Onward to Moscow
September 26, 2005
Upon leaving Uglich, we quickly came to another lock which would lift us 36 feet. We continued along the Volga River for about 6 or 7 hours at which time we entered the Moscow Canal. This bought us through some really nice autumn colors before the night settled on us.
Travel in the Moscow Canal was mostly at night. Once we entered the Canal, we encountered the final six locks. Through all six of these locks there was a net rise of 108 feet. The photos below are of the last lock. Attention was drawn to the sculpted figures atop the lower towers. Some identify them as Soviet workers, while others see them as canal builders. This canal as it exists today was built by political dissendients placed in prison by Stalin. There was a highway parallel to the canal. I awoke in the middle of the night to see and hear cars speeding nearby. It seemed strange.
Notice that the gate of the lock disappeared beneath the water rather than swinging horizontally. We passed through this lock early morning. Once out of the lock, we entered a fairly wide body of water which I think was another reservoir.
Watching the country side, we could tell that we were approaching a more populated area. There were nicer buildings and houses. We passed a very large facility that looked like a summer sports park and marina. We knew we were near Moscow when a commuter train passed overhead and shortly be were tying up to end our trip.
Just on schedule, we arrived at the Moscow terminal dock about 1:30. We had our lunch and upon docking was ready to start our city tour. Buses were waiting and there was a rush to get off the boat. Everyone was given a snack box for eating in the bus for it would be around 9:30 p.m. before we returned for a late dinner. We were taken on a ride through the city with finally a stop near Moscow University. It sets upon the highest point in Moscow, as universities of higher learning are suppose to be, where we could over look the city. There were vendors selling souvenir and the green roofed church below was near where we stopped. The first two and the last three photographs were taken through the bus window as we traveled.
There are seven high rise buildings in Moscow. Bad underground soil conditions prevent building very tall buildings. The last photo above is one of the seven. The university building is another and there is a photo to follow. Our goal for the rest of the afternoon was the Moscow subway and Red Square.
Next — Moscow Underground
