Christ Our Saviour Cathedral, Fine Arts Museum

27.10: This morning, we met Guyla and Moscow 1 at the metro station at 11. The sun was shining and I was hopeful that it would warm up enough for me to remove my (new) large Russian winter coat and show off my favorite Captain America T-Shirt, but the warmth was short-lived as an icy wind soon started. The cold here immediately sinks into your bones and numbs anything exposed to the elements; it hasn’t snowed yet, but the wind carries news of winter’s arrival. Fortunately, most of the day’s activities were spent indoors: our first stop was the Christ Our Saviour Cathedral in the heart of Moscow. The original cathedral was destroyed in the 1950s during Stalin’s reign and replaced by an outdoor public swimming pool, in which Guyla remembers swimming. Upon the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the government rebuilt the cathedral with help through donations from the public. The cathedral was rebuilt to match the original in architecture and design, including the paintings and golden framework inside. It’s definitely the largest cathedral we’ve yet entered, and it’s obviously the newest as the paintings are fresh, crisp, and bright. The cathedral is the holiest place of worship/the main “temple” of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia—though regular services are not held, believers make “pilgrimages” from all over the country to worship within its walls. Inside and out, it is absolutely breathtaking, with golden accents and framework, paintings covering the walls and ceilings, icons and even the tsar’s throne. What a wonder it would have been to attend a service here in its ancient glory. Underneath the cathedral, down a winding stone staircase, is another monastery of much smaller proportions. This monastery is used for regular services, including baptisms, funerals, and weddings. Usually, there is also a museum that wraps around this monastery, but it was under renovation—just our luck, but the main cathedral was really all I needed to see. After exiting the underground monastery, we took pictures in front of the cathedral and of the beautiful buildings that surrounded the square. The architecture here is stunning. After a brief walk, we came across the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts; Guyla explained that lots of places are named after Pushkin even though they have nothing to do with Pushkin—this museum is no exception. It is, nevertheless, one of the most renowned museums in Russia—comparable to the Archaeological Museum in Instanbul, the British Museum in London, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, or a baby version of the Louvre in Paris, etc. Inside, we discovered exhibits dedicated to ancient (original) Russian Orthodox artwork, famous artists like Rembrandt (apparently, there was supposed to be Van Gogh and Monet, but we never found them), Greek and Roman sculptures, pottery, and artwork (think Hercules-style, Michelangelo (including a giant cast of his “David”), and (my favorite) ancient Egyptian artifacts, like coins, jewelry, pots, writing tablets, utensils, etc. There were even a few sarcophagi with real mummies inside—some of which even had their bandaging exposed; the toes of one could be made out through the thin fabric. Talk about creepy/awesome. One sarcophagus was dated from the 2st millennium B.C.; there was a painting dated from 1400 B.C. and writing tablets from the 24th century B.C. I was enthralled—I find history so intriguing and mystifying and I love to discover how people lived way back when. It’s overwhelming to think about life four thousand years ago and how things have evolved since then. Sometimes I wonder about the lives of those mummies—who were they, really, behind the gold and jewels? They must have had favorite foods, a best friend, a strenuous or healthy relationship with their parents, heartbreak, a unique personality…. In the next life, I can’t wait to ask them. There was also a modern art exhibit that included an exhibit on modern architecture, which was cool…I suppose. After about two hours, we completed our tour of the museum and gathered together as a group. We took the metro to Old Arbat street and ate lunch at Wendy’s—I know what you’re thinking, I’m wasting my experience in Russia by eating American food, but let me just tell you that Russian Wendy’s is a bajillion times better than in America—and I actually really like American Wendy’s. The Frosties don’t taste quite as “frosty-ish” because Russian diary is somehow different, though still tasty, but the fries and the chicken sandwiches are simply grand. The spicy chicken sandwich has an actual slab of meat instead of a processed patty, and tomatoes, pickles, onions, lettuce, and mayo—and another kind of sauce I couldn’t quite identify but it tastes like heaven. I don’t feel bad for eating American food in Russia because it will never taste like this back home. After eating, we stopped by the souvenir market once again to complete our souvenir shopping. It was freezing and growing dark by this time, but we still had a successful trip and I was able to chat with a sweet old Russian man with a pipe and a collection of coins that I didn’t necessary want but I felt bad not purchasing anything after our nice conversation, so I purchased a set of Soviet-era coins that are actually rather interesting. On the metro home, I had a bizarre experience. Usually, the metros are full but not packed to bursting, and I happened to be in the smack dab center of the aisle squished on every side; it was so tight that I only swayed when the metro lurched forward. It was fine until everyone decided to get off on the same stop, and I literally had no choice but to get carried out of the cab by the sea of people. I’ve never been carried by a crowd because it was so tightly pressed together, and it was quite terrifying, actually. The most terrifying part about it was that I was afraid the crowd wouldn’t disperse and I wouldn’t get back on the train before the doors closed—fortunately, I was able to dash back on at the last second. I attribute that superpower mad chance to my Captain America shirt. Rogers has my back (literally). All in all, it was a fully satisfying and enjoyable day, despite the cold and the back cramps from walking around the museum for two hours. I absolutely love exploring this grand, gorgeous city—and we’ve only scratched the surface of what it has to offer.