these are akin to larger than
life art galleries and are surely
an envy of many-a-museum
across the globe. What is even
more remarkable is the fact
that these were constructed
in mid-1930s - the period
between the two World Wars.
The deepest station is 84
metres beneath the ground.
The reason for building them
so deep was that they were to
double up as nuclear shelters
in the event of a nuclear war.
I spent 4 hours moving from
one Metro station to the next- all with just one ticket that
cost me 50 Rubles (approx. 80
US Cents).
I made a stop at the
110-metre tall Monument to
the Conquerors of Space that
is made entirely of Titanium!
From there, I reached VDNKh- a permanent exhibition site
that may be called Moscow’s
equivalent of New Delhi’s
Pragati Maidan. The place
is popular amongst the
local Moscow crowd as the
structures blend beautifully
with the landscape. The
area is large enough to offer
privacy to the thronging
multitude and has places that cater to
their food and entertainment needs.
It sprawls over an area of 2,375,000
square metres!Another similar vast leisure space in
Moscow is the Tsaritsyno Park. The
place takes your breath away with
its beauty and leaves you short of
breath when you walk around its vast
expanse. After this, I made one final
visit to the Red Square in the evening.
This visit resulted in some idyllic blue
hour shots.Before rushing off to the airport
next morning, I stopped by at
Kremlin. There are only two words
that describe the monuments and
churches scattered over Kremlin’s
outspread grounds - Gigantic
Opulence. While being driven to the
airport, I was smiling at my initial
thought of Moscow lacking character.
I also silently wondered about how
many times I would have crossed
the lovely river, Moskva, through its
many different bridges during this
short, two and a half day trip. I also
wished my trip was a little longer! I
conclude with an earnest request to
the heritage and architecture loving
photophiles to add this magnificent
city to their personal must-visit
bucket-list. |SPChurch of the Theotokos icon - Joy of all who Sorrow -
at the MONIKI-Research Institute Hospital
ISKCON devotees at Arbat Streethttp://www.smartphotography.in 75
Smart Photography December 2015