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We've walked throught new newly-reconstructed gates on the
left and found ourselves in the Manezh ("riding arena") Square. These gates were
torn down in the 1930's because they obstructed the flow of soldiers and tanks during
military parades, and re-build in the mid-90s to show I am not sure what. Now we are
looking back towards the Red Square. The History Museum is on our right. The Lenin Museum
is on the left. The porch of the Lenin Museum presently serves as a gathering point for
communists and nationalists. |
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A statue of Field-Marshal Zhukov, one of WW-2 commanders,
in front of the History Museum.. |
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Looking north towards Tverskaya we see the 5-star National
hotel and a 3-star Intourist tower soon to be demolished. It is leaning to the left
because of my camera's prophetic vision. |
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The Moskva Hotel east of the Manezh square. |
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Now we are on top of the Manezh Square Shopping Mall that
is 4 or 5 stories down. The Lenin Museum is in the center, the History Museum is on the
right, and the little building on the left is the entrance to the underground Archeology
Museum. By the Archeology Museum you'll find ordinary toilets and their Class Lux
counterparts with 25 rouble admission fee (nearly a dollar), and a choice of parfumes to
be sprayed into the air and music to be played while you do your thing. Reasonably clean
washrooms are also found in the lowest level of the Manezh shopping mall.
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The Mausoleum can still be seen from some points in the
Manezh Square |
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The area is patrolled by mounted policemen on Orlov
trotters or Budenovsky breed horses. |
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A map of Russia on the the central cupola over the
underground shopping mall. |
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The Psycholgy Department of the Moscow State Universtiy on
the Mokhovaya Street north of the Manezh Square. Mokhovaya means "peat", and
peat was and still is used in the construction of log houses that are so typical of rural
Russia. Incidentally, if you are interested in the Russian countryside, check out our Rural Travel page or the Homestead
project documents.. Also see Horseback rides along the Volga..... |
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Take a last look at the Intourist Hotel tower. The Moscow
government plans to pull it down as part of its program to make Moscow appealing to
tourists. |
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Between the Alexander Park and the Manezh Shopping Mall.
The building with columns is the Psychology department of the Moscow State University. |
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Scenes from popular folk tales reproduced in bronze. |
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An old man who caught a fish that made all his wishes come
true. He wanted nothing but his wife kept asking for more till the fish got pissed and
turned her back into an poor peasant sitting in front of a cracked old trough. |
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The czar had three sons, whome he wanted to marry. He
delegated this delicate matter to chance by making them shoot an arrow. Women who pick up
their arrows become their wives. One of the arrow was found by a frog etc. |
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No comment I can think of at the moment. |
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A crane and a fox treat each other for lunch. The fox serves food on a flat plate while
the crane offers the fox to eat from a narrow-necked jug. |
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The Moskva / Moscow Hotel as seen from the Manezh square
(looking east). "Baltica" on top of the building is not the name of the hotel
but of an undeservingly popular, in my opinion, brand of beer. Speaking of beer, do
check into the Beer and Vodka Tour where I, a seasoned Russian
drinker, propose to post my reports from the booze scene. |
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Another look into essentally the same: the Moskva Hotel
("Baltika) and the State Duma on your left. |
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The Manezh building. Manezh means riding arena. Now we are
on the Manezh square over the underground shopping mall facing west. The Alexander Park
and Krelmin are on your left. The University on the Mokhovaya ("Peat") street is
on your right. |
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"The Manezh building was erected in the year 1817 to
commemorate the victory of the Russian people in the Patriotic war of 1812" |
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A zoom-in view onto the State Duma building. The Manezh is
on your left, the Alexander Garden on your right, and you are looking east. |
