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A Tale of Two Cities
Moscow:
Still behind the Iron Curtain
The
Russian Federation (usually simply known as Russia) stretches from the
Baltic to the Pacific. With an area of 17 million sq km (6.6 million sq
miles), it was the largest of the USSR’s 15 republics and is now the
world’s largest country, almost twice the size of the US.
To obtain
a Russian Visa is more complicated than the rest of Europe’s Schengen
Visas, unless one makes use of a tour operator’s pre-arranged group
tours. The Russian Embassy in South Africa is very strict with regard to
certain issues such as obtaining an invitation from an accredited
institution which has a governmental registered reference number.
Although
the tourism industry is so called privatised in Russia, the original state
owned and controlled INTOURIST
still plays a very prominent role in restricting free movement of
individuals not partaking in an organized approved tour operator’s
itinerary. However,
Sure Etnique Travel
has, through a recent visit to Russia, obtained contact with two established
tour and travel companies, one in Moscow (Predex Ltd) and one in St
Petersburg (Dell Ltd). Due to language difficulties, we are of the opinion
that it is essential to pre-arrange one’s itinerary and day tours.
An
enormous, sprawling city with 9 million inhabitants, Moscow has grown
rapidly over the past decades and, as a result, mostly comprises high-rise
suburbs surrounding a relatively compact historic centre. Most areas of
the city are served by the famously efficient metro system as well as
buses, trams and trolleybuses.
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Moscow's best metro stations
Not many of the world’s underground railways can claim to be
tourist attractions and artistic monuments in their own right.
The Moscow metro is an exception. Its station platforms and
concourses resemble miniature palaces with chandeliers,
sculptures and lavish mosaics. Moreover, this is one of the
busiest and most efficient metro networks in the world.
However,
travelling on the underground in Moscow can become a nightmare to the
foreign tourist, not understanding Russian. All direction indications are
written in the Cyrillic Alphabet and Russian commuters are not very keen
in assisting foreigners.
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A
typical Moscow underground station
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The
cathedral of the Annunciation
of Kremlin Square |
The Kremlin
Citadel of the Tsars, headquarters of the Soviet Union and now the
residence of the Russian president. For centuries the Kremlin has been
a symbol of the power of the State.
Red Square
It originally served as a market called the torg, but the wooden
stalls burned down so often that the area later became popularly known
as Fire Square. The current name is derived from the Russian word
krasnyy, which originally meant “beautiful” but later came to denote
“red”.
Today the
square is used for a variety of cultural events, concerts, firework
displays and other public occasions.
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Ulitsa Arbat
At the
heart of the Old Arbat is the pedestrianized Ulitsa Arbat. In the 19th
century, the Old Arbat was the haunt of artists, musicians, poets, writers
and intellectuals. Today it is lined with antique shops, boutiques,
souvenir stalls, pavement cafés and a variety of restaurants.
Bolshoy Theatre
Home to
one of the oldest, and probably the most famous, ballet companies in the
world, the Bolshoy Theatre is also one of Moscow’s major landmarks.
St Basil's Cathedral
Commissioned
by Ivan the Terrible, St Basil’s Cathedral was completed in 1561.
According to legend, Ivan was so amazed at the beauty of the architect’s
work, that he had him blinded so that he would never be able to design
anything as exquisite again.
Victory Park
Commemorating
victory in World War II, Victory Park was originally intended to have a
vast monument to Mother Russia at its centre. After the end of Communist
rule, plans were scaled down and the park was finally completed in 1995.
St Petersburg: Gateway to the
west
St Petersburg was a thriving capital in which
fashions and discoveries from nearby Finland and Europe were tried out
before filtering through to the rest of Russia.
Like its waterbound sisters, Amsterdam and Venice, St
Petersburg is built on 40 islands around a network of canals and rivers
which are still the life-blood of the city. They contribute to its unique
atmosphere by creating eerie mists which rise from the ice-laden waters in
winter and, in summer, a glittering mirror of facades during the flowing
sunsets and bright White Nights.
A boat trip on St Petersburg’s canals and waterways
is one of the highlights of any visit to the city.
Church on spilled blood
The church on spilled blood was built on the spot
where Tsar Alexander II was murdered on 1 March 1881. A riot of colour, the
overall effect of the church is created by the imaginative juxtaposition of
materials.
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The Hermitage
One of the most famous museums in the world, the Hermitage has a
vast collection occupying a grand ensemble of buildings:
The Large Hermitage, The Small Hermitage, The New
Hermitage, The Winter Palace, Palace Square, Hanging Gardens, The Winter
Canal.
The
Hermitage is one of the world's greatest museums, visited by more than
3.5 million people.
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The
Hermitage |
Peter & Paul Fortress
The founding of the Peter and Paul Fortress in 1703,
is considered to mark the founding of the city itself.
This little Fortress Island consists of wonderful
tourist attractions:
SS Peter and Paul Cathedral, Peter Gate, Neva Gate,
The statue of Peter the Great, The Naryshkin Bastion, The Mint, The Boat
House.
Nevskiy Prospekt
Russia’s most famous street, Nevskiy Prospekt, is
also St Petersburg’s main thoroughfare and artery. Today, the street still
teems with people until late into the night throughout the year. Many of the
city’s sights are close to the stretch between the Admiralty and Anichkov
Bridge. Some of the best shops can be found around Gostinyy dvor and Passazh
arcade.
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The fountain of Samson at
Petershof, Russia's own Versailles |
St Isaac's Cathedral
From the dome there are panoramic views over the city
which include the Admiralty and the Hermitage.
Beyond St Petersburg
Only about an hour’s drive from St Petersburg is a
region of lakes, pine-scented forests and sandy beaches.
Also found in this region are some of the most
beautiful heritages of the Tsar period:
Oranienbaum, Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo, Pavlovsk. |
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