Red Square is Awesome! So is warm Tomato Juice

Today our group took Russian-language-placement exams and a a fast-paced walking tour of downtown Moscow. Over the coming weeks there will be more in-depth visits for further study. These are my thoughts on today: 


"Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!" (Proleterians of all countries unite!) Nice idea on as written on this stone. (Me, on the right) Probably the only time I'll allow myself or my thinking on the same plane as Karl Marx. This is one of the few monuments left to Marx today. It is situated very near Red Square and is directly across from the Bolshoy Theater.

One of my top ten places to see in the world is Red Square. Today I experienced it. I stood in its center and imagined the propaganda power of a military parade. St. Basil's Cathedral in front of me, and the Kremlin walls to the right. Awesome! However, before this, as I am walking through the gates I spot Lenin and Stalin - in person, sitting and chatting together. Obviously not the real deal but it was two actors who looked eerily similar to the pair. Stalin in a white coat and smoking a pipe, Lenin, somewhat relaxed, as if "really" listening to Stalin. It was a moment too fleeting for a camera, but the pair appeared to be taking a break while sitting on folding chairs. The scene was reminiscent of the actual time the two of them were seen together.

Unfortunately, the grandeur of Red Square is cheapened by the marketing allowed to make it a tourist attraction on the level of Rock City or Disney World. Vlad and Joe are proof enough. There are cheesy T-shirts, military caps, and other "Soviet" trinkets that glorify what the Communist accomplished. Having actors portray brutal dictators for "admiring" tourists seemed a bit much for me. On Thursday, a group of people tore down one of the last remaining statues of Stalin - in his hometown in Georgia. (This seems proof enough of what a lot of people think.) Stalin is a man responsible for 30 million deaths in the political purges and show trials of the 1930s, forced labor camps and the botched agricultural collectivization schemes. However, others stills view him as a hero for saving the Soviets from Nazi Germany and modernizing Russia.

I also saw where the building where the Politburo met, the former KGB headquarters, the Duma building, the Bolstoy theater, and old, old Moscow that hadn't been destroyed by Stalin.

Side Notes:

• The building where I'm taking my classes used to educate people how to be excellent communist bureaucrats for the Soviet Union. It was an elite academy known as the higher party school. I want to find out more about its history.

• I experienced the Moscow Metro for the first time. The car I rode it must have been built in the 50s but the experience was only sweeter because of it. Yes, for the record, Muscovites invade one's personal space, but that only heightens the experience. I'm glad I put on deodorant today, however, I wish others had the same consideration.

• I took my entrance exam for the Russian language today. I finished quickly. The only question I could answer was the spot to write my name (in English). I think I will be placed in the beginners class (and not for good reason.)

• At the university's cafeteria I took a chance and ordered a fish soup. However, it was more like a fish chowder and it was the best I had ever eaten. It had more than enough fish in it and the flavors in the broth and other ingredients were awesome. It cost 40 rubles, which is about $1.33.

• I have discovered that Russians have an affinity for tomato juice, and, like any connoisseur, they prefer it without ice. I purchased two liters of it today to enjoy later at room temperature.