She Tales # 12 - Moscow Metro
Down, down, down you go, seemingly into the bowels of the earth, destination…Moscow Metro. It’s rush hour, and people stream onto the descending escalator like water being sucked down a drain, unable to step out of place or reverse their direction. If you are here it is for one reason, and that is to get on the train. It is an amazing, well orchestrated affair; no time to look around to appreciate the artful mosaics that adorn the chamber walls or even look to see which direction you need to go, because you should already know. You are caught up in the current, this massive moving flow of humanity and you are getting on a train.

It is midday, and mouth-watering smells of freshly baked breads are wafting up from underground. We are on our way to the Kremlin. We skipped breakfast, our stomachs are empty, and we’re low on Rubles. We stop and procure some of these tantalizing, inexpensive baked goods. They have a light and flaky dough crust holding inside mushrooms, melted cheeses, ham and cheese and various sweeter dessert types. Melt in your mouth delicious! We enjoyed them in the park just steps outside the Metro station in the shadow of the Kremlin, among colorful flower gardens in this city rich with history.

The metro is not just a convenient way to get around in Moscow; it is a way of life. There is an entire economy happening under the streets of Moscow. Not only can you get a warm, wholesome delicious meal, and an earful of lovely music, but most of what one may need; you can get at underground locations. The network of tunnels that lead to the metro tubes are lined with proper shops. Fresh produce, groceries, underwear, optical shops, baked goods, clothes, cosmetics, books, newspapers; it is all there for the convenience of the metro rider and the economy of the city.

Outstanding symphony music fills our ears while rushing down the stairs at the Red Square metro, my first thought was that they had a quality speaker system set up in the station, but then I rounded the bend on three violins, two cellos, a base and their owners playing Tchaikovsky. They sounded every bit as good as the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, only on a smaller scale. The musicians played passionately to the tourists for tips, and were so good people were hard-pressed not to stop and listen.

The trains just keep coming, and coming, efficiency is the name of the game, and the Russians play it well. Almost every corner of the city is covered by metro stops, and at the cost of sixteen cents, a ride is not only easy, but inexpensive as well. The metro is a people moving operation performed with precision and expertise. The trains are crowded to the point were people are standing almost all day long. If you miss one train, another will be by in a few minutes. While you’re waiting, take a look around, as many of the stations are destinations for tourists as works of “high art” for their mosaics, plasterwork and paintings. Some people buy a train ticket just to get in and see the stations.

Moscow is a city full of people on move. Every walk of life from those in business suits to tattered duds, Levi’s to evening gowns, and tourist t-shirts too; they all have someplace to go, and the Moscow metro takes them there.