Moscow

Weather-wise, Moscow gave us a warm welcome. It was about 15 degrees and sunny when we got off the train, the warmest weather we had had since Malaysia, six weeks earlier. We found our hostel, 'Home from Home Hostel' and were told our double room had been flooded, and were given two dodgy beds in a dodgy dorm room. The Lonely Planet had recommended this place, but our Bible had let us down. They had spent lots of money on decorating the place with tactile wallpaper and original artworks. But that doesn't help when you're worried about death from electrocution from the dodgy power points, or that the chubby little Russian on the top bunk will fall through, or that the shower won't drain and the toilet won't flush, or you will die from suffocation when you do a number two in the tiniest space-ship toilet cubicle. And when the staff don't know how to use the credit card machine, and look like they might keel over from malnutrition at any moment (EAT SOME BEEF YOU SKINNY UNHAPPY LITTLE WOMAN!), it's not the most relaxing environment.
Luckily we had recovered from our devil colds on the 56-hour train trip (Phill credits the vodka), and were able and willing to walk around all day. Better still, the lovely weather meant we were able to crack out the thongs for a dinner time stroll.
We explored Red Square and the Kremlin. St. Basil's Cathedral is amazing, like an architect just went 'hang it, I'm going to go a bit crazy with this one'. There's multi-coloured onion domes with gold trimming and pointy bits like those spoundgey balls you used to play soccer with in primary school (before graduating to an actual soccer ball). The cathedral was closed so we couldn't go inside. Red Square was a hive of activity. Men were setting up stages and banners and seating for Victory Day, May 9. Lenin's mausoleum was closed (getting him all pretty for V-day no doubt) so we ventured into the Kremlin, expired student cards doing us proud again. They had their trophies from wars with Napoleon - 800 canons - surrounding the bit we weren't allowed in...which we found out when we got whistled at (and not in a good way) when trying to cross the road. There's a whole bunch of churches within the Kremlin walls and all have a very extensive history... Google it while I have a break from blogging...