Parks

2015-2017

There is an ongoing debate in Russia over which is a better city, Moscow or Petersburg. People often go back an forth, but in one category, Moscow absolutely reigns supreme: Parks. Moscow's parks are enormous and numerous. They are so vast that when in ones like Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsino, Sokolniki and Izmailovski, you can no longer tell you're in a big city anymore.

Unfortunately, the park that gets the most attention, Gorky Park, is in my opinion, the least exciting. It's not that Gorky Park is bad or not worth visiting, but the other parks are so much nicer. Gorky is kind of generic and filled with tourists, like parks in most big cities. You can see buildings and there are vendors everywhere.

Compare that to Tsaritsino. Here there are hills and valleys as lush and green as the open country. There are trees everywhere you look, along with fountains, lakes, and most notably, an old palace. Right in the middle of everything sits an old palace that has been converted into a museum. It is awesome, and I highly recommend going there to anyone. There is no city feel here, and it is so big and open, you feel like you're going on an adventure with every section of the park you explore. And this is just one of them. Each park has its own character and personality.

Personal Favorite: Kolomenskoye

You know that place in your town that you consider 'your place'? The place you go when you want to unwind, escape the stresses of everyday life, or just to be at peace by yourself. For me in Moscow, that place is Kolomenskoye Park. And while it's only one of Moscow's many huge green-space areas, this one stands out above all for me for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's huge. If you're deep in the thick of it, it really doesn't feel like you're in a city any more. Instead of buildings, the landscape becomes hills, grass, trees, and old wooden buildings which all come down to the bank of the  Moskva River. The view is gorgeous all year round, but that isn't the ultimate feature that makes the park stand out. What separates Kolomenskoye from the rest of the parks is, instead all the unique features and quirks it contains.

For starters, there's a full apple orchard in the middle of the park. I kid you not, thousands of trees stand in rows and from mid summer to late autumn, you can go pick some whenever you want. And they're good too. My friends and I actually used them to make a pie which, despite my lack of cooking skill, still turned out delicious. Then, for drinks, vendors often serve (mead) or mulled wine which is heated and served warm during the winters, thus helping you bear the cold.

I could explain more, but I'll let the pictures above do the talking. (click to go through and see all of them).