Can you imagine if Bush Jr. propaganda were everywhere like this in New York? Perestroika would have hit in less than 70 years, that's for sure!
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We ask for a pitcher at this random bar, and get this crazy thing.
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Needless to say, we get hammered!
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At dawn, we pass a statue of Tchaikovsky.
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Our fellow backpacker is out cold.
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We carry on, with the help of the local kiosk.
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All civilized countries allow for drinking on the streets. What better way to enjoy sunrise?
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These Russian students couldn't agree more.
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This drunken Russian aspires to be a Rapper, and graces us with 50 Cent raps (in English)!
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After waking up at 4pm, I venture across the Krymsky Bridge to the Sculpture Park.
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I find a veritable cornucopia of Constructivist style.
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I get my photo op with the man!
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Commie Constructivist paradise! One must admit that the style is just basically bad ass. (Notice that Lenin is sawed in half from when it was likely ripped from the pedestal circa 1991.)
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This is a sculpture of Stalin--easily the greatest murderer of history.
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This inidicates what Russians think of the great leader of WWII.
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This Stalin is part of an homage to the victims of Stalin's Great Terror purges of the 30s.
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It is a fitting tribute...
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...and quite sad.
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Locals are very fashion conscious, and often serious fashion victims. The ripped jean look is still "in" apparently.
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Goofy statues clash against the Constructivist graveyard.
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More commentary on the Communist tragedy.
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There is even an erotic garden!
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Russia's darling poet Pushkin is across the way...
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...from a critical sculpture depicting a pushy Marx harassing the Russian peasantry.
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Toilet in a train cart, anyone?
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Ghandi is close by to...
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...the sawed in half dictator Brezhnev.
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I wonder if Lenin would have approved of his own cult of personality?
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More Commie prop in front of the Tretyakov Gallery (which houses a great collection).
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The pompously grand entrance to Gorky Park...
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...with all the Commie regalia.
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A statue of Lenin's right-hand man Gorky is tucked away in a corner.
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But no one is paying attention to the past... only the schmaltzy Coney-Island'esque present.
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Russians are the most affectionate peoples I've ever seen!
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Who knew that the Soviets also constucted a Space Shuttle? The Buran never made it into space.
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A couple chats by the Moscow River.
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Walking across the Fruzenskaya Bridge...
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...affords a great view of the city.
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Riding on the Moscow Metro qualifies as a museum visit in itself.
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Of course, the inevitable Lenin statue pops up every so often. (The rose is a nice touch.)
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