Our last late breakfast was as delicious as the ones before. Only this time we left right at 11am, went back to the room packing and checked out. There was still a lot to see before going home.
First we went to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and afterwards to the Pushkin Museum.
The cathedral was built to give thanks for the victory over Napoleon. In 1931 the cathedral was demolished to make place for a Soviet palace which never progressed to more than the foundation. In 1995 the rebuilding of the cathedral started and was finished in 2000. Here are some images how it looks today.
As time was short we took our break by lining up for the Pushkin museum. It took around 45 minutes to enter the building. But the wait was definitely worth it. We saw ‘Priam’s Treasure’ which has been stolen from Berlin in 1945. In 2010 it was agreed in a treaty between Germany and Russia that the treasure will be returned. When is apparently written in the stars.
Also amazing were the Fayum Mummy portraits dating from the first to the third century.
All the colors still look so fresh and real. There are also a lot of plaster casts from famous statues. Apparently since people were not allowed to leave the country before, they made a lot of copies.
These ones are real though.
We were both duly impressed but it was already time to leave. We still had to get back to the hotel, buy some vodka on the way and catch the 4pm Aeroexpress to Vnukovo airport. We made it but just barely. Tici was not impressed at all with my time management because there was a lot of ‘race walking’ involved (plus sweating and red faces).
But all’s well that ends well. We spent our last rubles at the airport and shortly after 7pm left Moscow.
Maybe one day I can come back during summer? I feel I barely touched the surface of what Moscow has to offer.
Yours, Pollybert
PS: I am still reading book 3 of the GoT series ‘A Storm of Swords.
