Bolshoi Ballet

Seeing the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow was a top priority for me.  Months of daily checking the website yielded us tickets to Swan Lake, a ballet created specifically for the Bolshoi company.  Saying it was magnificent is an understatement.  When the curtains rose, I cried.  The performance was superb.  The dancers, principals down to the corps, were flawless.  Each move was pristine perfection.

 I’ve seen videos of the Bolshoi performing Swan Lake before, but the execution was even better than on film.  And being able to experience it in the newly renovated historic theater just added another level of fulfillment to this incredible time.

While that was the cherry on top, the remainder of Moscow didn’t disappoint.  Red Square, filled with a Christmas market, was as impressive as it should be, given the host of historic events which have occurred here.

St Basils cathedral, smaller in person than in photos, is such an iconic building.  Actually, it is 9 different chapels under one roof, with each dome topping a different chapel.  

We saw Lenin’s body, which is preserved and bizarrely presented to the public a few hours a week (no photos allowed).  The Kremlin was surprising.  I always knew it as the seat of government, which it is, but it is filled with gold domed churches.

By a strange combination of events, we met an American couple working in Moscow, and planned to visit the Izmailovsky Saturday markets with them.  We were picked up in their private car with driver, and chauffeured to a market outside the city, where stall after stall of souvenirs lined the outdoor area.

There, they pointed out which craftsmen were genuine, and those that should be avoided.  We ended up buying a hand painted matryoshka (Russian doll) depicting the “Snow Maiden”, which is a Russian folk tale, along with Christmas presents for family at home.

One evening we decided to go ice skating in Gorky Park, but nearly bailed when we saw the extremely long line.  Thankfully we didn’t.  This wasn’t your everyday ice skating rink.  Instead, long avenues of ice were laid along park paths.  Skating in circles wasn’t necessary, as the avenues stretched long distances, and criss crossed each other.

We skated outside, past food and drink stands, and were even able to get beers.  We’ve never seen ice skating like this before, but would absolutely do it again.  It was so much fun.  

Moscow was awesome.  I loved it, and Paul was pleasantly surprised by it.  We had expected a bit of antagonism, but never experienced any.  Everyone was extremely warm and helpful.  In spite of (or perhaps because of) the omnipresent police and metal detectors, we always felt safe.

There’s a lot of negative press about Russia, but it was a great experience.  Our difficult to obtain Russian visas are valid for another two and a half years, so I’m already scheming on how to get back before they expire.

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