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Russia in 1994

Russia (Moscow)

Bec
2004-09-20 17:56:44

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hard nosed bargaining and fine tuning of labor legislations in Europe and America.

My impression is that the country is rushing back into the 19th century caricature of Russian society featuring the rich merchant, the influential but often ignorant priest and masses of dirt poor muzhiks with the difference that the rich are generally involved with the Mafia and that the poor are now highly educated and cultured people... It's a heart breaking perspective!

Old Arbat street used to be Moscow's main westward artery until it was replaced by the wide New Arbat street just north of here. Now it is a pleasant pedestrian mall where tourists and the few Muscovites that have money can go shopping in expensive shops.

Moscow is well provided with dozens of superlative museums and art galleries. The Pushkin Fine Arts Museum shown here, has one of the world's best collections of impressionist art. One could easily spend two weeks doing nothing but visiting great museums to enjoy ancient treasures in the Kremlin Armoury, pre-revolutionary Russian art in the Tretiakov Gallery, ancient icons in the Andrey Rubliev Museum or the interesting collection of the Museum of Oriental Art, to name just a few.

I was pleasantly surprised by the resilience of the Russian people who manage to enjoy themselves in spite of the difficult times they are going through (this scene was taken in the Botanical Gardens not far from the Ostankino TV Tower).

Even Moscow's Gorki Park had seen happier times when there would have been a lot of people around even on a Wednesday like this.

The place was deserted. Few sights can be as sad as an amusement park with nobody amusing themselves in it...

Moscow has great museums, fine churches and several impressive Monasteries like this one, the Novodevichi Convent founded in 1524 to celebrate the taking of Smolensk from Lithuania. Across the street from the entrance is the Novodevichi Cemetery where eminent Russians, (Tsarist and Soviet), lie in peace.

Below on the left, the charming Prokhorov Chapel in front of the impressive Smolensk Cathedral and on the right, a view of the Transfiguration Gate-Church from inside the Convent Walls. Russian Monasteries were built as fortresses and they often had to play the defensive role they had been designed for.

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