Kremlinology

Last night Hannah and I had an epic adventure to the Rus Market down the street in search of goodies for the night's festivities. This resulted in the most college student-esque shopping basket ever. Sushki (round, crunch bread things), cookies, a tomato, a bottle of red wine, and a bottle of vodka. We actually got a crazy deal on the vodka: we paid 170 rubles ($6.50) for a half liter of vodka on sale, where it was originally 280 ($10). Being crafty, even in Russia! And to top it all off, I got carded. In Russia. I got carded in Russia. I turned 21 two weeks before I left for Russia. International drinking age fail. So, I had to whip out my U.S. passport in the grocery store to prove I was over 18. I hate pulling my American documents out in public, I prefer to blend in. Oh well! All in the name of a good party! (Which it was!)

Vodka!

This morning we had an excursion to the Kremlin, which was really cool although mostly another tour of another billion churches. The saborii here are beautiful, but they all start to look the same after a while. (So awful of me to say...) The Kemlin acts the political center of Moscow. Originally built as a citadel (kremel) at the highest point of the city, the Kremlin today is where the President of Russia works. Seeing as how today was Saturday, Medvedev wasn't present, but it's my goal to see Putin before I leave! The Kremlin is impressive, if in scale and architecture if nothing else. It's hard enough to describe things in Russia, even harder to get across the significance and elegance of the Kremlin. So! I have pictures for you all! Let the viewing ensue!

Entrance to the Kremlin

Kremlin Walls

The Arsenal

State Kremlin Palace

One of the churches (I forgot which one...)

Senate Building (Medvedev's offices)

Soldiers on march in the Kremlin

Cathedral of the Assumption

Another nameless church

Me in the Kremlin Garden

View of the City from the Kremlin

Annunciation Cathedral

Cathedral of the Assumption

After the Kremlin, Austin and I made a mad dash for some very necessary food at 2pm. We found a good Russian place in a food court outside of the Kremlin walls and inhaled everything we bought. The food here is good, but thank god we walk 5-6 miles a day otherwise I'd be so fat! Our next mission was to find Moscow State University (MGU), which is a landmark in Moscow. One of the buildings on campus (picture below!) is one of the Seven Gothic Sisters built throughout Moscow by Stalin. The campus is just like other college campuses all over the world, but it's dominated by the administration building, which is so beautiful! On the way home, we dozed on the metro and then got caught in a monsoon on the walk back from the metro station to campus. (We go to the Moscow University for the Humanities, by the way.) I returned to my dorm room soaked to the bone, but I felt very accomplished with my escapades for the day!

Moscow State University

And now it's 11:30 at night, we just finished eating dinner and enjoying a good peach, a luxury here in Russia where fruit and veggies don't really exist. Well they do, but they're awful. So now I'm full, happy, and I have my (5th) cup of tea in my hand. I'm now going to enjoy sleeping in tomorrow and then beginning my sixth week in Russia, second week in Moscow!

Love and hugs to all! And to any of my former or current teachers reading this, please pass no judgment, I swear I'm learning lots! :)

xoxo

P.S. Foreign Policy magazine is running a good series of articles in response to 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union (1991-2011), go check them out! Revolution Road (Foreign Policy)