Moscow, the heart of Russia

Updated: Oct 25, 2023

Capital of one of the greatest empire of history and nowadays the biggest state on Earth, Moscow hosts 12.5 million residents and is a federal city center of political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre of Russia.

Санкт-Петербург - "окно в Европу", а Москва - сердце России

Having lived during my erasmus in Tver, a city that stayed one hour and a half from Moscow, I got the occasion of visiting this city several times. And every time I went there it was so rich of adventures!

Four Erasmus girls: a French, a Slovakian, an Italian and half Russian

The Red Square

The Red Square is the center of the city and the place that gave me the strongest emotions once in Russia! It’s a huge rectangular space that is bordered on one side by the Kremlin Walls and on the other by the Gum galleries, the fanciest shopping mall in Russia. The Square can be accessed by the Государственный Исторический музей, next to the Kazan Cathedral, or by this other side, next to the famous and extremely beautiful Saint Basil Cathedral.

Also, on the Red Square is situated the Lenin Mausoleum, where tourists are actually able to see the dead and embalmed body Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It is a bit creepy but it is a very special experience. Just remember to wake up a bit early because the entrance is free, so it is usually a long line waiting to enter!

The Shore of the Moskva

Also, on the Red Square is situated the Lenin Mausoleum, where tourists are actually able to see the dead and embalmed body Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It is a bit creepy but it is a very special experience. Just remember to wake up a bit early because the entrance is free, so it is usually a long line waiting to enter!

Moskva River and one of the Seven Sisters

Расцветали яблони и груши, поплыли туманы над рекой Выходила на берег Катюша, на высоки берег на крутой

Moscow is a city full of Museum and cultural stuffs to do. However, one of the most pleasant activity for me, was to walk on the shores of the Moskva river, from the Bunker-42 museum, built 80 Meters underground to be protected from the attack of the Second World War, till arriving at the new Zariadke park. This park is a huge area right in the center of Moscow, and it was inaugurated in 2018, right in the time when I was there!

The Underground

What I don't like about big cities is the difficulty of moving around because of the long distances by walk and the difficulties of costs of taking public transport. In Moscow this problem is almost absent: the underground, in fact, is so well designed that the 13 lines cover the whole territory of the city and are very clear on the way to reach one's destination.

The only problem you could face.. everything is written in Russian! I hope by this time they had put a transliteration, if not try to learn a little.

А a, б b, в v, г gh, д d, e e, ë yo, ж j, з z, й i, к k, л l, м m, н n, о o, п p, р r, с s, т t, у u, ф f, х h, ц ts, ч сh, ш sh, щ shh, ъ ь ы y, э e, ю iu, я ja

Also, stations were built during the Soviet era with the aim of being extremely beautiful, showing murals, mosaics, and ornate chandeliers. they are really worth to be observed as if you were in a museum! Cherry on top, the price of a ticket is 55 rubles [less than a dollar] which makes it extremely convenient to move around using public transport.

Food

The pelmeni are definitely my favourite Russian dish. They are basically dumplings that can be filled with minced meat or mushrooms. Also, the ice cream is a very traditional sweet in Moscow, winter or summer, you can have in every season!