My Visual Travel Experience: Moscow

I spent almost a week in Moscow in 2010. My half Russian - half Indian friend, Nikita Vats, stays in Moscow, and I stayed at his place. I also spent a night at the home of my cousin Rudru and his wife Ritu. Rudru is an Indian Foreign Service officer and he was serving in Moscow back then. My hosts were very hospitable. Nikita really spoon-fed me, and gave me detailed guidance on public transport routes, which was most useful because language is an issue in Russia.

Moscow has a population of over 12 million and is one of the world's largest cities. It has an interesting history. It was the capital of Russia in the medieval ages. Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV) was the first Tsar of Russia, having been crowned in 1547. In 1613, the Romanov Dynasty came to the throne. Peter the Great was one of the most powerful of the Russian Tsars, and he ruled from 1682 to 1725. He moved the capital from Moscow to a new city he built, St Petersburg, which was the capital for the next 2 centuries. Peter's daughter, Elizabeth I, ruled from 1741 to 1762, and her reign saw further consolidation of power. Catherine the Great ruled from 1762 to 1796 and was another of Russia's most powerful leaders. Tsar Nicholas II was the last of the Russian Tsars and was executed in 1917 during the Russia Revolution that brought in socialism under the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. The capital shifted back to Moscow subsequently. Lenin was in power until his death in 1924, and is seen by many as the father of socialism. In 1922, the Soviet Union (also called the USSR) was formed, consisting of 15 republics, of which Russia was by far the largest. The Socialists ruled over the Soviet Union until 1991, after which we saw the advent of democracy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev and taken forward by Boris Yeltsin. What followed was the break-up of the Soviet Union. Russia emerged as the single largest country of the former Soviet Union, with Moscow as its capital.

The Kremlin is the first place where most visitors start their Moscow sight seeing. It is the country's power centre and is enclosed within a fortified area. It dates back to the 15th century. The premises is home to some stunning medieval cathedrals. In the Soviet era, it was the headquarters of the Soviet Union, and even today has the residence of the Russian President. Highlights include the Trinity Tower (the main gateway), the 40 ton Tsar Cannon, the 200 ton Tsar Bell, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, and churches like Cathedral of the Annunciation, Cathedral of the Archangel, and Cathedral of the Assumption. It's not difficult spending a full day in and around the Kremlin.

Trinity Tower, Kremlin

Cathedral of the Annunciation, Kremlin

Cathedral of the Archangel, Kremlin

Cathedral of the Assumption, Kremlin

Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Kremlin

Tsar's Bell, Kremlin

Tsar's Cannon, Kremlin

Alexander Gardens lie close to the Kremlin. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies in Alexander Gardens.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Alexander Gardens

 Adjoining the Kremlin, there's also the famous Red Square. The large square is the venue of state celebrations and parades. It has Lenin's Mausoleum (where the Communist leader's body lies embalmed), the Historical Museum, the Resurrection Gate, Point Zero (the geographical centre of the city) and Gum Department Store.

Gum Department Store, Red Square

Lenin's Mausoleum, Red Square

Resurrection Gate, Red Square

Mosaic at Resurrection Gate, Red Square

St Basil’s Cathedral, at one end of Red Square, was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1552, to celebrate the victory over the Mongols in Kazan. It is one of Moscow’s main landmarks and is instantly recognisable, with its colourful exterior and onion shaped domes. Outside the cathedral, there is the sculpture of Minin and Pozharskiy, who helped defeat the Poles in the 17th century.

St Basil's Cathedral

Kazan Cathedral, on Red Square, is a replica of the 1637 original demolished by Stalin in 1937. The reconstructed cathedral was completed in 1993. The original was built to commemorate the victory over the Poles.

Kazan Cathedral

Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts has a very impressive collection of classical paintings, impressionist paintings and casts of world famous sculptures. The building was completed in 1912. Russian artists don't feature in this museum - they feature in the grand collection at Tretyakov Gallery.

Cranach's Virgin and Child,
Pushkin Museum of Art

Bouchard's Jupiter and Callisto,
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Cezanne's Bathers,
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Van Gogh's Dr Rey,
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Matisse's Goldfish,
Pushkin Museum of Art

Dega's Blue Dancers,
Pushkin Museum of Art

She Wolf (Capitoline Museum, Rome), 
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Michelangelo's David (The Academy, Florence), 
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Venus di Melo (The Louvre, Paris), 
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Michelangelo's Pieta (St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City),
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

The gilded Church of Christ the Redeemer was re-built in 1997 at a staggering cost of US$ 200 million, to replace the original destroyed in 1931 by Stalin. Stalin had an unfinished vision of building a Soviet monument. The original was built to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon in the early 1800s under the reign of Tsar Alexander I.

Church of Christ the Redeemer

Novodevichiy Convent was built in 1524 to celebrate the Russian victory over Lithuania. Only the Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk dates back to that period. Other construction was under Regent Sophia in the late 1600s. Highlights include the Bell Tower, Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk, Naprudnaya Tower (Where Peter the Great imprisoned his half-sister Regent Sophia), Gate Church of Transfiguration and Novodevichiy Cemetery (where dignitaries like Soviet President Nikita Kruschev are buried).

Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk,
Novodevichiy Convent

Naprudnaya Tower, Novodevichiy Convent

Tsaritsa's Tower, Novodevichiy Convent

Kolomenskoe dates back to Ivan I in the 1300s but it went through  major expansion work during the reign of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich, the father of Peter the Great. A beautiful wooden palace built by the Tsar once stood there but it was demolished by Catherine the Great. It has the Saviour's Gate, the Front Gate, Church of Our Lady of Kazan, Church of the Ascension and Peter the Great's Wooden Cabin.

Church of Our Lady of Kazan,
Kolomenskoe

Church of the Ascension,
Kolomenskoe

Front Gate,
Kolomenskoe

Peter the Great's Wooden Cabin,
Kolomenskoe

Kuskovo was the residence of the wealthy Sheremetev family and work commenced on the palatial residence in 1743 after the marriage of Count Pyotr Sheremetev to Varvara Cherkasskaya. The complex has a lot of beautiful attractions like the Wooden Palace, the Church of the Archangel Michael,  the Grotto, the Orangerie, the Italian Cottage, the Swiss Cottage and the Dutch Cottage.

Church of the Archangel Michael,
Kuskovo

Grotto, Kuskovo

Orangerie, Kuskovo

Wooden Palace, Kuskovo

Obelisk, Kuskovo

Aviary, Kuskovo

The impressive Gothic Stalinist Moscow University building is one of 7 such buildings constructed in the city during Lenin’s reign.

Moscow University

Moscow has an extensive Metro network, dating back to the 1930s. Some of the metro stations are sites in themselves, boasting of impressive works of art.

Belorusskaya Metro Station

Language was an issue for me in Moscow because I found that not many people spoke English. Signs were largely in Cyrillic script and not in the Roman script, so that didn't make life any easier. But equipped with a good map of Moscow and my DK Eyewitness travel book, I didn't face any problems as such. Despite the language barrier, people were friendly. I had several people walking up to me, and initiating conversations in Russian, where they asked if I was from India, and then they went on to talk about the Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor, who was popular there.

One evening, Nikita took me out drinking to a bar. We enjoyed drinking Russian Vodka. The trips to and back from the bar were interesting. We didn't go by public transport or taxi. Nikita hailed regular cars, negotiated rates, and that's how we traveled. I believe that's quite common in Russia. I also found traveling by Aeroflot quite unique. In each sector that I flew, when we landed all passengers broke into an applause. I hadn't experienced that before, but I believe it is the norm in Russia!

All in all, a great visit! I enjoyed myself, and came back enriched with knowledge about Russia's interesting history and culture. I was very impressed by the architecture, and by the works of art. The informal and warm nature of the people (despite the language barrier) was heartening too.

My Visual Travel Experience: Sydney

In 2011, I walked out of the corporate sector after 15 years, and I decided to set up my own business of travel souvenirs. That first year, I pursued my dream and traveled extensively. The first trip I did was to Australia. I spent over a month in the country, and my stint in Sydney was for around a week. I absolutely loved Sydney, and was on my toes throughout that one week.

It was in Sydney's Circular Quay that the first British fleet arrived in 1788, with convicts, soldiers and officials. Today Sydney is Australia's largest and most cosmopolitan city, and has a population of close to 4.8 million.

Sydney Opera House is the city’s most iconic landmark. The complex has a series of theatres and halls beneath its white shells. In 1957, the plan was approved after a design competition, which the architect Jorn Utzon won. However, there were huge cost and time over-runs and the Opera House was eventually completed in 1973.

Sydney Opera House

Harbour Bridge lies just opposite Sydney Opera House. It was completed in 1932 and was an engineering feat at that time. The bridge connects the city centre at the south of the harbour to the residential north. The bridge is over 500 meters long, and saves a circuitous 20 km road route.

Harbour Bridge

Circular Quay and Writers' Walk lead up to the Opera House. Circular Quay is a popular place with restaurants and cafes. Writers' Walk has plaques commemorating many Australian and overseas writers.

Aboriginal performers at Circular Quay

Mark Twain plaque at Writers' Walk

The Rocks is an area of historical importance because in 1788, the British under Governor Phillips made their first makeshift buildings here. By 1900, the area was in a dilapidated condition, filled with disease. It was subsequently refurbished.  Campbell’s Storehouses at The Rocks were built by the merchant Robert Campbell to store tea, spices etc imported from India. Construction began in 1802. The area was redeveloped in the 1970s and now has a set of trendy restaurants.

The Rocks

Campbell's Storehouses

The Royal Botanic Gardens are the lungs of the city, situated very close to the city centre. The gardens cover an area of 75 acres. The gardens were established in 1816 and have an impressive collection of plants from Australia and overseas. There are also many fountains, statues and monuments. Some of the highlights include Mrs Macquarie’s Seat (the spot from where the governor’s wife used to watch the harbour) and the 290 meter long Macquarie Wall (built in 1810, to segregate the convicts from the “respectable” citizens).

Rose Garden, Royal Botanical Gardens

Darling Harbour is a work of urban development near the centre of town and was opened in 1988 to commemorate the bicentenary of New South Wales The area is full of hotels, shops and eateries, and also boasts of the Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife World and the National Maritime Museum.

Darling Harbour

Sydney Aquarium at Darling Harbour  has around 11,000 animals from 65 species in recreated marine environments. The aquarium has two underwater walkways under massive water-bodies that give the visitor a chance to observe sharks and other popular attractions at close quarters. There is also a Great Barrier Reef exhibit, a seal sanctuary and a touch pool.

Baby Penguins, Sydney Aquarium

Starfish, Sydney Aquarium

Stripeys, Sydney Aquarium

Situated adjacent to Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife  World is a great place to experience popular Australian animals like koalas, kangaroos and crocodiles. One can touch koalas and be photographed with them.

Koala, Wildlife World

Kangaroos, Wildlife World

Hyde Park was named after London’s Hyde Park in 1810 by Governor Macquarie. The fence around the park marked the perimeter of the township. The park has the beautiful ANZAC Memorial, which commemorates Australians who died in World War I. It was opened in 1934.

Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park

Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park

Queen Victoria Building is a large, beautiful shopping centre which was originally a produce market. It was built in 1898. It has a large copper dome and a curved glass roof that lets light in. The produce market closed at the end of WWI, and Queen Victoria Building re-opened in 1986 with close to 200 shops.

Interior of Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Statue outside Queen Victoria Market

Sydney Tower was completed in 1981 and has the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere. The tower is 305 meters tall. It has a couple of restaurants, a coffee shop and an observation deck with a 360 degree view of the city.

Sydney Tower

Luna Park is Sydney’s main amusement park. The entrance has a large happy face, surrounded by two towers. The park has a carousel, a giant ferris wheel and numerous dizzying attractions.

Entrance, Luna Park

Ferris Wheel, Luna Park

St Mary’s Cathedral was completed in 1928 though the foundation stone was laid by Governor Macquarie over a century earlier in 1821.

St Mary's Cathedral

The Art Gallery of New South Wales was established in 1874 but saw major building extensions in 1988. The gallery has an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures by Australian artists, but overseas artists are also well represented. There is also an impressive photography section and an Aboriginal art section.

Cezanne's Banks of the Marne,
Art Gallery of New South Wales

Kirchner's Three Bathers, 
Art Gallery of New South Wales

Aboriginal Kangaroo Painting, 
Art Gallery of New South Wales

Boyd's The Expulsion,
Art Gallery of New South Wales

Smith's The Curve of the Bridge,
Art Gallery of New South Wales

Tom Roberts' Golden Fleece,
Art Gallery of New South Wales

The Australian Museum is a large natural history museum founded in 1827. The building faces Hyde Park. The collection covers the Australian region and has  exhibits on dinosaurs, animals, birds, minerals and Aboriginal culture. The dinosaur section is particularly impressive.

Australian Museum

T Rex Skeleton, Australian Museum

Seal and Penguin, Australian Museum

Aboriginal Painting, Australian Museum

Albatross, Australian Museum

Powerhouse Museum is housed inside what was originally a power station for Sydney’s tramway system, completed in 1902. The museum opened in 1988. It has a fine collection of objects from the field of space, transportation and technology, including locomotive engines, early bicycles, early planes, satellites and robots.

Locomotive, Powerhouse Museum

Plane, Powerhouse Museum

Taronga Zoo ranks among Australia’s best zoos. It is on an island, a short ferry ride away from the city. It has an impressive collection of animals from Australia and from around the world.

Kangaroo being fed, Taronga Zoo

Ferry at the Wharf, Taronga Zoo

Bondi Beach is the city’s best known beach. It is particularly popular with sunbathers and surfers. The area has several cafes that are a favourite hang-out.

Bondi Beach

Blue Mountains is a national park an hour outside Sydney. The cliff formations and canyons there have been formed through 250 million years of erosion. The area was home to the Aboriginals for over 14,000 years and it became popular with western tourists only in the 1870s. The numerous eucalyptus trees secrete an oil that gives a blue haze, and this is what gives the name Blue Mountains. The stunning rock formation of the Three Sisters has been formed by soil erosion over the centuries. As per Aboriginal legend, the rock actually consists of three sisters who were imprisoned by their father for their own protection.

Orphan Rock, Blue Mountains

Three Sisters and Mount Solitude, Blue Mountains

Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains

All in all, Sydney was awesome and had a staggering amount to see. I found the Australians to be very friendly and helpful. A wonderful visit indeed!