Day 3 in Moscow

 Due to the rain forecast, I gave up the plan to rain into another golden ring town Sergiyev Posad, but visited two sights in Moscow today: the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) and the Izmailovo Kremlin. 

VDNKh is a permanent general purpose trade show and amusement park that used to call the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, with a central avenue with fountains, small roads and a large square facing the central pavilion at the end of the avenue. At the main section of VDNKh are the palaces and pavilions of the former Soviet republics and main industries of the USSR, some of which house exhibitions and museums. There is a fountain called "The Stone Flower Fountain" facing the Ukraine Pavilion. There are many museums, including only three free ones I entered: no. 5 Moscow City Public Services museum, Moscow Youth and technology museum (free VR of city tour), and the Moscow City Model museum. 

I walked all the way across the river and into the Botanical Gardens. These gardens were established by Peter the Great in 1706 for the cultivation of medicinal herbs, and today belong to Moscow State University, including manicured flower gardens, an arboretum, and greenhouses of exotic and rare plants. The territory of VDNKh Park is the size of nearly 444 football fields, and is larger than Monaco. Statistic shows four hours at VDNKh to catch just a quick glimpse of everything, and 8 hours for a leisurely walk. The better options are to rent a bicycle or e-scooter to explore this vast site!

The Izmailovo Kremlin is a cultural, commercial and entertainment playground in north-east of Moscow built in the years 1998-2007, with Russian wooden buildings of the Museum of Russian Folk Toys, the Museum of the Founding of the Russian Navy, the Museum of the History of Russian Vodka, the Museum of Bread, the Museum of Chocolate, the Museum of Miniatures - "World History in Plasticine," the Moscow Museum of Animation, and also a exhibitions "Japan. Dolls, fairy tales, legends. I did not pay to get in any of these museums, but walking around to take photos before the rain. 

I bought frozen Russian cheese pork dumplings to cook at my hostel as dinner to share with my new hostelmate from Ecuador which were pretty tasty. She came to study in a medical school five years ago and now is destined to stay in Russia since it is almost impossible to re-certified in western countries.   She was very kind to share some fruits and dances in the morning, so I shared the Japanese green tea chocolate I got during my flight transfer in Japan and the Russian dumpings. I have been buying bottle water and found out today the water dispenser in the kitchen by myself, rather than during an orientation tour by the hostel which is usually in Russian. I am still using translation app to communicate with my hostel staff. 

As you can see from my photos, many kind Russians help to take my photos, so I haven’t used my selfie stick so far. I have to admit that my trip changed my stenotypes about Russia.  Russians maybe uptight when just met, but tried to help foreigners like me when I needed. Some countries f yen offered their phone numbers to be my translators in case of emergency.  Few of them took time to guide me in the subway system including getting my fare card recharged. Honestly, I felt more welcomed in Russia than in France as a human being (not as a tourist for commercial gain), although both groups hardly speak any English with me.

My body decides to stay in Chinese time zone which is five hours earlier, since I will go back in two weeks.