Arrival in Moscow

The overseas flight from Charlotte to London was really nice.  The plane was only half full, so I had space to stretch out during the flight & there was plenty to eat and drink.  I got a nice picture of the London skyline before we landed.

As I was waiting in line to go through my passport check I met "crazy tattoo guy" from Canada.  I was very surprised when I saw him again on my flight to Moscow. I also saw guys walking through the airport dressed as tennis players.

The flight to Moscow was ok, but the plane was fairly full & my seat was uncomfortable.  We arrived on time & going through immigration was fairly easy.  I had to run through the gauntlet of about dozen taxi drivers in the baggage claim area & more drivers where I was buying a ticket for the train ride to the the city.  One "helpful" taxi guy told me he would sell me a train ticket (which I am sure had expired) instead of buying one from the machine.  Just because I am a tourist doesn't mean I am stupid, why would a taxi guy have train tickets to sell to tourists.  

The train was $7 (compared to a $30-$40 taxi ride in rush hour) for the 45 minute ride to the city with only one stop.  I had a half mile walk from the train to my hotel.  I was glad to see the hotel, as it took just over 24 hours to get there.  Even though I was exhausted & awake for 30 hours, I didn't want to fall asleep at 7:00 pm & wake up in the middle of the night.  It will take 4-5 days to adjust to the 7 hour time change.  I am staying in a good location a little south of Red Square with plenty of places to eat nearby.  I will be in Moscow for 5 nights.  The weather forecast looks nice (sunny with temps in the high 50s/low 60s), so I plan to see a lot of sights on my first full day in town.  I skipped Red Square my first night since it was filled with tanks & soldiers practicing for the big military parade that takes place on May 9th (Victory Day).  See the video from the Russian TV network.

https://www.rt.com/news/254401-victory-day-parade-rehearsal/