Because of changing dates and arrangements, I ended up losing about U$300 in failed airline flights, but on 1^st April 2011 – off we went...

01/04/2011 – Up bright and early (04:30AM), Janet and I fly to Bangkok and pick up a connecting (Thai Airways) flight to Moscow Domodedovo Airport – arriving around 17:00. Crappy Exchange rate - the buy and sell rates were 28 and 15 Roubles. DHL organised a taxi-pickup... so out into the bright/sunny (lovely) – but cold (around 3C) – car parks and a 1+ hour drive into central Moscow.

First impressions: Cold, drab (BUT this is because trees are all bare, roads are full of puddles and cars are therefore coated in mud/dirt – not a criticism – just a fact of life.), very fast driving (more about that later), countryside gives way to traffic and the city – saw bits of the Kremlin as we came from the south to the Holiday Inn Moscow Lesnaya (North West of the centre).

Met “the boys” (l to r) Ian and Webster 

they had taken piccies from their incoming plane – Russia looks cold and snowy....

They also took piccies of the district around the hotel - because of the "grey day" - it all looks a bit drab... at left is a bus depot..

Had dinner in hotel, everything in the hotel (Holiday In at Lesnaya is clean, tidy and works!! All good!!

Nearest Metro is Beloruskaya – but that's for another day...... Sunday!!

02/04/2011 – Saturday – sightseeing day!! We walked everywhere this day, must have done at least 10Km!! And it was a drab miserable rainy day to start off with!! Our plan is.....Red Square, Kremlin (and by the way...) we get massive views – I decide this is because the roads are so enormous (some are 3 or 4 lanes in each direction and then they have a greenery lane and another one or two lanes for local traffic) – so you have big wide panoramas... Lenin's Mausoleum was closed, Red Square was great, St Basil's Cathederal was crazy/great. Bit of a miserable grey, rainy day – and we were walking... a walk along the river and a walk back home...dinner at TGIF's – very busy!! We started off with.....

100 yards from our hotel - and in between modern office blocks - our first church... (note the muddy car).

This is the front/entrance of that church

This was a nice little park we found - there were workmen out piling the snow from the walkways onto the grass - bit cold, blowy and damp!!

And then we found (I think it was a) Museum of Modern Art - all free - and good fun...

We're on our way to Red Square, but are in the back alleys now.. bit warmer and not so grey...

That's where we're heading (raining again!!) The entrance to Red Square - over by the spikey buildings..

Cars drive right up onto the wide pavements - there doesn't appear to be any parking meters or charges for parking... bit like 1960's Italy.. park anywhere you can....

Getting closer to the entrance to Red Square... People leaving already!!

OK - we're IN... the square itself is a bit further on - see St Basil's Cathedral in the misty, far distance - that's at the far end of Red Square

We've just come through there and Red Square is behind us now

Turn round 180 degrees and the square is bounded on the left by the GUM department store - that grey building at left as far as the eye can see..

Detail of the rear of the entrance-gate building (State History Museum).

And here it is..... Lots of cobbles.... GUM on the left, St Basil's straight ahead, Kremlin at right.... fantastic!!

Kremlin with Lenin's mausoleum coming up ...

There it is... we visited this spot a couple more times - but the mausoleum was always closed.. very specific timings...

That's the full length of Red Square, Lenin's Mausoleum is just above Janet's head, and the grassy ramp she's walking up - leads to St Basil's... what a place!!

OK - St Basil's is 90 degrees left and this is a big ramp leading down to the Moscow River - we're going to have a walk around the outside of the Kremlin, along the river... (Kremlin on our right.. river on our left...

Bye bye Basil (and GUM)....

Down the ramp....

And a walk along the river...cars doing well over 60/70 mph!!

We visit the big church with gold top in the distance, on another day....

OK - that's the end of the walk along the river, through this little park (Alexander Garden) and up to the entrance to the Kremlin

Tomb of the Unknown soldier

Now - into The Kremlin...., wonderful churches and buildings/palaces – it was lovely and sunny by this time.

What an impressive place.... palaces, churches etc.. some dated as early as 1350 onwards - but we start off with something more modern

State Kremlin Palace/Kremlin Palace of Congresses... 1961.

Senate building.

Tsar Puska Cannon.... apparently it has been fired - but the cannon-balls shown here are too large

Going towards Kremlin Square

Assumption Cathedral

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

Church of the Deposition of the Robe 1488.

Phew... what a busy day.......

03/04/2011 – Sunday – Sunny and bright – we want to do the Metro – especially to see the decorations etc... very impressive (apparently the Moscow Metro is busier than London and New York combined)....

We plotted a route which took in most of the exceptional stations..

Whilst going from one Metro station to another, we ended up in Stary Arbat Street - pedestrian precinct, lots of shops, bars, restaurants.... and in the distance one of "Stalin's Seven Sisters" - buildings like wedding cakes - apparently he didn't like the USA having a monopoly on skyscrapers and commissioned seven of these massive buildings - they're scattered all around the city..

Back at the hotel - I bought a Vodka, Orange and a coke at the bar – 600 Roubles (21 U$ or 26 S$) - expensive!!

Dinner in Italian place – very nice – at next table 10+ BIG Mafia-type locals!!

04/04/2011 – I do a bit of exploring, whilst the boys have to work.... Chinese dinner – noticed that lights get dimmed in restaurants at 19:00 and maybe again at 20:00.

05/04/2011 – dinner at Shish-Kebab place and some piccies of the area around the hotel..

06/04/2011 –

I wanted to find “The White House” which was fired upon by tanks etc.. during the Gorbachov/Yeltsin (or thereabouts) squabbles (1993). But, after quite a walk, took 2 hours there and back – unimpressive, ordinary building (that's it above) with no apparent bullet holes - walked back through Moscow Zoo area.. nice young lady helped with directions. Notice a "Seven Sister" building lurking at right...

07/04/2011 – lazy day

08/04/2011 – organised how I was to get from Hotel to Sheremetyevo Airport – very easy – 10 minute walk to station – then AeroExpress

09/04/2011 – Out exploring – cold and a bit snowy ....

Firstly to the big church (which turns out to be Cathederal of Christ the Saviour) - on the river that we'd seen from the river walk...,

Then Stary Arbat shopping area again – very good, lunch in Moo Moo – Russian dinner (Beef Stroganov), to supermarket for the boys.
 

10/04/2011 – Firstly - using the Metro to get to GUM... discussions on "where are we??"...then...

On the way to GUM...

GUM on a Sunday morning...

Straight to GUM department store – very impressive...

Then to Red Square, St Basils and down to the river again.

We wanted to get a river cruise – but they were all closed.

So we walked around the Old English Court area - which started at the pink building and continued down that road - all on the lright..

See how wide the roads are....??

Home.. by Metro..

11/04/2011 – My departure day – I leave hotel at 12:00 – get 12:30 AeroExpress, punctual!! 35 minutes to airport lots of hanging around.. Turkish Airlines to Istanbul, then again to Singapore – a good trip!!