Today was a day for learning and experiencing Russia. After an amazing breakfast at the hotel, we all got into a bus and headed to the U.S. Embassy. This was the only picture that we were allowed to take, as we had to check in all cameras, phones, tablets, and any other recording device when we got there.
We had a wonderful morning learning about how the Embassy works as well as getting a run-down of the current political, economic and cultural aspects of Russia. It was very enlightening and all of us thoroughly enjoyed it.
We had a wonderful morning learning about how the Embassy works as well as getting a run-down of the current political, economic and cultural aspects of Russia. It was very enlightening and all of us thoroughly enjoyed it.
After visiting the Embassy, we went to "Cafe Moo Moo" ("my my" in Cyrillic). This was a cafeteria style restaurant where we all just pointed at what we wanted. Many of us got a surprise wen the chicken leg we THOUGHT was a chicken leg actually turned out to be stuffed sausage shaped like a chicken leg. The food was good and we had fun practicing our pronunciation on many of the restaurant signage. After Cafe My My, we went to the Kremlin for a guided tour. Unfortunately, they were not ready for us so we had an hour to kill. Several of us went back to Red Square to take more pictures. We managed to see the changing of the Guard at the Eternal Flame as well as some smaller things that we hadn't seen before. | |
When we got into the Kremlin we saw so many neat things. The Kremlin was a LOT bigger than we thought. There were so many palaces and large buildings inside of it. We saw the Presidential Palace where President Putin lives and works, several of the buildings and churches, and we got to go into the Armoury. It even started snowing while we were there! Unfortunately, photos were not allowed to be taken inside any of the church buildings or inside the Armoury, so I don't have any pictures of all the stunning jewelry, diamond encrusted swords, Bibles dripping with precious gems and gold, and the Faberge eggs. There is a virtual tour that you can take online on the Kremlin Museum's webpage.
After the Kremlin tour, it was time for dinner. We walked to the nearest Metro station, paid for tickets, then walked through the station to the other side! We basically used the station as a short-cut! From there, we walked down the Old Arbat street for about half a mile to a Turkish restaurant. The food was delicious and we're making plans to go back to Old Arbat street after our visit to our host cities in order to do some souvenir and present shopping!
A note about the restaurants in Russia. Smoking is allowed! There is smoking everywhere. That is one thing that I was very surprised at, even though I had read about it online and in books. Somehow, I assumed that smoking would be banned inside of restaurants and public places much like it is in Illinois.
I'm going to end with a question for my students, and any of you if you feel so inclined. The Russian Ruble is about 35 Rubles to $1. I bought a book about the Kremiln, 2 postcards, and a funky holographic bookmark with some of the crown jewels from the Armoury on it. All total, I spent 220 Rubles. How many dollars did I spend?
After the Kremlin tour, it was time for dinner. We walked to the nearest Metro station, paid for tickets, then walked through the station to the other side! We basically used the station as a short-cut! From there, we walked down the Old Arbat street for about half a mile to a Turkish restaurant. The food was delicious and we're making plans to go back to Old Arbat street after our visit to our host cities in order to do some souvenir and present shopping!
A note about the restaurants in Russia. Smoking is allowed! There is smoking everywhere. That is one thing that I was very surprised at, even though I had read about it online and in books. Somehow, I assumed that smoking would be banned inside of restaurants and public places much like it is in Illinois.
I'm going to end with a question for my students, and any of you if you feel so inclined. The Russian Ruble is about 35 Rubles to $1. I bought a book about the Kremiln, 2 postcards, and a funky holographic bookmark with some of the crown jewels from the Armoury on it. All total, I spent 220 Rubles. How many dollars did I spend?