Capital of Russia. Poltical and economical powerhouse. Once the center of the Soviet Union.  Largest city of the European continent. The Third Rome. Powerful Moscow.

As soon as it was decided to visit St Petersburg, it was evident to visit Moscow as well. You can travel by plane or by train from one to another city. Since the price was allmost the same, I chose the option by train. Not an ordinary train but an overnight sleeper train. I was lucky to find good tickets for the Red Arrow (since the cost of the tickets can depend on what day and period you’re travelling). The Red Arrow train started in 1939 and many famous people of the Communist Party used it to travel. So the train is quite a historic experience. And it shows: the interior reflects past times, the stewards wear a strict uniform and there is a lot of merchandising (like chocolate) from the Red Arrow. To show it’s grandeur, the song “The Hymn to the Great City” plays when the train leaves St Petersburg. Take a seat and enjoy the ride, cause this isn’t just a train ride but a ride with a Russian icon.

As soon as arriving I found a checklist for breakfast , clean sheets and a bag with bathroom accessories waiting for me. Just like a hotel. Even the television was playing and the red curtains were ready to close. I booked a 1st class compartment. This means that there was place for two people with couches who could be converted into beds and next to that a table in the middle. Although it’s 1st class, you don’t have a lot space – it’s a train after all. But I found it surprising how every little corner of the space is used. Thanks to that you really have all the space you need. After using the shared toilet, I was ready to go to sleep. The bed –although small-  was really comfortable. The train noise wasn’t too loud. So I had a good night.

The next morning when waking up, the Red Arrow was allmost in Moscow. But before arriving you recieve the breakfast you ordered, again with all kind of Red Arrow details. Though the last days in St Petersburg were very sunny, it was raining in Moscow. Raining a lot. Luckily, just like St Petersburg, you can travel all around Moscow by metro.

Since it was so rainy and streets were flooding, I went to Sanduny. Sanduny is a Russian banya, which means public bath house. It’s the oldest banya in Moscow but also the most historically famous. When entering you’ll be impressed by it’s old luxurious interior. Before going into the banya, you have to buy a ticket. Men and woman are divided, and there are different ticket classes. I had a ticket to go into the Male Top Class Bath House. The Roman style pool was very impressive. Different from a sauna is that the banya is very public. While in a sauna it is appreciated to be silent, there is a lot of talking and laughing in the banya. Since men and women are divided, there are many groups of same sex friends visiting. Another difference is that you’re offered a hat to protect your hair and head from the heat. Also a surprise, were the bath brooms. In Sanduny there are a lot of oak brooms. They get used for a massage and to intensify the heat. Since it’s not always easy to use the broom yourself, people working there but also visitors help you out. You can also order something to drink and eat in the dressing rooms who are also a lounge area. While being at Sanduny I completely forgot how rainy and cold it was outside. Completely relaxed I walked around the streets to find a nice restaurant before heading to the hotel.

The next day, the sky looked grey again. But the rainy clouds were gone. Must do on every list when you visit Moscow: the Kremlin. The medieval fortified complex, and now the official residence of the President of Russia. It was just how I pictured it to be: mighty, fortified and very red. For visiting the complex you can best go very early or very late to skip the crowds. I chose to do the Kremlin in the morning. You can’t enter through the walls without a ticket. You can buy a ticket to visit the Armoury or to visit the cathedrals at the Kremlin – which there are 3 of next to some more churches. I went for the Armoury –  which is a huge museum exhibiting some of the treasures, weapons and clothes of the tsars. Going in, you’ll recieve an audio guide in the language you prefer. Although I didn’t stay for hours in the Armoury, I still found it really interesting. The history about some of the weapons, the background of the Fabergé eggs, the information about the wedding dress of Catherine the Great,… There were so many interesting, funny and surprising facts I learned during the time in the Armoury about Russian culture – and it’s more engaging than a history book.

But after the visit at the Armoury it was time for the real thing. Walking around the grounds of the Kremlin. The sun appeared and made the place look even more majestic. The golden domes shined and I realized this wasn’t only a walk in the powercenter of Russia but also on a true historic place. It was more beautiful than I imagined and the Kremlin is really huge. It’s almost like a fortified mini village (although there are no houses but towers, palaces and churches).

Next to the Kremlin is the Red Square with maybe the most famous building of Russia, Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Better known as the cathedral with the colorful domes and for me as a child the cathedral with the icecream domes. Many tourists gathered around the cathedral to get a good picture and it’s easy to see why – the cathedral is a true beauty. But everywhere you look at the Red Square, you can see how powerful Russia was and is. After exploring the Square and it’s surroundings, I went for lunch to GUM, a very large department store at the Square. I suppose you can spend days alone in the store, seeing all the luxury shops they have. But I went for Stolovaya 57, a Soviet-style self service restaurant. Lovely to try so many local russian food and that for a really good price.

After lunch there was still time for walking around Moscow. I liked the bridges, the Seven Sisters of Moscow and again the wonderful Russian metro’s, but I kind of missed St Petersburg. I always heard that some people like Moscow more and some like St Petersburg more. I’m definitely at the St Petersburg side. I didn’t have the relaxed moments like walking around the canals and over the small bridges of St Petersburg. Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city of the European continent, so I suppose it’s normal I didn’t find the city relaxing. Moscow is a political powerhouse and I could feel that. Many buildings in Moscow have Stalinistic architecture and I prefer the imperial  and neoclassical architecture of St Petersburg.  Don’t get me wrong, Moscow is impressive. But I could relate myself more to St Petersburg.

But if you want to see and feel the power of Russia, you can’t skip Moscow.

Some last tips when you visit Moscow:

• Transport: if you travel from or to St Petersburg, search for the different transport options. If you have the time and if you want to travel at night, check out the overnight trains. A true experience
• Communism: if you’re interested in communist history or Stalinist architecture you’ll be pleased. Check the Seven Sisters of Moscow, which was a prestige project after WWII
• Kremlin: you need a ticket to visit the Kremlin. So decide before buying which ticket you like the most: the Armoury or the Cathedrals or a combined ticket to visit both
• For other tips to visit Russia; check out my previous blog about St Petersburg