Salt Life

Moscow

Aeroflot - headed for Moscow




The lovely view from our hotel room at the Maxima Slavia, Moscow




Our Metro Station - VDNKH



We were told by reception that the hotel offered a free shuttle service every 90 minutes to the nearest metro station which was supposedly only 2 kilometers away. At 3 p.m. we met the driver at the front entrance and stepped into the like-new and very clean van of which we were its only occupants. Fifteen minutes later we were dropped off in front of the VDNKH Metro Station and before we could ask any questions the driver was gone.

A bit dazed, we made our way through the entrance and found the line to purchase metro passes. No English spoken or written anywhere in this place! We exchanged rubles for a 20-ride pass and followed the "herd" toward the escalator down into the underground. Caught up in the mass of people, we realized no one was stepping onto the left side of the escalator. They made a single-file line to the right, leaving an entire lane empty. We walked right onto the left side with no pushing, no fight at all. We quickly realized why....we were in the passing lane! People started piling up behind us, wanting us to move, so move we did. We suddenly found ourselves running down the 45 degree slope of this very old moving staircase! Breathless, we made it to the main floor and merged our bodies to the side, up against a wall, to keep from being trampled. Now to find our line.

Thank God Dave could read the signs...he found it. We worked our way over to the loading platform of the Orange line which arrived in seconds. We squeezed into the train and held on tight! Three stops later was Prospect Mira and our cue to change lines. We pooled out and, like a giant school of fish, wound our way through stairs and overpasses to get to the Brown line. Once again, we wedged ourselves onto the next train. After two more stops we spilled out onto Belorusskaya, got pulled through more winding stairs and walkways until we landed on the street which lead to the Marriott. We asked a police officer where we could find the hotel, we knew it was very close. He pointed to the left and walked away. Not very helpful! It was only a half a block away, so despite the lack of help, we found it within a few minutes.

What a joy it was to be reunited! They'd had their own adventure that day. We shared our stories and soon started to feel hunger coming on.

Just a block away was a very nice grocery store. Reminded me of Whole Foods, Russian style. We found the deli/bakery where they had a variety of some favorite Russian dishes. We had them package up some halupsi (cabbage rolls), apple blini's, & ketleti (little meatloafs). We said our good-byes and started our journey back to our hotel to eat our warm dinner.

The first leg back was a breeze. Walk a half block to the Belorusskaya Station, take the brown line to the orange line and then get off at VDNKH where our shuttle would be waiting. We arrived at VDNKH about 30 minutes early. Our shuttle was scheduled to arrive at 7, so we walked around the plaza and took a few pictures while waiting.

It was starting to get cold and by 7:15 we were really worried when our driver still hadn't shown. Dave called the hotel. "You must have missed him. Take bus #77 or 244." What? I told Dave not ten minutes earlier that there was no way I was getting on one of those busses! Well, it was that or walk.

We got kicked off the first bus because we thought the metro pass would work--it didn't and the driver stopped, yelled something in Russian and opened the door pointing for us to get off. The next bus driver let us stay, as we paid him in exact change, 50R. Forty five minutes later we were in our hotel room eating frozen halupsi, discussing how we were so happy we wouldn't have to ride one of those stinky, over-packed, city buses again! That's what we thought!

Labels: adoption

posted by Kushmama @ 1:34 PM