Thursday, June 02, 2005
Moscow, day four
My options for sightseeing today were limited because I left my bag, containing my guidebook and maps, in Alice's car last night. I decided to take a tour of the Metro system. There is a line that runs in a circle around the center of the city, and this has some beautiful stations. No expense was spared in decorating them with exquisite mosaics, sculptures and chandeliers. I was most impressed with Belorusskaya, Kievskaya and Komsomolskaya.
Mosaic and relief on ceiling of Belorusskaya metro station
The Metro is fantastic. The trains run on an efficient schedule, sometimes less than two minutes apart (in each station there is a timer that shows the time elapsed since the departure of the last train). They pull out of the station with an impressive sound, an electric whoosh. No matter what time it is, there is always a huge crowd on the trains, in the stations on the escalators to the surface. But the staions and cars are safe; even though you can be pressed against your neighbors, you don't have to worry about pickpockets or gropers. The stations are pretty deep—you can spend at least one minute riding the escalator—but there are usually some people who are in a rush and run alongside you. With the constant waves of passengers spilling through the station, enjoying the artwork in the stations is a challenge. But for only 50 cents to enter the system, its no wonder the show plays to standing room only.
After an hour or so, I met Nadi at the architectural university that she attends. Nadi is currently studying for a specialist's degree (in between a bachelor's and a master's). She finishes her course next year. Her concentration is industrial architecture, although she told me that after she gets her degree she will be free to enter a new field. Nadi is especially interested in renovating existing structures.
Novoslobodskaya station
She led me inside the main building and showed me around. There were a lot of impressive student projects on display. We went back outside and hung out near the front gate. I met more of her classmates, who were all artsy.
In the afternoon I visited the Tretyakov Gallery. This holds the largest collection of Russian painting in the world, most of which are portraits. I was interested to see late 19th century and 20th century works, but unfortunately most of the rooms that house these were closed for the day. The gallery also contains a large collection of religious icons, but I had seen so many icons in the past three days that I just ran through this.
Komsomolskaya station
My train to St. Petersburg was for 11 P.M., which I hoped would give me time for one last dinner with my new friends. Unfortunately, Nastya (one of Nadi's classmates that I met on my first day in Moscow) was tied up at school. She did, however, kindly offer to give me a ride to the train station. I met up with Nadi, Alice and their friend Dima at a cafe near Nadi's flat. Dima showed me some of his work—he is a part-time photographer who made some really terrific portraits of Nadi and her friends. Overall I admired the creative spirit possessed by Nadi and her cohorts.
In a short while Nastya arrived, joined by Julia. We returned to Nadi's flat and I quickly packed my bags. I encouraged everyone to come to San Francisco. I thanked Nadi for her out-of-this-world hospitality. In her typically modest way, she apologized that she hadn't had more time to spend with me, on account of her studies, and especially that she and her friends didn't show me any of Moscow's legendary nightclubs! I told her that I wouldn't forget her kindness, and we said goodbye.
Nastya drove me to the train station, with Julia along as well. Even at this hour we encountered a traffic jam, but Nastya found another way. We got there with plenty of time to spare. I said goodbye to them both and thanked them for showing me a great time. I promised that I would be back again—maybe in the wintertime, to see a different side of the city.
