Getting lost in Moscow Part 2

Moscow City HC

After a whole day and a half by myself I was looking forward to drinks with my mate Sheep's good friend who he'd met living in Moscow years before. I had hours to kill, so decided to take a slow walk back to the hostel via Gorky Park.

What I thought I would experience: 80s fun fair with cheap tasty snacks and beer in the sunshine. People watching.


In reality I experienced : Seeing a space ship by the side of the river. An overpriced packed Italian restaurant where I got a table and a large glass of wine  thanks to the incredibly nice staff that seemed to take pity on me.

Then walked around the more 'park' part of the park, and watched people posing, skating, breakdancing and queued for 20 minutes for a corn-on-the-cob (best snack food ever in foreign countries.) My aim was to head back to the hostel, probably a 20 minute walk... 30 minutes at best..? 

3 hours later, almost in tears due to tiredness and sore feet, which had lead to indecisiveness and backtracking I was still not at the hostel. Being determined to walk rather then use the metro was not a wise move. Still, on the way I'd seen the Peter the Great Statue, which has been voted 10th ugliest by a travel forum. I was told they tried to move it to St Petersburg in 2010, but the city didn't want it. The tour guide actually told me as well it was given as a gift to the Dutch but they sent it back. Perhaps an urban myth? Still, I thought it was cool. All 98 metres of it. Other highlights ('features') of my walk...

* Stumbling into a Soviet Statue Art Exhibition

* Seeing the padlock trees and wondering if they come and break them when they get divorced (just my state of mind at the time..)

* Watching the hippie types in a park (who knows what park. I was lost. L.O.S.T.) breathing fire and walking on tightropes between the trees.

* Seeing the Red Square in the evening.

and finally... getting back to the hostel, and having a beer. Lying on my bed, drinking my beer. No shoes on, no pain, drinking beer. 

After a bit of rest and a few beers I met Jenya and his girlfriend Nastya and saw a few sights (such as the Pussy Riot Church...), hit a few bars and had an amazing night with great, friendly people. By this point I was very very very much liking Moscow.