Hello and Goodbye stunning Moscow.................

This is the closing post on my recent visit to Moscow sharing photos of places and odds and ends I found interesting and different. Moscow proved to be a fabulous city, quite different from what I expected and definitely one of the cleanest, most orderly places I've visited.

Driving into the city from the airport, from the bus windows I immediately noticed the mix of old and new architecture. From then on it was a constant, the way the older buildings with beautiful details seemed to remain, and sometimes newer modern buildings were actually built around them. I've never seen this use of space while keeping history in place, and thought it a good idea.

This building was across the street from my hotel...........I loved looking at it from my windows, the color, the wavy iron balconies, columns, and beautiful hand crafted decoration on the stone.

Huge buildings in morning rain along the Moskva River.

 The stunning 16th century Novodevichy Convent (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Many statues around the city, don't know who this one is, but a great perching place for resting birds......

.....although the great Fyodor Dostoevsky apparently lucked out on this day, no birds befriending him, perhaps the reason he looked so sad and forlorn facing the Metro sign.

Edited: Ooops! Friend Penny has better eyesight than me! 

She spotted a bird on the shoulder - I must have thought it was part of his collar! There is also one by his thigh I think now I look closer! 

Thanks Penny - and when we go treasure hunting this week I will be so glad to have you there to spot the good things!

More old buildings painted in such tranquil colors.

GUM is the gigantic former Soviet Union department store across from Red Square. Now a quite beautiful shopping mall, its interesting history from Catherine II of Russia's initial commission of the building through the present day can be read HERE.

Where construction was in progress, I immediately loved the huge canvas covers hiding whatever dirty, noisy things were going on in the background......and many were painted with cute kids.

 I've seen versions of this in American cities where building 

was active, but not on this huge scale.

 This appeared to be Moscow's version of Starbucks - saw 

the sign often.

I'm literally saying goodbye to Moscow here - these blue and gold onion domes being the final, and perhaps loveliest ones I saw on my way to the airport. My limo driver was laughing as I went through contortions to get shots from the window as we sped down the highway.

I would like to return to Moscow and spend more time. However, if I have the chance to see Russia again I will probably opt for a visit to St. Petersburg. Have you been there?