The Convenience of Moscow

*** Hey! I wanted to start my article by thanking all of you who continue to read my blog/online-article! Readership is doing really well, and I am delighted by the e-mails that I am getting! Please keep sending questions that you think would be interesting to have answered, or discussed.
I've gotten a good number of e-mails regarding funding/scholarships/grants for study abroad programs. I am doing some research, and will post on that topic in the near future!
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***
One of greatest conveniences of life in Vladimir, is that Moscow is a mere 2/5 hours away (depends on if you take the train or the bus). And so, if you have the crazy urge to visit the concrete (literally, it's like the only building material used) capitol of Russia, it is an easy trip.
Yesterday I took that easy trip. A friend of mine, Nastja, was moving to Denmark, and she asked if I could make the journey with her to Sheremetyevo 2 (Moscow's central airport).
In a great stroke of luck, I also have a good American friend who was in Moscow yesterday.
I met my Vladimirite friend, Nastja, yesterday morning, and we took the 0900 train to Moscow. Arriving at Kurskii Vokzal, we then headed to Ploshad' Revolutsia (its in the middle of the city, next to the Kremlin).
We met my American friend, Anastazia (despite the name, she is not Russian) and her British colleague Alice, in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Both have just recently finished their Maters in Russian Political Studies, at the London School of Economics.
We did the touristy walking about Red Square, and then we toured the Armory. I had not been to the Armory before, but thanks to Anastazia (she had the tremendous foresight to buy a ticket for Nastja and I before we arrived), I got the chance to see it.
There are such tremendous treasures there. There are lots of icons, dresses, crown jewels, and (most famously) the Faberge Eggs.
After touring about the museum, and catching-up with my former George Mason University classmate Anastazia, we went to lunch.
We (suprisingly) found a reasonably priced restaurant not more than a 15 minute walk from Red Square.
After a fairly typical Russian lunch, Nastja and I had to split so that she could catch her flight to Copenhagen.
I had planned to meet Anastazia and Alice after the trip to the airport, but we didn't manage to connect.
Well, Nastja and I got to the end of the Metro's Green Line, where she then caught a marshutka to the airport.
I then took the metro back to Kurskii Vokzal. After a while there, I boarded a bus back to Vladimir. We made it to Vladimir in only 3 hours!!!
It is nice that Moscow is close, though we are not a suburb. There are so many cool opportunities here!
More later,
Poka!