Christmas Time in Red Square

What a glorious day it has been. The sun came out at about 9:30 and it has been clear blue skies and bright sun ever since.  We now have fewer than seven hours of daylight so this was a rare and much appreciated treat.  I wanted to take full advantage of it so at ten o’clock; I headed out with my shopping bag and no real destination in mind.  As I began walking I decided that I should go and see what Red Square looks like in the winter. 

Skating Rink and Tree with GUM in Background

Christmas Tree in Red Square

I walked over to Tverskaya Street and turned right.  This street, which has also been known as Gorky Street and Piterskay, is best known as the Fifth Avenue of Moscow, and with good reason. There are more fancy shops, brand name stores, (Think Louis Viutton, not Target) and magnificent old buildings on this street than anywhere else in Moscow.  It is the epicenter of nightlife in Moscow, with trendy restaurants, high-end clubs, bars and cafes.  It is the third most expensive street in the world, based on the rental rate of commercial real estate.  It is decorated so beautifully for Christmas, well for New Year’s since they don’t official like to call it Christmas. The Mayor’s residence has a sixty -foot Christmas tree display that is fantastic.  I very much enjoyed walking long distances again since it has been a while and I was distracted so much by the decorations that I almost slipped on ice several times.

By the time I got to Red Square the sun was as high as it was going to get today and it bathed the square in a piercingly bright glow.  Poor old Lenin would have died all over again if he could see what the Square looks like at Christmas.  It is half filled with a huge outdoor skating rink that blares American style Christmas songs from speakers placed atop all the little gingerbread like huts that surround the rink. Smack dab in the middle of the square is another enormous Christmas tree decorated like the one at Rockefeller Center. I took a few pictures with my phone and I’ll attach them if they look ok.

I went into the GUM Store, which stands for the Glavnyi Universalnyi Magazin or Main Department Store. It was also known as the State Department Store, but now it is just GUM.  It is a breath-taking piece of architecture that fortunately survived all the political nonsense that enveloped Moscow over the past hundred and twenty-five years.  I’ve talked with friends who visited Moscow in the 80’s and remember GUM as being a dreary place with nothing on the shelves. Now it is a vibrant mall with high-end shops, cafes, restaurants, toy stores, (for kids and adults) and it is ever so tastefully decorated for the holidays.  I have a favorite toilet that I use there, which gave me a chance to wander around and warm up a bit before the next leg of my journey.

GUM Department Store

Red Square Looking at St. Basil's.

I walked across the square and was going to go and have a look at Lenin’s Tomb but the lines were too long and I know he’ll be there a while longer.  I did walk through the Peace Park and took a look at the eternal flame and the two guards that watch over it. It commemorates those lost in WWII. From there it was an hour’s walk to the embassy, passing lots of magnificent old mansions and museums.  Once at the embassy I paid our cable bill, the only bill we have, and then did some quick shopping.  As I was getting ready to check out I remembered that someone told me that you could sometimes get away with purchasing beer or wine at the Liberty Store.  Supposedly, we can’t buy any alcohol but some think that means hard booze, so I picked up two lovely bottles of French wine and held my breath.  Sure enough, no problem, and I left with a grand Chablis and glorious Cote du Rhone, purchased at a fraction of the price I would pay in the grocery store.  The only thing I forgot to consider was that I had to carry them home, along with the can goods, mayo, brown sugar and other heavy items.  If I’d had a corkscrew, I might have consumed one of the bottles right there to save the weight.  I made it home without slipping and was thrilled that I had been walking for more that three and a half hours.  My fingers are crossed for tomorrow.  Best wishes, Cindy and Wm

News Item from Moscow Times:

Wal-Mart closes Moscow Headquarters abandons Russian market for now saying that Muscovites are too well dressed!  (The last seven words are mine.)