So yesterday could have been seen as somewhat of a bust. After posting that I was going with Graham and Steve to walk around the stadium, I was telling Sergey what we were planning to do. He then informed me that you are not allowed to walk around the stadium on game days without a ticket. Actually you cannot even get off the metro at the station by the stadium without a ticket. Just another example of how Russia differs from the US. So instead of going to the stadium, I met up with Graham and Steve at the bar we always go to (Кружка = Kruzhka, literally it means beer mug). We got to the bar about an hour and a half before the start of the game and luckily we got the last available booth. So we just hung out there, had some beers and vodka shots and watched a great futbol match. Unfortunately ЦСКА got beat 1-0 so they are now out of the tournament, but it was still one heck of an experience to watch a game of that importance in a Russian bar with crazy soccer fans all over. When I was walking through the metro station near Kruzhka there was just a sea of people wearing red and blue (the colors of CSKA) and they were all singing and passing around bottles of vodka...yes, vodka in the metro. Ha. It was completely crazy.
Today my group took a tour of the Novodevichiy Convent (Новодевичий Монастырь). It was a convent that was originally founded in 1524. Unfortunately I was in a rush to meet my group and forgot my camera...so no pictures. But here is a link to a site with a brief overview of the convent along with some pictures: LINK. Also, after the tour of the convent we walked next door to the famous Novodevichiy Cemetery (Новодевичье Кладбище). Once again, no pictures but here is a LINK to its Wikipedia page. It's a cemetery only for famous Russians. A short list of who is buried there is Boris Yeltsin, Nikita Khrushchev, Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol, and Stalin's wife...plus many others.
So that ends the written tour, hope you enjoyed. Check out the links and leave me your comments!
ПОКА!
Hey Ben .... I don't have anything to say right this second but I wanted to beat Aunt Patti with the first comment :)
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
ben;must be hard to scalp a ticket if you cant get near the stadium...I am sure the atmosphere at the Beer Mug was very loud and wild....enjoy your thurs,and friday classes...look for my letter...later dad..
ReplyDeleteHi Ben ....
ReplyDeleteSounded like a fun time last night - as you enjoyed a beer or two and maybe a vodka shot at The Beer Mug [see, that's what I read in your comments].
I will have to look up the links you posted. Which was your favorite - convent or cemetery?
Have a good rest of the week.
Really quiet around here - half of Saline is gone, on spring break.
Keep your eyes open, be smart and safe.
May God Bless, Love, Mom
Dear Ben-
ReplyDeleteCemetery and convent sounded very neat. I would have enjoyed both tours. Such ancient and beautiful places...
Futbol sounded fun even though you had to go to plan "B."
Speaking of sports, I hate to give you the disappointing news but Turner announced today that he is going to the NBA. Oh well...
Take care...have fun.
Love, Aunt Patti
PS Do your mom and Aunt Paula think I talk too much??!!
Heck Ben, when you get home you are going to know more about Russia than you do about America. You are mighty lucky to get to experience such a historic nation first hand.
ReplyDeleteMake a small remark: vodka in the metro - this is not a common thing for the Moscow metro. Drinking alcohol in public places, we have forbidden. However, you must understand that it is difficult to control the crowd disappointed the game of football fans.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my bad English.
Artyom, Moscow.
Бен, береги себя.
Sounds like a crazy time. Kind of like OSU/Michigan week? What kind of vodka do they drink? The same brands we get here? I was wondering if you were going to bring home one of those fuzzy hats?
ReplyDeleteSherry
Very cool for you to see those things - to give a comparison - went to Beaufort, SC yesterday; their oldest house was built in 1717 compare that to a convent from 1524! Wow!
ReplyDeleteNice to get the game day experience too!
Look forward to reading more.
Much Love,
Aunt Paula
p.s. I don't think Aunt Patti talks too much. :)