Love Travelling Blog

Travel diaries providing inspiration for planning the perfect trip

Russia

  • Prospekt Mira metro station, Moskow

    Moscow’s Most Beautiful Metro Stations: A Guide to Stunning Underground Architecture

    The Moscow metro is one of the most beautiful in the world.  It was created as a showcase for the Soviet Union, and serves as a living museum with its stations adorned with mosaics, marble statues and stained glass that document the story of the Communist state.  There are 12 lines and 223 stations on…

  • Sokolniki Park Moscow at Christmas: Festive Lights and Winter Magic

    Our week in Moscow had flown by and although we hadn’t seen one flake of snow which is so unusual for December, we’d experienced a fun filled week nonetheless. After enjoying a lazy breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant where we’d been welcomed each morning by the friendly waiters and waitresses, we put the finishing touches…

  • Red Square, Moscow

    Moscow Highlights: Iconic Metro Stations and Novodevichy

    Our first stop of the day after breakfast was to the Vorobyovy Gory metro station located on a bridge over the Moskva river making it the only station on the network to have windows.  Vorobyovy Gory is often used as an exhibition space and during our visit there were displays of fashion items in circular…

  • Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building, at night, Moscow

    Exploring Moscow’s Lubyanka District

    After a leisurely breakfast we took the metro to Lubyanka to make a return visit to the Central Children’s Store next door to the station.  It had only been open about 40 minutes and few people were about as we took one of the lifts to the top floor to visit the Museum of Childhood.…

  • VDNKh Entrance Arch

    A Festive Visit to VDNKh Park Moscow: Christmas Lights and Ice Skating

    After the previous morning’s disappointing egg order, I managed to achieve success by showing the chef a photo of some fried eggs on my iPad. She seemed to understand, smiled, and then served up some delicious, runny yolks for me to dip my toast into. Eventually we were ready to embark on a day’s sightseeing…

  • Moscow State University

    Moscow University and its metro stations

    We enjoyed another leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s executive lounge, which was lovely and quiet compared to the main restaurant across the corridor.  I started the day with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from a hand press which had a sign in front of it suggesting that it was good morning exercise.  After…

  • Patriarch's Palace and the Church of the Twelve Apostles, Kremlin, Moscow

    Discover Red Square and the Kremlin: Moscow’s Historic Heart

    After sleeping like logs, we tucked into a delicious breakfast in the hotel’s executive lounge where we had been invited after receiving a complimentary room upgrade.  The buffet selection was broadly similar to the main hotel restaurant but we received a more personal service from the waiting staff and were able to sit back and…

  • Christmas Lights at Gum, Red Square

    Moscow – the ultimate winter break

    The previous evening I had taken the train to London to meet up with my son in Hammersmith.  We’d chosen Hammersmith as it was on the Piccadilly Line and meant we hadn’t far to trundle our large suitcases.  After a tasty meal of fish and chips we returned to the nearby underground station for a…

  • Kremlin, Moscow

    Our Moscow adventure

    The thought of standing in a snow carpeted Red Square on a cold winter’s day seemed appealing, so we booked a few days in Moscow.  It’s necessary to obtain a visa before arriving in Russia and this can dissuade potential visitors from travelling.  To help demystify the process I’ll explain how we went about it.…

  • GUM Department Store, Moscow

    The Kremlin, Moscow

    Another surprise awaited us when we went downstairs for breakfast, as on giving our room number we were diverted to the Executive Lounge which was a raised area along one side of the restaurant.  Here we found lots to tempt us, setting us up for the day ahead.  Using the coffee machine initially appeared problematic…

  • Komsomolskaya Metro Station

    Exploring Moscow

    We opened the curtains to find that there had been heavy snow overnight, covering all the surrounding roof tops with a fluffy white blanket.  After a leisurely breakfast we took the metro to Komsomolskaya station which was absolutely beautiful with its painted yellow ceilings and its platforms lit by chandeliers. The station was designed in…

  • Ismailovsky Cultural Centre, Moscow

    Sightseeing in Moscow

    There had been more snow overnight but it was a reasonably bright morning.  Our first stop after breakfast was Lubyanka, which is the next station on Line 1 from Red Square. Climbing the steps from the metro station we could see the former headquarters of the KGB across the square.  Lubyanka was once a name…

  • GUM Department store illuminated at night, Moscow

    Exploring more of Moscow

    After breakfast, we took the metro to the new central business district, known as Moscow City. Located at the Delovoy Tsentr metro stop, the station has a modern ‘high-tech’ feel to blend in with the skyscraper landscape above ground. Moscow City consists of several towers built in futuristic styles, each tower having its own distinctive…

  • Funfair at Sokolniki Park, Moscow

    Sokolniki Park, Moscow

    We woke to more heavy overnight snow, creating a winter wonderland panorama from our 23rd floor bedroom window.  As it was our final day, we over-indulged with a large breakfast and then bid our farewells to the lovely restaurant staff who had looked after us all week. After packing our belongings together we set off…

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