A super Lua em Moscovo / The super moon in Moscow

Tsaritsyno Park - Moscow

Não vou começar os meus relatos de Moscovo pelo mais obvio: o centro e a Praça Vermelha, simplesmente porque ainda não tive tempo de organizar todas as fotos. Sendo assim, começo pelo parque Tsaritsyno, um lugar giríssimo que nos foi indicado por russos, residentes na cidade. Estes são os meus sítios preferidos, aqueles lugares que quase só os locais conhecem e frequentam. 

I won't begin telling you of my adventures in Moscow by reporting the most obvious: the center and the Red Square. The reason is simple, I haven't had time yet to sort all the necessary pictures. In this way, I'll start by telling you about Tsaritsyno Park, an amazing place, pointed as a place to go by some russians we met in the conference. These are usually my favourite places. The places that almost only locals know and go. 

 Entrada formal do palácio / Formal entrance to the palace area

 Palácio, a construção principal (não cabe numa só foto) / The palace (it doesn't fit in only one picture)

Miniatura do parque / Miniature of the park 

A história do parque é algo caricata. A Imperatriz Catarina, a Grande, apaixonou-se pelo local e mandou construir um palácio. Quando a construção estava quase pronta ela visitou o local e não gostou do que viu, declarando o palácio não habitável. Dez anos depois, em 1786, um novo arquitecto tomou as rédeas do projecto e recomeçou a construção, que foi interrompida em 1796 devido à morte da Imperatriz. O palácio ainda inacabado acabou por ser abandonado até ao ano de 2005, quando foi acabado e restaurado, tentando recriar aquela que seria a sua forma original. Acredita-se que esta é a única construção na Russia de tamanhas dimensões que remonta ao século XVIII. 

The history behind the palace is somehow special. The Empress Catherine, The Great, fell in love by the landscape and ordered to be built a palace. When the construction was almost over she visited the place and didn't like it. She declared the palace unlivable and ordered the place to be torn down. Ten years later, in 1786, another architect made a new project and a new construction started. The construction was interrupted again in 1796, this time due to Catherine's death. The unfinished palace was abandoned until 2005, when it was finished and refurbished, recreating its original looks. It is believed this is the only 18th century architectural ensemble of such dimensions in the whole Russia. 

Palácio / The Palace

 Igreja Ortodoxa / Orthodox Church

 Casa da Ópera / Opera House

A parte de trás do Palácio e outra porta de entrada / The back side of the Palace and another entrance

Hoje em dia é usado para concertos, exposições diversas e até casamentos. O parque em volta é enorme e contém várias outras construções como a casa da ópera, uma igreja ortodoxa, e outros edifícios menores. Existem ainda várias estátuas, pontes, lagos, fontes e jardins que o tornam um espaço apetecível e agradável. 

Nowadays, the palace is used for concerts, various exhibitions and weddings. The park around is huge and it has several other buildings, such as the Opera house, an Orthodox church, and some minor constructions. There's also plenty of statues, bridges, lakes, fountains and beautiful gardens that turn the park into a fantastic place to spend some time. 

Tudo fora da área do Palácio tem um ar mais moderno / Everything out of the Palace area has a more modern look.

 Uma fonte (provavelmente a maior que já vi) / A fountain (probably the biggest I've ever seen)

 O lago / The lake

 Os jardins / The gardens

 Uma entrada "menor" / Another "minor" entrance

E que tal um piquenique na relva con vista para o palácio? Ou então uma sesta, como eu fiz.

How about a picnic in the grass facing the palace? Or maybe a nap, like I did.

Uma pena a Imperatriz Catarina nunca ter morado neste Palácio. Eu não me importava de morar num sítio assim, passear de barco a remos, ler livros esparramada na relva e dar umas corridas pelos jardins. Desde que tivesse alguém que me ajudasse a aspirar a casa, claro!

Too bad the Empress Catherine ended up never living in this Palace. I wouldn't mind living in such a nice place, rowing in a boat in the lake, reading books in the grass, and going for runs in the gardens. As long as I would get help vacuum cleaning the house, of course! 

Russia 2018

Tristes porque o mundial de futebol já acabou? Não se preocupem, o próximo já está a ser preparado e eu até sei onde. Num dos nossos passeios ao final do dia passamos pelo edifício da organização russa do mundial de futebol de 2018. Esta foto foi tirada no dia antes da final do mundial deste ano. Aposto de daqui a 4 anos vai estar tão cheia de gente que mal se vai ver. 

 Russia 2018

Sad because the world cup in football is over? Don't worry, the next one is already being planned, and I know where. In one of our walks at the end of the end we found the building of the local organising committee of the next world cup. This picture was taken the day before the final of this year's world cup. I bet in 4 years this place will be so crowded you won't even be able to read what's there.

I ❤ Moscow

The beauty about traveling is the unexpected personal experiences. What for some people might be a great place, for others is not and vice-versa, just because it's all about the experience. In time I've also learned how expectations matter so much. I had quite low expectations about Moscow, I must confess. Not that I didn't think the sights were going to be great, but more because it is a huge city, where one can easily feel lost, due to the differences in culture, language and alphabet. Before I went to Moscow, I felt really excited and skeptical at the same time, and I just tried to not think about it too much. It was because of my low expectations that Moscow raised up high in my personal ranking of places I visited. I even dare to pair it with places like Machu Picchu and the Amazon. Is it as special as Machu Picchu? Obviously is not. The difference is that I knew I was going to love Machu Picchu, but I didn't know I was going to love Moscow. 

Now, sitting at home, I look back and I smile at the great experience I had in Russia. Moscow has so many things to do and to see that you wouldn't believe. We walked around so much in the first few days that the sole of my feet burned, and I could barely walk the other days. But I wanted to see more and more, so I literally limped through parks, monuments, and other sights. 

BUT don't get me wrong! Your expectations will grow as you will read my posts about Moscow, and if you ever visit this city, there is a chance you will be disappointed. There's also the chance that you will love it. It's unpredictable, and you have to go there and try it for yourself. That's the beauty of traveling. I can show you where I've been, but I can't make you feel what I felt. Or can I? I'll try my best by posting some of my adventures in the biggest country of the world. Enjoy the ride! 

Sara Jump - Universidade de Moscovo

Julho 2014, Moscovo, Russia

Moscow - Live!

Nunca tinha feito isto antes, mas desta vez decidi arranjar tempo e fazer uns posts em tempo real (nao tem nada a ver com o facto de estar a dar futebol e eu ter que me manter acordada de alguma maneira...). Cheguei hoje a Moscovo, onde vou ficar uma semana em trabalho. A cidade e' enorme e demoramos horas a chegar ao hotel, que fica no lado contrario da cidade, comparando com o aeroporto. Em vez de apanharmos o comboio do aeroporto, como todos os turistas fazem, decidimos apanhar o autocarro como os Russos. Foi um pouco mais lento, muito mais barato, e valeu completamente a pena para nos sentirmos mais envolvidos com o pais. A viagem de metro tambem foi uma aventura, porque esta tudo escrito em cirilico, e nao ha nada dentro do comboio que nos diga em que paragem estamos. 

O hotel e' perto da universidade de Moscovo, cujo edificio principal e' lindissimo! Como e' Verao e o sol se poe tarde ainda pudemos dar um passeio pelas redondezas. Deixo algumas fotos.

I have never done this before, but this time I decided to post some things in real time (it has nothing to do with the fact that there's football on TV and I need a way to be awake...). I just got to Moscow and I will stay here for a week, for a conference. The city is huge and we took ages to get to the hotel, because it is located in the opposite side of the city, from the airport. We didn't take the train, like all tourists do, but we took the bus like the Russians. It was a bit slower, much cheaper and totally worth it for the experience of being more involved with the people from here. The metro ride was also quite an experience, as everything is in Cyrillic and there's nothing inside the train that informs you of which stop you are. 

The hotel is close to the University of Moscow. The main building is huge and breathtaking! Since it's summer now, we could still walk around for a few hours, because the sun only sets after 10pm. Here are some pictures.

 Universidade de Moscovo / University of Moscow

 Um local muito popular para despedidas de solteira / A very popular spot for hen parties

 Caminhada pela margem do rio Moscovo / Walking along Moscow river

 Parque/Park Vorobyevy Gory 

 Vista da ponte, ao passar para a outra margem / View from the bridge when crossing to the other river bank

Pista para bicicletas, patins, corredores, etc. Com uma vista assim eu corria ainda mais!
Lanes for cycling, in lines, running, etc. With this view I would run even more!

Vista do nosso quarto / View from our room

Boa noite a todos!

Good night!

From Russia, with love

Maps

Sinais de Transito/Road signs

Anuncios / Adverts

Metro

E' tudo muito complicado, mas estamos a adorar o desafio. Viajar pela Europa tornou-se demasiado facil, mas hoje, o caminho do aeroporto ate' ao hotel foi um teste 'as nossas capacidades e passamos! A cidade de Moscovo e' fantastica, pelo menos o pouco que vimos e ainda ha tanto para ver!

It's all very complex but are loving it! Travel around in Europe was becoming to easy and we welcomed with arms wide open the challenge of today. The way from the airport to the hotel tested our capacities as travellers and we passed! So far, the city of Moscow seems amazing and there's still so much more to see!

Svíčková

Como há muito tempo não se falava de comida aqui no blog aqui fica o meu prato checo preferido: Svíčková. Um pedaço de lombo de vaca cozinhado em natas, servido com dumplings de pão e uma espécie de geleia de um tipo de fruto vermelho (há ingredientes que não têm tradução). É um prato pesado, que nunca como à noite, mas é delicioso, principalmente se for feito como gostamos (cada família tem a sua receita e como tal cada pessoa gosta da sua Svíčková à sua maneira).

O que acham deste prato? Querem provar?

Since it's been a while since I talked about food in this blog, here is my favourite czech dish: Svíčková. It's a piece of beef sirloin, cooked in cream and served with bread dumplings and cranberry jam. It's a heavy dish, that I never eat in the evening, but it's absolutely delicious, especial if cooked the way we like (each family has their own recipe, and therefore, each person likes it in a different way).

What do you think? Would you eat this?