A Room with a View

We took a little hike today to what is commonly referred to as Sparrow Hill, at least by the senior missionaries! Walking through a grove of birch trees we came to a vista that gave a rather nice view of Moscow below. There are not a lot of vistas of Moscow. Unfortunately, even as clear as the skies were, there was still enough moisture in the air to keep one from seeing "forever."

Along the way we stopped off at the first and largest McDonalds in Moscow. It is located just off Tverskaya, which is just kitty corner to the deli, shown in the last post. This is a very touristy area, with lots of things to do and only a short distance from Red Square.

I talked with one of the vendors at the top of the hill. He was selling bronze busts of famous Russians, like Lenin, Stalin, Pushkin, etc. He started to tell me a little bit about the history of Russia. I asked him who his hero was and he said Stalin! I told him he was not my favorite and began talking about the valiant stand the Russians made against the Germans in WWII. He agreed with me that winter was a special season, since it delivered Russia out to the hands of two great dictators, Hitler and Napoleon. He told me about a gathering in 2005, when Russia celebrated the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. He told me about a veteren with medals draped on both sides of his uniform and how he gave up his seat to him on the metro. He said that when he contemplated what this man had been through, that a tear rolled down his cheek. The Russians have a lot of sentiment for their WWII heroes. At McDonalds
At the Metro near Sparrow Hill
Looking over the Moscow River
The University of Moscow, across the street from vista point!!