their first song was Strangers in the Night. 

We left Margarita Café and walked back to Tverskaya Street.  We tried waiting for a trolley that would take us down to Red Square.  One never came.  It was late.  We opted for the metro.  We exited the metro station and walked around Red Square at moonlight – very nice.  We then started the Kitai-Gorod walk - one of the main walks listed in virtually every guidebook.  At nighttime, the streets were virtually deserted – well-lit, but deserted.  I loved looking at the architectural styles.  The walk was very pleasant.  Toward the end of our walk, we spotted the infamous building that was the home of the KGB.  We continued our walk until we located the famous Bolshoi Theater, which is under reconstruction.  Next to it, we noticed some other lovely buildings.  Back on our side, we passed a luxury shopping plaza and car dealership.  Soon we made it to our final stop, the square with the Karl Marx statue.  What a night we had! 

Back at the hostel, I decided to unwind by watching TV.  I met a guy from New Castle England.