Moscow: The heart of Russia

Moscow

Introduction

Moscow is a beautiful and historic place located in the heart of Russia. Bursting with culture and life, any traveler here will make many fond memories here.

Things to do

St Basil's Cathedral

You simply cannot say you've been to Moscow without visiting this beautiful icon of Russia. Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1555, it displays the uniqueness of Russian architecture through its crazy usage of colours, patterns and shapes. It is divided into into nine chapels, each one unique in its own right and sure to catch your eye

Red square

At the heart of moscow lies the famous 400m-by-150m Red Square. The panorama of this place never ceases to amaze, especially at night and at the south end of this square is the icon of Russia, St Basil's Cathedral. The Russian name for this square is 'kransnaya' meant beautiful but now it means red and both meanings apply to this wonderful and historically significant square.   

Place to eat

Hachapuri

If you want to expereince a cosy, simple meal suitable for a family or for a lonely traveller, this restaurant is for you. Experience the fullness of a Gregorian meal with dishes including Hinkali and Hachapuri! In this restaurant there are also backgammon games and a ram named Tolik who takes centre stage where you can take pictures with him and feed him. This restaurant is guaranteed to give you an excellent impression of Russian dining

Foods to try

Borsch/Borscht

This delicious beet and and cabbage red soup is the best thing to have to warm up a cold winter day. A mouthwatering combination of flavour, it is served with or without meat, potato, herbs, Russian sour cream and rye or garlic bread topped with melted cheese, this starter dish is sure to leave you feeling warm and satisfied.

Russian Pancakes

Called blini in Russian, this savory or sweet dish is the Russian take on the French crepe and is a given in most Moscovian menus. Savory blini is usually made with buckwheat and sweet blini is usually made with white flour. Common toppings you will find on blini include  smoked salmon, jams, condensed milk, red salmon, black sturgeon caviar, and sour cream

Things to watch out for: the traffic

Driving in Moscow is something that should definitely be avoided. Moscow roads are fill of traffic jams, vague road rules and dodgy lanes, the rental car system is difficult to navigate and arbitrary pullovers and bribe requests are a definite possibility. The public transport system in Russia is one of the largest in the world and is very efficient, making it a  far better alternative.

Hotel: Aquamarine Hotel

This excellent hotel at AUS $102 per night has great rooms and service which will allow you to rest comfortably and gather your energy for another day. It is located within a 15-min walk radius of multiple metro stations and is situated in a vibrant area, filled with bars and restaurants.

Airfare

As of 13/10/2017 the airfare from Sydney to Russia is $1,114.61 but watch out for better deals in other parts of the year.

Overall opinion

If you're looking for a place filled with history, architecture and life, Moscow is the city for you. Moscow will go beyond your expectations and leave you wanting more
4.5/5

-Alex Silvino

All information sourced from
https://www.expedia.com.au/Flights-Search?rfrr=TG.LP.SrchWzd.Flight&langid=3081&trip=OneWay&leg1=from:Sydney,%20NSW,%20Australia%20(SYD-Kingsford%20Smith%20Intl.),to:Moscow,%20Russia%20(DME-Domodedovo%20Intl.),departure:13/10/2017TANYT&passengers=children:0,adults:1,seniors:0,infantinlap:Y&options=cabinclass:economy,sortby:price,carrier:&mode=search&paandi=true
https://www.trivago.com.au/?iSemThemeId=6182&iPathId=86737&sem_keyword=moscow%20hotel&sem_creativeid=223456424612&sem_matchtype=e&sem_network=g&sem_device=c&sem_placement=&sem_target=&sem_adposition=1t2&sem_param1=&sem_param2=&sem_campaignid=421106704&sem_adgroupid=34302048424&sem_targetid=kwd-118883040&sem_location=9071730&cip=6112001021&gclid=CjwKCAjwpfzOBRA5EiwAU0ccN7PlKTnG8UTTrUPadC110hUxbBfGqzBp0CAH5FrvtBRWilVlZQQfVRoCkcUQAvD_BwE
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/moscow/attractions/a/poi-sig/360429
https://www.likealocalguide.com/moscow/hachapuri
http://honestcooking.com/make-russian-pancakes/https://www.expatica.com/ru/about/Top-10-Russian-foods-and-recipes_108678.htmlhttps://matadornetwork.com/trips/what-not-to-do-in-moscow/