For several weeks now my muirnín and I have been in a race against time to do as much as we can before the warm weather just shut down for the year. It's been a glorious spring and summer this year, starting from April and extending deliciously until the last weekend of August. It's just that both of us have had to work on some weekends, we've not really significantly reduced much from that wish list.
Well we had a chance to trim the list when my Inessa reminded me that we were marking our third month anniversary today. "Why don't we go for a walk today," I suggested just as she was getting into the car at her place of work. With a raised eyebrow and a bemused smile, she agreed. "We can go to Neskuchny Sad and even try out that place you were recommending." While Inessa likes navigating the labyrinth of small lanes and streets of the city centre on foot, she also enjoys walking in parks. One of the most charming ones is Park Kultury (Park of Culture), which was popularised in the West as Gorky Park in Martin Cruz Smith's novel of the same name, and which starred William Hurt in the film version. Its official title is actually the Central Park of Culture and Leisure. According to Fodor,
We parked Balios at the foot of the Andreyevsky Most on Frunzenskaya Naberezhnaya, which is the twin of "my" bridge at the back of Plushchikha street, the Krasnoluzhsky Most. (The two bridges, the story goes, were originally part of the Moscow Imperial Ring Railroad, both built by engineer Lavr Proskuryakov and architect Alexander Pomerantsev, the former in 1905 and the latter in 1907. The Krasnoluzhsky was originally named the Nikolayevsky Bridge in honor of Tsar Nicholas II. The two bridges were located near the Luzhniki Stadium and were relocated on barges - 1.5 km downriver and 2.5 km upriver - for opening in 1999 and 2001.)
From the outset it was very pleasant walk on the elegantly glassed-in pedestrian walkway, which allowed us a view of Moscow River toward the Krymsky Most (Crimea Bridge), Kremlin and Church of Christ the Redeemer. From across the river we could see the tacky amusement park in Gorky Park. Apart from a ferris wheel and roller coaster typical of such places, there was a space shuttle mock-up along the embankment. my poppet told me that this was a prototype of the Buran ("snowstorm" in Russian) space shuttle. I had heard before that Russia did have a space shuttle program so I decided to check on this later. (I found out that the program was launched in 1976 in response to the US space shuttle program. The Soviet Union began building its first shuttles in 1980, rolling out the first full-scale Buran in 1984. After an orbital test flight in 1988 and the construction of two more Buran shuttles, Russia pulled the plug on its program in 1993. There was a second orbiter, called Ptichka or "little bird" in Russian, planned but it was never completed. The structural prototype was shipped by barge -like they did with the bridges- to its final destination in Gorky Park from Tushino, where it was kept in storage after structural testing. Now it serves as a theme cafe.)
Walking up to opposite bank we spotted a camera crew shooting a couple of actors in period costumes. We never really found out what that was about: we walked past the first staircase going down and eventually took the walkway that plunged into the gardens itself. There were a lot of couples and young people walking about. Inessa seemed pleased and in her element, finally being able to stretch her long legs. As we walked past the quay we chanced on a river boat picking up some passengers.
Instead of walking all the way along the bank, my Inessa motioned for us to go up a slope, into the woods. Although I had to huff to catch up with her, I didn't think I was that out of shape. The asphalt walk had little surprises in store for us, except a quintessentially Soviet scene straight out of documentaries: a colony of old retirees playing chess on stone benches.
Deciding to turn back we took a dirt path up to try to inject a bit of the unexpected in our rather genteel walk. There were turns here and a fork there, moments for on-the-spot decisions. Having our little fun, we took turns in deciding where to go. No, we weren't exactly expecting to end up in Wonderland, but on a bend back we discovered a lagoon with a large boulder sitting on its far end. The water, still to the point of stupour, probably seemed more inviting to breeding mosquitoes than humans, but the spot we coveted on top of the boulder was already occupied by a biker and his girlfriend. By this time I was starting to look for a place to sit and rest. Although I tried not to draw any attention, Inessa did notice. Just then I drew her to a statue of a girl poised to take a dip into the river. Although it was a Soviet-era sculpture, it had a certain timelessness that appealed to me. My muirnín fancied it too, although she found its distance from the river a little disconcerting. She said it seemed the girl would end up terribly short of her objective and, if the eye were to follow her trajectory, fall spread-eagled and in pain on the concrete ladder-like fountain.
We ended up at Park, the open-air restaurant. Due to the cool breezes, the Moroccan style curtains that served as windbreakers were unfurled, making the cafe appear to take on walls.
Well we had a chance to trim the list when my Inessa reminded me that we were marking our third month anniversary today. "Why don't we go for a walk today," I suggested just as she was getting into the car at her place of work. With a raised eyebrow and a bemused smile, she agreed. "We can go to Neskuchny Sad and even try out that place you were recommending." While Inessa likes navigating the labyrinth of small lanes and streets of the city centre on foot, she also enjoys walking in parks. One of the most charming ones is Park Kultury (Park of Culture), which was popularised in the West as Gorky Park in Martin Cruz Smith's novel of the same name, and which starred William Hurt in the film version. Its official title is actually the Central Park of Culture and Leisure. According to Fodor,The park was laid out in 1928 and covers an area of 275 acres. It's the city's most popular all-around recreation center, and in summer, especially on weekends, it's crowded with children and adults enjoying its many attractions. A giant Ferris wheel dominates the park's green; if you're brave enough to ride it, you'll be rewarded with great views of the city. The even braver may want to venture onto the roller coaster. Note that the park's admission price does not include individual rides. Stretching along the riverside, the park includes the Neskuchny Sad (Happy Garden) and the Zelyony Theater (Green Theater), an open-air theater with seating for 10,000. The park also has a boating pond, a fairground, sports grounds, a rock club, and numerous stand-up cafés. In summer, boats leave from the pier for excursions along the Moskva River, and in winter the ponds are transformed into skating rinks.Although I've practically abandoned the idea of ever rollerblading this year I've not given up the ghost on taking walks. In fact we should still be able to go mushroom picking this autumn. I've been here for more than two years yet I've visited Park Kultury only once, with Vika for a laser show last year. Not yet to Neskuchny Sad (Happy Gardens), which I've read about just one month into my stay in Moscow back in 2003. With this shabby track record we saw this occasion as an excellent opportunity to take corrective measures.
We parked Balios at the foot of the Andreyevsky Most on Frunzenskaya Naberezhnaya, which is the twin of "my" bridge at the back of Plushchikha street, the Krasnoluzhsky Most. (The two bridges, the story goes, were originally part of the Moscow Imperial Ring Railroad, both built by engineer Lavr Proskuryakov and architect Alexander Pomerantsev, the former in 1905 and the latter in 1907. The Krasnoluzhsky was originally named the Nikolayevsky Bridge in honor of Tsar Nicholas II. The two bridges were located near the Luzhniki Stadium and were relocated on barges - 1.5 km downriver and 2.5 km upriver - for opening in 1999 and 2001.)
From the outset it was very pleasant walk on the elegantly glassed-in pedestrian walkway, which allowed us a view of Moscow River toward the Krymsky Most (Crimea Bridge), Kremlin and Church of Christ the Redeemer. From across the river we could see the tacky amusement park in Gorky Park. Apart from a ferris wheel and roller coaster typical of such places, there was a space shuttle mock-up along the embankment. my poppet told me that this was a prototype of the Buran ("snowstorm" in Russian) space shuttle. I had heard before that Russia did have a space shuttle program so I decided to check on this later. (I found out that the program was launched in 1976 in response to the US space shuttle program. The Soviet Union began building its first shuttles in 1980, rolling out the first full-scale Buran in 1984. After an orbital test flight in 1988 and the construction of two more Buran shuttles, Russia pulled the plug on its program in 1993. There was a second orbiter, called Ptichka or "little bird" in Russian, planned but it was never completed. The structural prototype was shipped by barge -like they did with the bridges- to its final destination in Gorky Park from Tushino, where it was kept in storage after structural testing. Now it serves as a theme cafe.)
Walking up to opposite bank we spotted a camera crew shooting a couple of actors in period costumes. We never really found out what that was about: we walked past the first staircase going down and eventually took the walkway that plunged into the gardens itself. There were a lot of couples and young people walking about. Inessa seemed pleased and in her element, finally being able to stretch her long legs. As we walked past the quay we chanced on a river boat picking up some passengers.
Instead of walking all the way along the bank, my Inessa motioned for us to go up a slope, into the woods. Although I had to huff to catch up with her, I didn't think I was that out of shape. The asphalt walk had little surprises in store for us, except a quintessentially Soviet scene straight out of documentaries: a colony of old retirees playing chess on stone benches.
Deciding to turn back we took a dirt path up to try to inject a bit of the unexpected in our rather genteel walk. There were turns here and a fork there, moments for on-the-spot decisions. Having our little fun, we took turns in deciding where to go. No, we weren't exactly expecting to end up in Wonderland, but on a bend back we discovered a lagoon with a large boulder sitting on its far end. The water, still to the point of stupour, probably seemed more inviting to breeding mosquitoes than humans, but the spot we coveted on top of the boulder was already occupied by a biker and his girlfriend. By this time I was starting to look for a place to sit and rest. Although I tried not to draw any attention, Inessa did notice. Just then I drew her to a statue of a girl poised to take a dip into the river. Although it was a Soviet-era sculpture, it had a certain timelessness that appealed to me. My muirnín fancied it too, although she found its distance from the river a little disconcerting. She said it seemed the girl would end up terribly short of her objective and, if the eye were to follow her trajectory, fall spread-eagled and in pain on the concrete ladder-like fountain.We ended up at Park, the open-air restaurant. Due to the cool breezes, the Moroccan style curtains that served as windbreakers were unfurled, making the cafe appear to take on walls.
