Wednesday, April 15, 2015

M is for Moscow Metro




I love public transportation.  It is really an shame that they have no really good system of public transportation in this state of Michigan.  The Moscow train and subway system would really put them to shame.  Here are a few photos:




Belorusskaya Rail Station (1870) exterior above and interior hall below
Belorusskaya Station

Train platform in Novoslabodskaya Metro station, also seen just below.  It was unbelievably clean.


Komsomdskaya Metro Station - 1952


Tolkien Bonus:  M is for Mordor, settled by Sauron in the Second Age and the center of evil, it is destroyed by earthquakes after the War of the Rings.


39 comments:

  1. Wow! You could host a wedding and a reception there. Where are the suites, please? ;)

    Elizabeth Mueller
    AtoZ 2015
    My Little Pony

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    1. I never thought I would be in awe of a subway station. Not that there are not some nice ones in the USA, but these were 'over-the-top-under the ground' so to speak.

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  2. This is fabulous, it looks like a palace or a museum.

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    1. Everything built for the aristocracy is gorgeous. I hesitate to print any pictures of what the masses live in, but may do so after the Challenge.

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  3. Public transportation is so much better in Europe. I hate driving!

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    1. Not just in Europe, but in many major cities in the US. Detroit is the only place where if you don't have a car you are not going to get very far in an easy manner or on time.

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  4. Wow! I never knew the Moscow metro was so beautiful! It's probably the prettiest I have seen, and I have seen several... (the worst of which was New York City...)

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

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    1. Who would have thunk it? And NYC's system is purely functional for me. Nothing to look at.

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  5. Oh, fantastic! I can't believe how beautiful the train stations are there! I'd definitely like to see this in person! You're right, it's a shame that the US (not just Michigan!) chose giant roads over efficient trains.

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    1. And my community is stupidly talking about putting a left turn lane along a roadway when there are better things to do with the money. Like pave some of the dirt roads to begin with then maybe every one wouldn't be crowding the paved roads.

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  6. wow the interiors are absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful pictures. :)

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    1. The wall and ceiling mosaics are great but none of my photos of them were great.

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  7. Incredible that such wonderful buildings are for the metro and not hotels or palaces etc. Mind you there are train stations in many capital cities which are incredible to look at and visit - train stations in London are quite incredible and I have seen pictures of Grand Central in New York which boggle the mind when you think they are just setting out points.

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    1. Of course, until recently Russians only had Russian cars to drive so they really needed a metro system. Maybe just no so elaborate, but who's complaining,

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  8. If I had to go into a station like that, I think I'd like public transportation too. ;)

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    1. I'd settle for any station. We don't even have decent bus service. Around here communities can opt-out of public transportation and the buses have to drive around them to get to their destination.

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  9. Wowsa. The Moscow train station is absolutely stunning! It'd almost be like going to a museum. I was blown away at the architecture and all the creativity that went into building it. Amazing! Thanks for sharing...
    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. As I said above, there are great mosaics and even statues inside.

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  10. That's the train station? It's even more beautiful than ones I've seen in Europe. I do SO love architecture over there. I am loving your blog. Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

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  11. I've never been to Russia. Or Europe for that matter. But we're planning on massive vacation and Moscow is on our list of places to visit.

    Stephen Tremp
    A to Z Cohost
    M is for Movies

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    1. I highly recommend Russia. We went on a private tour (four people), but my son went alone and hired local guides.

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  12. You know-I have seen the last picture before in shows etc... but the others I have not and it just puts all of us to shame. I think of the Toronto subway and it is dirty and no respect. The train station is so prtty in Toronto but again, garbage etc... We could be as clean as this-maybe one day we will wake up

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    1. Neither your country or mine is likely to wake up in the near future. I must say that a few years ago I was in Montreal and loved their underground shopping and transportation system.

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    2. Montreal is much nicer than Toronto

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  13. Sure looks nicer than the "L" stations here in Chicago.

    --
    Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
    2015 A to Z of Vampires
    http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/

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    1. That seems to be a popular opinion. I used to go to Chicago yearly and half the time I did not drive in, just relied on the trains when I got there. The comments have got me thinking about how bad some of our subway stations are, but at least other folks have something to use. Detroit? ZIPPO.

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  14. I have never driven, so I am well versed with public transportation. I live in Southern California where we have public transportation, but in the Inland Empire it is sparse. I learned over the years you have to be willing to walk a three mile journey or bike it to make up for the slack. Also, as much as a I love the availability of public transporation, I actually think biking anything under five miles one way is best. Years ago I would take the bus for a four mile trip, and that costs money and time spent waiting. Hop on a bike and you can get too and from your location, which is about three miles, in about a half mile. I am a slow biker compared to some, but if you bicycle fast you can get where you are going even faster. What I find disconcerting is some public transportation advocates did not think bicycle lanes where important, and did not realize in some cities there are bike rack on busses. I think both can work quite well together. So I always recommend having a bike to fall in the gaps for the public transportation.

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    1. And I meant I can bike three miles in about half an hour. Not half a mile. I never bike overly fast and I am cautious. Those who bike faster can get where they are going sooner. Did I mention it is uphill as well?

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    2. Well, last week a biker in Detroit got run over by the bus when he tried to remove his bike from the front grill. Seems the driver forgot about his needing to retrieve his bike. And then we had the Detroiter who was walking 21 miles to get to and from work each day. I would love to give up my car, but I would have to move to do so. Far away. And I have most of my family here.

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    3. Okay that is crazy. Did not know your commutes were that bad. People here say SoCal is bad public transportation wise because sometimes you have to walk a couple of miles to catch a bus. Cars need to look out more for bicyclists. Even here I know people who make long commutes on bikes, and I hear too many stories about people getting hit.

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  15. Interesting juxtaposition, Mordor and Moscow.

    Gorgeous (Moscow—Mordor, not so much)! I’ve never seen such pristine metro stations. The day they opened the underground bus tunnel in Seattle it wasn’t this immaculate. Certainly nowhere near as beautiful. And the stained glass is exquisite. Can’t imagine glass would survive at a metro here. It would end up either broken or graffitied.

    VR Barkowski

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    1. I imagine that fines for graffiti and littering would be quite high in Russia. I thought everything was clean, but our guide said that folks complain about how dirty it is. Told her she should come over here. In Saint Petersburg I thought it rained every night and then discovered that they wash the streets.

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  16. Breathtaking. Works of art. The cleanliness is what stands out to me. I grew up in New York City. There is beauty in the older subway stations (mosaic artwork, etc.) altough not on this scale- but there is so much filth in the stations - and outside the stations, too. I hate to say it, but New York City is a dirty city. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. Your comments echo many others. I just don't think we take pride in our country's appearance.

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  17. The stations are so beautiful! And your photos are lovely.

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  18. I like public transportation too but these stations are a whole lot nicer than MBTA's Red Line.

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    1. Amazing isn't it. I think I am going to do a post about some of the 'housing' we saw. Russia has no middle class so either everything is glitz and glamour or rather shabby.

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