City of guns and roses

By Chang Meng Source:Global Times Published: 2015-5-25 16:35:38

Following the march of history through Moscow


A panoramic view of Moscow Photo: Li Hao/GT

A girl visits the State Tretyakov Gallery. Photo: Li Hao/GT

The country with the vastest landscape across Asia and Europe, a superpower in the former bipolar world structure, a realm of splendid art legacy in music, painting and literature, and yes, a fighting nation that would die for fine liquor. Meet Russia, and embrace the unique experience that comes from joining its massive military parade in the warm May days in Moscow.

Russia is an interesting country comprised of multiple interconnected cultural factors including Russian Orthodox beliefs, ex-Soviet patriotism and modern development. As one of the most expensive cities to live in around the world, Moscow is the perfect destination for people into history, religion and arts as spectacular Orthodox cathedrals, galleries, concerts, theater plays and dance performances can be found throughout the metropolis - all of world-class caliber and cheaper than you would imagine.

Moscow is also a dream city for military and weapons fans. It has several prestigious military museums around town, and of course don't forget the show of military power held every year on May 9, Russia's Victory Day for World War II, when cutting-edge weapons are openly exhibited as part of the celebrations.

The best time to visit Moscow is from May through September so you can enjoy a mild late spring and summer with daylight hours lasting until 9 or 10 pm as you walk in the breeze along the Moskva River or have some vodka at a roadside bar.

Military fantasy

Don't worry if you missed this year's military parade - the largest the country has ever held - as there will still be plenty of chances to experience the parade in the years ahead. In 1995, Russia resumed the tradition of holding a military parade through Moscow's Red Square on May 9 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, turning it into a grand annual celebration involving full-day public activities around Moscow and other cities.

A quick thing to remember is to look up beforehand whether the restaurants, museums or shopping malls that you plan to visit will be closed during the three-day holiday.

A nice way to join the party is to take a Saint George Ribbon from volunteers on the streets and tie it on your bag or pin it to your chest. A ribbon with orange and black stripes that represent fire and gunpowder, it originally was a prestigious war medal and symbol of victory and bravery in Russia. During this holiday period you'll see almost everyone wearing one.

It's an amazing experience to stand among the crowd and watch the actual parade on the street rather than on TV, although you may likely have a difficult time taking in the entire picture. If you want to get a closer look at some of the vehicles and weapons there is an open-air museum of military equipment in Sokolniki Park that you can visit for free later. Similar exhibitions can also be found in other places like Park Pobedy. After a full day's activities, grand firework displays are held at night.

To truly enjoy the parade, which usually starts at 10 am, showing up early to find a good spot is essential. A heads up, all exits to the metro stations near Red Square will be blocked temporarily from the wee morning hours to early afternoon that day, as well as nearby roads leading to the square, including Tverskaya Street.

Some nice spectator spots include the bridges across the Moskva River. Get off at the Kitay-Gorod metro station on the purple line 7 and walk along the river for some 800 meters or f0llow the crowd, you can then pick some road intersections or walk onto the bridges, find a spot and settle down to wait.

Be careful that if you don't want to end up only watching people's heads and backs, set an early alarm and get to your spot no later than 9 am.

Each location has its own advantages. On the bridge, you can get a wider view and be closer to the cutting-edge fighter jets flying through the sky. Off the bridge on the road, you will have more opportunities to closely watch the marching soldiers, or even shake hands and give them a red carnation, another tradition Russians have to honor their fighters.

Joining the "Immortal Regiment" parade in which thousands of Russians march on the streets holding pictures of their loved ones who died in WWII is also an unforgettable experience. It was amazing to see how much children and young Russians in the parade knew about war history as they easily sung old songs that played from loudspeakers.

Being Chinese, it was easy to empathize with the atmosphere of genuine patriotism and Soviet-style solidarity that I saw during these activities. I think tourists from other countries will also be able to take something away from such a massive expression of the nation's fighting spirit and sense of history.

Even if you're not a military fan, it's worthwhile to visit the Central Air Force Museum (CAFM) in the small town of Monino on the outskirts of Moscow. One of the largest air and military history museums in the world, the CAFM, founded in 1919, vividly demonstrates the history of Russian's powerful air force from its birth to today.

Apart from relics associated with the life of the heroes of Russian history and banners, awards, weapons and equipment used by the military, the CAFM features more than 150 pieces of military equipment and weapons from the Soviet Army and the Russian Armed Forces, from artillery used during the Civil War of 1918-1922 to modern ballistic missiles.

New planes also land on the museum's airfield from time to time to become a permanent part of the museum's collection.

It's truly an astonishing sight to see generations of Russian fighter jets and weapons, huge yet delicate, sitting on the ground, showing off the aggressive yet splendid history of the Soviet and Russian armed forces.

Cultural indulgence

Red Square is a must see for anyone in Moscow. Several metro stations, including Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya, or in the other direction from Ploshad Revolutsii, Teatralnaya and Okhotny Ryad, are close to the symbolic square and make for a walk past a series of famous sites starting from historic Tverskaya Street.

Of them all, the best station is Okhotny Ryad on red line 1, which puts you on Manege Square, right in front of the State Historical Museum and the Iberian Gate.

Before stepping further, it might be fun to join the cluster of people and toss a coin over your shoulder and try to get it to land on the bronze Kilometre Zero plaque on the ground - if you do your dreams may come true.

The State Historical Museum is a nice place to visit. It covers the entire history of the land from the Stone Age all the way through to modern times with tons of artifacts arranged by time and certain motifs.

Walk toward the opposite side of the square and you'll see the Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, commonly known as the St. Basil's Cathedral. The colorful and delicately structured orthodox domes are the most common symbols of Moscow on magnets and postcards.

To your left lies the most famous Kremlin tower - the Savior Tower, with a huge clock that has a three-meter long hour hand.

You can start to walk downhill along Vassilyevsky Spusk (St. Basil's Descent) toward the Moskva River embankment. This is where I enjoyed some relaxing performances of pop music and dance by friendly street artists.

From there you can walk down and see the Big Stone Bridge, the first stone bridge across the Moskva River. It is 170 meters long and 22 meters wide. Also on the path are the famous Pashkov House and Middle Alexandrovsky Garden.

Heading over Moscow's oldest bridge, the Troitsky (Trinity) Bridge, you will enter the Upper Alexandrovsky Garden, where lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Red carnations are always laid next to the tombs by Russian citizens who came to commemorate the unknown soldiers of war, some of whom could very well be their family members. For tourists you can always wait a while to watch the famous and popular changing of the guard ceremony, which takes place every hour.

Finally, if you are into the arts, walking down Moscow's streets and paying attention to the nice paintings hanging on the corners of the many buildings is a simple way to enjoy an afternoon. Also, make sure you don't  miss the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Founded by Russian merchant and patron of the arts Pavel Tretyakov, who also donated his collection to build the museum, the world-class gallery contains more than 170,000 works by Russian artists, from early religious paintings to modern art, with masterpieces that span a period of 1,000 years.

Rules of thumb

1. The Central Air Force Museum is located at Muzeynaya ul, 2, Monino, Moscow. Take a taxi or drive there. The museum opens every day from 10 am to 5 pm, expect for Mondays and Tuesdays. Ticket prices: $8 for adults, $5 for students, $3 for children, plus an additional $4 to $8 for pictures. Remember to book tickets beforehand if you are not a Russian national. You can ask for a Russian guide, but English guides are sometimes unavailable. Call +7 (495) 681-63-03.

2. Opening time of the State Tretyakov Gallery: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays - 10 am-6 pm (ticket office and last admission 5 pm); Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays - 10 am-9 pm (ticket office and last admission 8 pm). The museum is closed on Mondays. Ticket prices: $9 for adults and $5 for students.

3. Take a coat and umbrella with you to handle Moscow's changing weather.



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