Moscow river cruise

The river that Moscow is built upon is actually called the Moscow River. It is a meandering river. Over the centuries it was eating away the banks. So now, all of the banks are reinforced with bricks and concrete. This does not give it a very green feel. The absence of trees and grass along the river give Moscow a very concrete feel. Moscow does have some nice parks though. This river cruise served to remind me how big and busy a city Moscow is. I think I have quieter places in my heart.

There were some worthy land marks of note:

A modern concert hall. The design is attractive with its glass exterior.


One of the stadiums built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. (Their 2012 bid was slightly less successful, Moscow garnered only one vote in the final bidding.)


The central business district is being moved across the river. A new freeway is being built that will feed into the new business district. The hope is that this will alleviate some of Moscow's horrendous traffic problems. Europe has very few skyscrapers, but it seems Moscow intends to buld their own sky scraper city. Just earlier this week there was an International Economic Forum in St Petersburg. It appears that many foreign investors are quite excited by growth in Russia. So this business district will probably mushroom very quickly.


The main building of the Moscow State University.


One of the most famous churches in Russia is Christ the Saviour Cathedral. It was destroyed by the Soviets but rebuilt by Boris Yeltsin. A noticeable difference for me between western cathedrals, is that western cathedrals are built in the shape of a cross and therefore long. This cathedral is square in shape.


On Saturday we saw the interior of the Kremlin. Here is a good view of the Kremlin walls.