Orientation day again, I really can do this orientation with my eyes closed now. I took the clients on the metro to the Cathedral of our Saviour. I had actually lost all my notes on the last trip somewhere, but some how, I managed to remember everything and spiel anyway. The bells were going off in the cathedral as it was a Sunday and the clients were very impressed.
I took them across the bridge and pointed out the Kremlin and the statue of Peter the Great, walked them over to the Tetrakov gallery, briefing them before arriving to avoid being told off by the guard who is always there. I walked them back across the canal, explaining the European tradition of kissing on a bridge and locking a padlock on it when you get married. I then walked them back across the Moskova river and into Red Square to behold St Basil's Cathedral. I explained that it was built by Ivan the Terrible and that he'd had the architects eyes removed to prevent him from creating anything more beautiful. I explained the other buildings and their functions before going and sitting in the GUM shopping centre with everyones bags so they could go and see the embalmed corpse of Vladimir Lenin.
Lenin's mausoleum turned out to be under renovations on this particular day, so I said goodbye to the passengers and had lunch in the little cafeteria. I walked back out of Red Square, admiring a Lenin impersonator who was having his photo taken with the tourists. There's always people like that around, but this guy looked especially convincing.
I went in the shops and bought a few souvenirs, the purchase of the day being a Matrushka doll, which is beautifully painted with Russian fairy tales and a shirt saying Russian Barbie. I actually decided to go back to Red Square and have my photo taken with the Lenin impersonator. What the hell, I thought. The picture came out brilantly.
Its funny how an attitude can change in a day, yesterday and the day before, Moscow was the last place I wanted to be after Greece. It was almost like Moscow was competing for my affection. The weather was just as nice as it had been in Athens, maybe a little nicer, not a sticky, everyone seemed to be smiling for a change, people had been very helpful to me over the last two days. Maybe the nice weather is having an effect on the Russians, what ever it was, it was making me happy to be home. Funny that this place is the closest thing I have to a home now days. I actually feel like I'm coming home when I get into the Gamma Delta hotel.
I got back on the metro with all my tat at Ploschad Revolushi and went back to the hotel and had a nap, before taking the group out for dinner at the traditional Russian restaurant across the way. Thank god the English speaking lady was there today. She hadn't been there yesterday when I made the reservation and I'd had to make it using my less than perfect Russian. Oh well, I now know the Russian words for Reservation, tomorrow and thirteen! Go me.
Dinner was ok, except they had no beef, which did not go down well and most people wanted to try beef stroganoff. I had visions of my Africa trip and people saying, Is finish. I finally tried borche, which is actually really nice for beetroot soup. Tomorrow, we have the usual Kremlin excursion, followed by running errands all day for me.