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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Russia 2019 Day 8:
Changing of the Guards & Danilovsky Market
Changing of the Guards & Danilovsky Market
Russia 2019 Day 8: 16th May (Thursday)
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).
Day 8 - Moscow (Danilovsky Market):
This is page 8 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D7: Moscow Cycling | Go to Other Days | D9: St. Petersburg Palaces >
1. Traffic Directions!
Driving in Russia is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.
Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 110 km/h along expressways, and 120 km/h on highways.2. Getting to & around Russia.
Since Russia's "special military operation" into Ukraine, accessibility to Russia by air has been limited. But several airlines (including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines) still operate flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
We flew return with Thai Airways from Kuala_Lumpur (KLIA) to Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) with short transits at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport). Presently, Thai Airways still flies from Bangkok to Moscow but now lands at Vnukovo Airport.
We booked hotels, train tickets, and several meals via the internet. Ground arrangements (and airport transfers) in Moscow were made through Alexander of Angel Tour, who can be contacted through WhatsApp at this phone number: +7926-435-86-87.
Ground arrangements (and train station transfers) in St. Petersburg were made through Tayna (contact no.: +7921-923-12-27), a local agent in St. Petersburg.
Travelling around the cities was in a 16-seater van. Travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg was by the Red Arrow Sleeper Train and the Sapsan High Speed Train. Within Moscow, we got around using the Moscow Metro.
For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some Russian Rubles before leaving. We also brought along our Big Pay debit cards, as these can be used to withdraw Russian Rubles at ATMs. Debit and credit cards can also be used, but many smaller shops or market stalls only accept cash transactions. Click here for exchange rates to Rubles (presently 1MYR = 18.67 RUR, i.e. Russian Rubles).
3. Immigration & Customs Requirements
Tourists entering Russia will need a tourist visa, which can only be obtained via a TOURIST CONFIRMATION VOUCHER issued by a Russian travel agency or a Russian hotel that has the license to invite foreign tourists. This can be done through a local travel agency affiliated with a Russian travel agency to obtain this invitation letter. The following is a list of countries that are visa-exempt to enter Russia.
For Malaysians, leaving and returning to Malaysia, getting through immigration is easier now. Just install and register MyBorderPass, and getting through will be a breeze. A QR code will be generated, have this scanned, and you're through.
4. Places & Things of Interest
In the morning, we witnessed Changing of the Guard at LT in the Red Square, followed by a visit to the Danilovsky Market. In the evening, we took the overnight Red Arrow Sleeper Train from Moscow to St. Petersburg. There were many scenic and interesting places along the way, but one should not miss the following:
b. Lenin's Mausoleum (Мавзолей Ленина) (GPS: 55.75371, 37.61988).
c. Monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov (Памятник маршалу Жукову (Москва)) (GPS: 55.75583, 37.61681).
d. Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 (Музей Отечественной войны 1812 года и Выставочный комплекс Исторического музея) (GPS: 55.75629, 37.61843).
e. Kilometer Zero Wishing Floor (Нулевой километр) (GPS: 55.75583, 37.61777).
f. Russian Parliament Building (Российский парламентарий) (GPS: 55.75796, 37.61531).
g. Danilovsky Market (Даниловский рынок) (GPS: 55.71218, 37.6205).
h. Patriarshy Bridge (Patriarchal Pedestrian Bridge) (Патриарший мост) (GPS: 55.74343, 37.60842).
i. Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Храм Христа Спасителя) (GPS: 55.74463, 37.60549).
j. Peter the Great Statue Lighthouse (Памятник Петру I (Москва)) (GPS: 55.73862, 37.60835).
k. Moscow: Kurskiy Vokzal Train Station (Москва Курский Bокзал) (GPS: 55.75749, 37.66111).
l. Ladozhsky Railway Station (Санкт-Петербург Ладож) (GPS: 59.93152, 30.4416), St. Petersburg.
c. Monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov (Памятник маршалу Жукову (Москва)) (GPS: 55.75583, 37.61681).
d. Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 (Музей Отечественной войны 1812 года и Выставочный комплекс Исторического музея) (GPS: 55.75629, 37.61843).
e. Kilometer Zero Wishing Floor (Нулевой километр) (GPS: 55.75583, 37.61777).
f. Russian Parliament Building (Российский парламентарий) (GPS: 55.75796, 37.61531).
g. Danilovsky Market (Даниловский рынок) (GPS: 55.71218, 37.6205).
h. Patriarshy Bridge (Patriarchal Pedestrian Bridge) (Патриарший мост) (GPS: 55.74343, 37.60842).
i. Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Храм Христа Спасителя) (GPS: 55.74463, 37.60549).
j. Peter the Great Statue Lighthouse (Памятник Петру I (Москва)) (GPS: 55.73862, 37.60835).
k. Moscow: Kurskiy Vokzal Train Station (Москва Курский Bокзал) (GPS: 55.75749, 37.66111).
l. Ladozhsky Railway Station (Санкт-Петербург Ладож) (GPS: 59.93152, 30.4416), St. Petersburg.
5. Food
a. Breakfast
Paid buffet at Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya (GPS: 55.75104, 37.61031).
b. Lunch
b. Lunch
c. Dinner
Tomyam with rice, Mushroom Soup, Lasagna & Tomato Juice at Varenichnaya No. 1 Cafe (Вареничная № 1 Cafe) (GPS: 55.71203, 37.62033) in the Kursky Railway Station, (Москва Курский Bокзал).
Tomyam with rice, Mushroom Soup, Lasagna & Tomato Juice at Varenichnaya No. 1 Cafe (Вареничная № 1 Cafe) (GPS: 55.71203, 37.62033) in the Kursky Railway Station, (Москва Курский Bокзал).
6. Accommodations
One night on board the Red Arrow Sleeper Train, travelling from the Kursky Railway Station, (Москва Курский Bокзал) (GPS: 55.75749, 37.66111), Moscow to the Ladozhsky Railway Station (Санкт-Петербург Ладож) (GPS: 59.93152, 30.4416), St. Petersburg.
7. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Back then, it was not easy to buy Russian Sim cards, and our Moscow guide got the Beeline physical SIM cards (with 14days unlimited data) at 700 RUR (MYR 37.50) for us before we arrived.
Even now, it is not easy to purchase a SIM card. However, it is possible to buy Russian Sim cards online; just be aware of the restrictions posted earlier.
8. Communicating with Locals
At hotels and tourist spots, locals speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, most locals speak only Russian. As such, it would be good to know some basic Russian.
9. Dressing
When entering churches and monasteries, it is advisable to wear long pants, especially for women. Ladies will also have to wear headscarves or veils. Caps and hats should be taken off when in churches and monasteries.
10. Weather
Useful weather forecast sites for Russia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
A day earlier, I did a bit of cycling following the Moscow Bike Tours guided off-the-beaten-track tour, and later visited the Zaryadye Park.
Today will be an easy day, with visits to other parts of Red Square, and another market before we take a sleeper train to St. Petersburg.
Today will be an easy day, with visits to other parts of Red Square, and another market before we take a sleeper train to St. Petersburg.
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DAY 8: DANILOVSKY MARKET
Day 8 - Moscow (Danilovsky Market):
Veliy Hotel>walk>Lenin's Mausoleum>Zhukov Monument >Kilometer Zero>Moscow Metro>Danilovsky Market>van>Veliy Hotel>walk>Patriarshy Bridge>Cathedral of Christ the Saviour>Veliy Hotel>van> Kurskiy Vokzal Train Sta>>Red Arrow Sleeper Train>Ladozhsky Railway Station (St. Petersburg).
(Zoom out to see more)
Many of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)
Alex took us on a ??
Starting with witnessing the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is a war memorial in the Alexander Garden, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers killed during World War II.
The remains of the unknown soldiers killed in the Battle of Moscow in 1941 were initially buried in a mass grave of the Shtyki Memorial at the 40th km of the Leningrad Highway at the city of Zelenograd. This was the location of the closest approach of the German armies to Moscow during the war. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the battle, in December 1966 these remains were relocated here at the Kremlin Wall.
Alex took us on a ??
Starting with witnessing the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is a war memorial in the Alexander Garden, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers killed during World War II.
The remains of the unknown soldiers killed in the Battle of Moscow in 1941 were initially buried in a mass grave of the Shtyki Memorial at the 40th km of the Leningrad Highway at the city of Zelenograd. This was the location of the closest approach of the German armies to Moscow during the war. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the battle, in December 1966 these remains were relocated here at the Kremlin Wall.
Next was the Monument to Marshal Zhukov, located outside the front of the State Historical Museum,
Marshal Georgi Zhukov was a Marshal of the Soviet Union and one of the most famous military leaders of the country during the Second World War. And is renowned in leading the Red Army in defeating the German Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, which many considered the turning point of the Second World War. (which the Soviets refer to as the Great Patriotic War).
Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812.
Displaying exhibits of the Patriotic War of 1812, Russia’s war of liberation against the aggression by Napoleon Bonaparte’s army.
From war we proceeded something more serene - Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр) (GPS: 55.76013, 37.61864)!
The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are among the oldest and best known ballet and opera companies in the world. It is by far the world's biggest ballet company, with more than 200 dancers. The theatre is the parent company of The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, a leading school of ballet.
Hotel Metropol.
This is a historic hotel at the center of Moscow, built between 1899 and 1905 in the Art Nouveau style. It is the largest extant hotel built before the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Throwing coins for a wish at the Kilometer Zero Wishing Floor, next to the Kazan Cathedral.
What did we wish for? Well that's not to be told otherwise it will not come true!
At the Kazan Cathedral (Казанский собор на Красной площади) (GPS: 55.75545, 37.61925), formally known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. I am again intrigued by its distinct pastel pink and blue colours.
Daytime view of the GUM Department Store (pronounced Goom) (GPS: 55.75469, 37.62152), a former retail and wholesale market, now a modern shopping complex. GUM Department Store (ГУМ abbreviation for Главный универсальный магазин, Glávnyj Universáľnyj Magazín, literally "Main Universal Store").
At the Kazan Cathedral (Казанский собор на Красной площади) (GPS: 55.75545, 37.61925), formally known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. I am again intrigued by its distinct pastel pink and blue colours.
Daytime view of the GUM Department Store (pronounced Goom) (GPS: 55.75469, 37.62152), a former retail and wholesale market, now a modern shopping complex. GUM Department Store (ГУМ abbreviation for Главный универсальный магазин, Glávnyj Universáľnyj Magazín, literally "Main Universal Store").
The stately State Historical Museum (Государственный исторический музей, Gosudarstvenny istoricheskiy muzyey) (GPS: 55.75533, 37.61784).
Lenin's Mausoleum (Мавзолей Ленина) (GPS: 55.75371, 37.61988).
It serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, whose preserved body has been on public display since shortly after his death in 1924.
The girls having a happy pose at the St. Basil's Cathedral (Храм Василия Блаженного) (GPS: 55.75252, 37.62308).
At the front of the cathedral is the Monument of Minin and Pozharsky (Памятник Минину И Пожарскому) (GPS: 55.75282, 37.62282).
The statue commemorates two Russian national heroes, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who in 1612 organized a popular uprising that ultimately led to the end of the Polish occupation of Moscow during Polish Intervention in Russia, thus putting an end to the Time of Troubles.
Time to head off to our next destination, by catching a Moscow Metro train at the Ploschad' Revolyutsii Metro Station (Площадь Революции) (GPS: 55.7566, 37.6216). There are some artwork to admire here too.
At this station one can touch some statues for good luck, including this rubbing this Rooster to solve one's money problems!
The missus trying her luck with the rooster, hoping to strike a lottery grand prize. She already won one when she snared me 😉!
We got off at the Tulskaya Metro Station (GPS: 55.70844, 37.62432), and walked over to the nearby Danilovsky Market. The market building with its steel cupola, by architects Felix Novikov and Gavriil Akulov, looks very modern. They were inspired by the dome of the sports hall “Friendship”, which was built for the Moscow Olympics in Luzhniki. Muscovites affectionately called it “Turtle”.
Although the market looks spanking new, the Danilovsky Market is the oldest trading place in Moscow. It takes its name from the nearby Danilov Monastery, founded in 1282. Trade naturally flourished near the busy monastery, and it is assumed that the market has existed since the 13th or 14th century.
Look-see, look-see at the Danilovsky Market.
Some "expensive" food found here. Caviar is generally cheap here but expensive back home; whereas pineapples are costly here but cheap back home.
Vietnamese Pho lunch at Cafe Bổ, we were missing Oriental food, and fortunately, Danilovsky Market has several regional food and international food stalls!
Tummy sated, we took the metro back to the hotel to freshen up.
The past few days, we had just drove/walked by the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, today we visited it for real, spending about ninety minutes there.
We discovered that from this cathedral one can walk onto the adjacent Patriarshy Bridge, which connects to the Bolotnyy Ostrov Island, and has a good view of the Moskva River.
Further down Bolotnyy Ostrov Island, at the western confluence of the Moskva River and the Vodootvodny Canal is the Peter the Great Statue Lighthouse.
It was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which Peter the Great established.
The statue has courted controversy. In November 2008, it was voted the tenth ugliest building in the world by Virtual Tourist. In 2010, it was included in a list of the world's ugliest statues by Foreign Policy magazine. But considering that it is also a lighthouse, it is a unique and memorable structure.
A somewhat smaller but similar sculpture by Tsereteli, called the Birth of a New Man, was deposited in Seville. In Seville is also the 100-year old Monumento a Cristóbal Colón - a monument to Christopher Columbus, which we saw during a 2019 cyling tour of Spain.
Further down Bolotnyy Ostrov Island, at the western confluence of the Moskva River and the Vodootvodny Canal is the Peter the Great Statue Lighthouse.
It was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which Peter the Great established.
The statue has courted controversy. In November 2008, it was voted the tenth ugliest building in the world by Virtual Tourist. In 2010, it was included in a list of the world's ugliest statues by Foreign Policy magazine. But considering that it is also a lighthouse, it is a unique and memorable structure.
A somewhat smaller but similar sculpture by Tsereteli, called the Birth of a New Man, was deposited in Seville. In Seville is also the 100-year old Monumento a Cristóbal Colón - a monument to Christopher Columbus, which we saw during a 2019 cyling tour of Spain.
.
7:00pm - Later, we packed our bags, hopped onto a van with Alex, and were whisked to the Kurskiy Vokzal Train Station. From this station, we will take the 10:16pm overnight Red Arrow Sleeper Train to St. Petersburg.
8-30pm - Dinner at Varenichnaya No. 1 Cafe at the Kursky Railway Station, before boarding the overnight train. It was a mix of Thai and Western Fare.
Photo of Red Arrow Sleeper Train
Here comes the 10:06pm Red Arrow Sleeper Train, and it's really red! We had booked the first-class private cabin for two; the long cushioned chairs can be converted into narrow beds. The journey will take eight hours, and we should arrive at the Ladozhsky Railway Station in St. Petersburg at 6:16am the following day.
7:00pm - Later, we packed our bags, hopped onto a van with Alex, and were whisked to the Kurskiy Vokzal Train Station. From this station, we will take the 10:16pm overnight Red Arrow Sleeper Train to St. Petersburg.
8-30pm - Dinner at Varenichnaya No. 1 Cafe at the Kursky Railway Station, before boarding the overnight train. It was a mix of Thai and Western Fare.
Photo of Red Arrow Sleeper Train
Here comes the 10:06pm Red Arrow Sleeper Train, and it's really red! We had booked the first-class private cabin for two; the long cushioned chairs can be converted into narrow beds. The journey will take eight hours, and we should arrive at the Ladozhsky Railway Station in St. Petersburg at 6:16am the following day.
До свидания,Москва!
(That's "Do svidaniya, Москва!" in Russian)" meaning "Goodbye, Moscow!" in Russian)
(For more photos of Day 8, Click Here)
This is page 8 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D7: Moscow Cycling | Go to Other Days | D9: St. Petersburg Palaces >
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