Day 25, Moscow

So, our first full day in Moscow. We all slept in since we were all exhausted. Got up around 10:00 a.m. and my brother made us breakfast. He then took us to Red Square so we could see all the sights. The main points of interest, in my humble opinion, are at Red Square–St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Tomb and the Kremlin and Kremlin museums.

As we sped towards downtown, the location of Red Square, I was amazed at how Moscow has changed in fifteen years. Back in 1999, the ruble had collapsed and the Russian economy was teetering. It had only been a few years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the new Russia was taking its first tentative steps into a capitalist economy and a free society.

As a result, everything was dirt cheap, nobody spoke English and there was little economic activity. Now, with the escalation in oil prices and the rapid development of the oil industry (along with the attendant incredible wealth), Moscow has become a city of the future.