Photo Journal: My Last Day In Moscow. Exploring Patriarch's Pond+More
- Konrad Tillman
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
Intro
For the third-to-last extract of my 15-day adventure around Moscow (the last one is the final hotel review and an insider tip into Russia), I figured that I would make this a photo journal about one of my favorite moments in Moscow.
See, when you are traveling, you have moments that take you by surprise, and this was one of them. To the outside, I always saw Russia as a place where it is cold, and where few people smile. But as I walked around Patriarchs Pond and explored what felt like the Soho of Moscow, I realized that Russia isn't all that different to most of Europe. People laugh, people eat ice cream, people drink wine, and couples hold hands.
I know, it's a small thing, but it made me realize a lot.
The Day
Waking up in Moscow with the sun shining is a feeling which sends a shiver down your spine. Ironic that, no? Sitting in your housecoat and overlooking the streets of Mockba with a cup of coffee? Sign me up!
However, even though I felt the epitome of relaxed (and that was after a redeye the night before from Krasnojarsk), I still had a lot to do on my last day. First, I decided to walk the 25 minutes back to Hotel Akvarel to pick up my luggage, before heading over to Hotel Grand De Paris for my last night's stay in Moscow.
I have no issues walking in Moscow during the summer, but during winter, I will be Yandexing a walk that takes 4 minutes 😂.
As the day progressed, it was time to head over to Patriarch's Pond, about a 10 minute walk away from my newest hotel.
Now, there must have been thousands of people here inside the small park, along with the restaurants down each road. It sort of reminded me of the Russian version of Hyde Park (back in the day when I was growing up). All sorts of people, the teenagers, the couples, the young kids, etc.
Anyhoo, I kept walking around the little side streets to better understand what this area was about. As the afternoon/evening progressed, my assumptions were correct. On top of all the families, it seemed that the businessmen were joining certain restaurants for dinner.
Each side street had somewhat of a different version to it. One might be for shopping, one might be for bars, one might be for restaurants.
And that was it. I headed back for some dinner and went off to bed, feeling like my trip to Russia was complete for now.
Final Thoughts
I had a lovely last day in Moscow, doing what I had been doing for my other 6 days there: walking. However, what surprised me about the day wasn't any of the buildings or sites, but just that it's the same thing as every capital, but just in its own way. It also reminded me a lot of parts of Europe, especially Western Europe in capitals with plenty of money. If you are thinking of a trip to Moscow, lock in an afternoon exploring Patriarch's Pond, grab a late lunch, and get ready for the underground scene which Moscow has to offer...
Russia Series
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