The Amazing Eurasian Odyssey
as told by characters Matthew Garrick and Stephen Williams
Part 11: Square of Red

Arriving in Moscow airport, we picked up our checked backpacks and headed for the door. I ripped off the terribly annoying luggage tag on the shoulder strap and tossed it in the trash. Bad idea. It seemed, that out of all the places in the world, Russia was going to be the only country that inspected checked baggage receipts against the bags themselves. After bickering with the woman guarding the door, I pushed through, and we headed for the tram to the city.

Moscow is five hours behind Irkutsk. About 45 minutes later, we reached the city and disembarked. We had to transfer to the subway system, which is about eight stories underground! We were told it was constructed in case America ever bombed Russia, then a usable transportation system would still be in place.

We arrived at Napoleon Hostel named because, supposedly, Napoleon stayed in the same building during his invasion of Moscow. We were told they were full, so we begged for mercy and got to use the couches in the social room.

The next morning, we were off for Red Square, a 10- minute walk from the hostel and were happy to see McDonalds. We admired the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We checked out the State Museum for the rest of the day. It was nothing but Russian history, and the exhibits were only in Russian. Translator cards were anchored by the doorway of each room.

We walked around and headed back to the hostel where we met up with some fellow travelers. This was the first real social hostel we had occupied. The room that housed reception also had a nice flat panel television and several couches.

The next day we headed to some sort of preserved Soviet- era propaganda fair demonstrating all of the Soviet Union's accomplishments. We viewed numerous statues of worker folk gladly giving up their crops for the good of the country. This "workers unite" theme was common in the other Communist countries China and Vietnam. Luckily, Russia didn't see the need to censor or hide its past after the establishment of a democracy.

The next day, we were determined not to completely strike out on our Dead Communist Leaders Tour. We made sure to be at Lenin's tomb early enough to catch him before the place closed for lunch. It was really kind of creepy. The glass on his coffin was so thick (bullet/bomb proof, no doubt) it distorted the image of the ghastly cadaver.

Afterwards, we were ready for our tour inside the Kremlin's walls. One of the first things to see is lines of old cannons said to be artillery Napoleon and his forces left behind. There is also an enormous and broken bell and a colossal cannon, each believed to be the largest of its kind ever made.

One problem, the bell has never been rung. The rafters broke while they were hanging it, and it fell, and the cTahnen oLno hnaesl yn ePvlear nbeeten fired. guide jokes, "Russia claims the biggest bell ever made. It hasn't ever been rung, and the biggest cannon ever made, which hasn't ever been fired. What an impressive show of power and dedication!"

There are several ornate Russian Orthodox cathedrals on the grounds. In addition to some startlingly Picassoish paintings of Christ and the apostles, there were also grand chandeliers and dozens of tombs holding the remains of saints. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the cathedrals.

Our trip inside the heart of Russia concluded with a visit to the Kremlin's simple gardens.

Around midnight, we caught the sleeper train to St. Petersburg. The person in the bunk next to us had a baby who cried all night. Despite his wailings, we arrived in St. Pete at an early 8 am or so.

Next week: Old Leningrad