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With its golden domes and epic proportions, the Church of Christ the Savior of Moscow, the only temple that competes in glare with the iconic St. Basil's Cathedral, seems to carry a lifetime along the Moskva River. Actually, in 1931 Stalin was in charge of demolishing it and put in its place a swimming pool , the largest in the USSR. What we see today is the exact replica that was rebuilt in the year 2000. The anecdote, which is repeated in so many Russian monuments, tells the story of the Moscow capital.
We say that cities like New York or London always have something new to tell, but the transformation of Moscow is of another dimension. What you saw yesterday may not be today . The city emanates extraordinary energy and dynamism. That is why it is common that the perception of the traveler has been stuck in several topics, ranging from Soviet nostalgia to the excesses of wild capitalism.
To banish them at a stroke, you just have to take a look at Bolotny Island , in the middle of the river, where the old October Red chocolate factory has become the creative heart of the city. The hipster twist has given way to restaurants, bars, design studios, shops and exhibition halls where tribes of urbanites, foodies and travelers rub shoulders. Strelka's terrace , a design school, is ideal for savoring this area of industrial skin that locals call Krasny Oktyabr. The map puts us very close to the Kremlin, although be careful with this Moscow of XXL spells where you have to be prepared to walk long and hard, especially if we go for a weekend.
If the walls of the Kremlin intimidate you, they have fulfilled their role. "When you enter you realize that you are entering a fortress, right?" Asks Marina Kontoboytseva, official guide of the city. «This is not just the center of power of Russia. It is his historical and artistic heart , ”he clarifies. Just walking and admiring its palaces, churches, museums and other administrative buildings that make up Putin's den requires a whole morning.
On one of its sides stands the Red Square, one of the most beautiful in the world, without exaggeration, and the most exotic, thanks to the St. Basil's Cathedral and its fancy bulbous domes. At night it seems to come from another planet. The curious are also divided between the Lenin Mausoleum (where the embalmed leader follows) and the GUM department store, a very expensive classic of the Muscovite shopping . Its gourmet shop, with a selection of wine and scandalous champagnes, and the caviar section have no waste.
The avant-garde counterpoint in the center of Moscow is curiously set by a park, the Zaryadye , designed by the same architects of the New York High Line, Diller Scofidio + Renfro. There is no one who refuses to take a picture in his gazebo, half bridge, half flying saucer that flies over the Moscova. And since we are with the great tourist claims, it is not bad to head towards Nikolskaya Street , very popular during the World Cup, to get closer to Lubyanka Square, where the one that was the fearsome KGB building stands. The mythical Bólshoi theater is also nearby . The surroundings are full of modern premises and terraces for drinks.
Although if we want to live the most chic neighborhood in the city we must go to the Pond of the Patriarchs, the neighborhood where beautiful people meet. The design is the protagonist in each of the lively cafés and restaurants of this Muscovite Soho which is quickly reached by subway. Moreover, its station, Mayakovskaya, is one of the "essentials" of this imposing, palatial network with amazing numbers that the Marina Kurakulova guide knows well: «40 kilometers of roads. 400 stations A train every 30 seconds. Nine million travelers ... ».
In the suburban or aboard the ferries that run along the river (the jetty is in the Radisson Collection hotel) we can also reach the Gorki park , which runs parallel to the river. It hides the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art founded by Dasha Zhukova, the former partner of billionaire Roman Abramovich. The center has become a whole trend laboratory. Like the whole park, in reality, which has become an enviable center of leisure and culture.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Drop down
How to get. Aeroflot and Iberia airlines offer direct flights to Moscow.
Where to sleep. Radisson Collection of Moscow (radissonhotels.com). Luxury in a historic building with a fleet of boats. From 105 euros.
More information. On the official website of Russian Tourism: www.russia-travel.com
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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