First stop on this trip is Moscow, and what a city of contrasts. First impressions at the airport are not great being quite drab and dour. And the city is severe. Not many people smile here. However there are some beautiful buildings and Red Square at night is just stunning. The World Cup has just last week concluded and so it's wall-to-wall tourist groups currently. Our tour group is 19 strong and among those there are us, 2 ex RAAF officers and an ex RSM of the Army. Some of the Moscow metro stations are masterpieces - beautifully decorated. It's unexpectedly humid here and with buildings set up for heating, not cooling it's a bit of a struggle to stay cool. And I can't not mention a visit to the Kremlin. Who'd have thought that the Kremlin would be so accessible only about 25years after the Cold War. Bill is still finding it a bit surreal.