Beds, baskets and boxes of multi-coloured petunias colour the city.
Near-naked Muscovites (many of whom shouldn't be) are fishing and swimming in waterways in the long summer days before it starts to get cold again at the end of August.
But our main discovery was that Moscow is a world-class city to rank alongside London, New York and Tokyo whereas St Petersburg, with it's millions of artworks, golden palaces and canals competes with cultural magnets such as Venice, Florence and Granada.
We discovered a superb rooftop restaurant close to the Bolshoi with herb gardens, multi petunias and a drizzle spray to keep diners cool in the heat of summer. Beneath was a sophisticated nightclub to rival anything in London or New York. And outside the ladies' loo were three swing chairs amidst potted palms where a bloke could wait for his partner's emergence while contemplating the meaning of life.
Close by was an open-plan shopping complex occupying an entire city block and comprising only Tiffany-type brands. And the superbly triple-arcaded, triple-storied, glass-roofed GUM store, which once housed almost empty shelves for Muscovites seeking essential supplies, now rivals Harrods for opulence.
The driving is appallingly reckless - such as the driver doing 120 kph in densely packed cars and trucks all doing 100 kph, barging into non-existent gaps and even darting on to the hard shoulder to overtake before looping back as brake lights lit up.
Petrol costs about $1 a litre but the average Russian wage is about $12,000 a year - perhaps double in Moscow.
Capitalism? Red Square was 'sold' for the weekend we were there to the sponsors of a car rally so that it was full of marquees and a vast sound stage which blocked the historic view. The mighty dollar rules in what was the heart of communism.
It's still a police state but with police lolling rather than patrolling in most streets. Roads are suddenly and frustratingly closed off to the public for no apparent reason.
Police funding is the winner at the expense of education, which receives less than 12 per cent of the budget. A school we visited in an outback town had a few technological innovations but otherwise was as it would have been in the 1950s.
Restaurant staff are sometimes surly. We were told that children are told not to smile at strangers. Many waiters and waitresses have taken this to heart.
The extravagant lives of the czars and the brutal, cruel history of this amazing country were brought to life as we cruised between St Petersburg and Moscow.
Even the smallest golden-domed church is worth a visit with floor-to-ceiling iconography and frescoes. Grandmothers kept the faith alive while the Soviets banned religion, instituted atheism and either demolished churches or turned them into museums or even swimming pools.
Now young women with their heads reverently covered flock to rebuilt churches, buy candles at various prices and stand in silent prayer. Almost as soon as they've gone their candles, no matter how expensive, are snuffed and removed by elderly attendants. What remains of their prayers?
The Armoury Museum inside the once-mysterious complex of the Kremlin is a five-star wow. Massive jewel-encrusted, silver-covered bibles, exquisitely-fashioned Faberge eggs (one has a minute silver clockwork train that can be folded up inside it), fur-lined gold crowns and ridiculously ornate thrones compete for best in show.
But for me the winners are the huge centuries-old coaches. And the best of these is a massive, ornately and minutely-carved behemoth which was a gift from King James 1 to Boris Gudunov in 1603. It's nearly 60 years older than the earliest coach in the British royal family's collection - a 400-year-old equivalent of a custom-built de luxe Rolls Royce.
Our 12-night cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow gave us so much more than entry to some of the best museums in the world. We also gained an understanding of post-soviet life in this vast country.
We recommend it.
Near-naked Muscovites (many of whom shouldn't be) are fishing and swimming in waterways in the long summer days before it starts to get cold again at the end of August.
But our main discovery was that Moscow is a world-class city to rank alongside London, New York and Tokyo whereas St Petersburg, with it's millions of artworks, golden palaces and canals competes with cultural magnets such as Venice, Florence and Granada.
We discovered a superb rooftop restaurant close to the Bolshoi with herb gardens, multi petunias and a drizzle spray to keep diners cool in the heat of summer. Beneath was a sophisticated nightclub to rival anything in London or New York. And outside the ladies' loo were three swing chairs amidst potted palms where a bloke could wait for his partner's emergence while contemplating the meaning of life.
Close by was an open-plan shopping complex occupying an entire city block and comprising only Tiffany-type brands. And the superbly triple-arcaded, triple-storied, glass-roofed GUM store, which once housed almost empty shelves for Muscovites seeking essential supplies, now rivals Harrods for opulence.
The driving is appallingly reckless - such as the driver doing 120 kph in densely packed cars and trucks all doing 100 kph, barging into non-existent gaps and even darting on to the hard shoulder to overtake before looping back as brake lights lit up.
Petrol costs about $1 a litre but the average Russian wage is about $12,000 a year - perhaps double in Moscow.
Capitalism? Red Square was 'sold' for the weekend we were there to the sponsors of a car rally so that it was full of marquees and a vast sound stage which blocked the historic view. The mighty dollar rules in what was the heart of communism.
It's still a police state but with police lolling rather than patrolling in most streets. Roads are suddenly and frustratingly closed off to the public for no apparent reason.
Police funding is the winner at the expense of education, which receives less than 12 per cent of the budget. A school we visited in an outback town had a few technological innovations but otherwise was as it would have been in the 1950s.
Restaurant staff are sometimes surly. We were told that children are told not to smile at strangers. Many waiters and waitresses have taken this to heart.
The extravagant lives of the czars and the brutal, cruel history of this amazing country were brought to life as we cruised between St Petersburg and Moscow.
Even the smallest golden-domed church is worth a visit with floor-to-ceiling iconography and frescoes. Grandmothers kept the faith alive while the Soviets banned religion, instituted atheism and either demolished churches or turned them into museums or even swimming pools.
Now young women with their heads reverently covered flock to rebuilt churches, buy candles at various prices and stand in silent prayer. Almost as soon as they've gone their candles, no matter how expensive, are snuffed and removed by elderly attendants. What remains of their prayers?
The Armoury Museum inside the once-mysterious complex of the Kremlin is a five-star wow. Massive jewel-encrusted, silver-covered bibles, exquisitely-fashioned Faberge eggs (one has a minute silver clockwork train that can be folded up inside it), fur-lined gold crowns and ridiculously ornate thrones compete for best in show.
But for me the winners are the huge centuries-old coaches. And the best of these is a massive, ornately and minutely-carved behemoth which was a gift from King James 1 to Boris Gudunov in 1603. It's nearly 60 years older than the earliest coach in the British royal family's collection - a 400-year-old equivalent of a custom-built de luxe Rolls Royce.
Our 12-night cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow gave us so much more than entry to some of the best museums in the world. We also gained an understanding of post-soviet life in this vast country.
We recommend it.
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