I set out to find traces of my literary heroes in the streets of Moscow. First stop, near Park Kultury, is Tolstoy’ town house, turned museum on Lenin’s orders in 1921. This attractive wooden house has changed little since the Tolstoy family spent their winters here between 1829 and 1910. Summers were spent on Tolstoy’s … Continue reading Following in the steps of my Russian literary heroes
Chirps from Russia
The Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
I have a choice. Either to go to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Art or the Tretyakov Gallery of Russian Art. I decide on the latter. I like to see the art of a country I am visiting, to gain an insight into its culture, history and politics. I will have to go forego … Continue reading The Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre in Moscow – the largest Jewish museum in the world?
The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre, that opened in Moscow 2012, is said to be the largest Jewish museum in the world. It is housed in the restored Bahmetevsky bus garage, originally designed by Konstantin Melnikov, a leading light of the avant-garde in the 1920s. Melnikov was associated with the Constructivists but refused to be … Continue reading The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre in Moscow – the largest Jewish museum in the world?
Meeting new friends at the Novodevichy Cemetery
I peer through the dusty window of the information kiosk inside the entrance to the Novodevichy cemetery. A sole pamphlet in English promises to reveal the names of those who lie in one of Moscow’s most prestigious resting places. But the kiosk is locked, there is no one in sight and the guards are unhelpful. … Continue reading Meeting new friends at the Novodevichy Cemetery
The Magnificent Moscow Metro
“Don’t go on the Moscow Metro on your own, “ says Artem, my Russian friend living in Luxembourg. “Best to go with a friend.” But I have a two-hour gap on a Sunday morning when my reveler friends are sleeping in. The Monday rush hour, carrying 8 – 9 million passengers between 194 stations, is … Continue reading The Magnificent Moscow Metro
Eithne Nightingale 