Greetings from Moscow, Russia! After 3 connecting flights that totaled over 16 hours of travel from St. Louis, Missouri, we arrived safe and sound. First stop, Moscow. During our brief stay until Volgograd, Nikita was kind enough to expose us to the culture of Russia. Our stops included the Main Botanic Garden, The Kremlin, Red Square, and a brief glance of the Bolshoi Theatre. Later, we were able to rendezvous with Igor for dinner to discuss future developments involving botanical inquiries.
Our purpose during our 7 day stay is to interact with our colleagues in the Russian Exchange Program. We will be touring many of the nature reserves and botanical institutions... with a little sight seeing along the way for appreciation of Russian culture. Throughout our hectic but highly anticipated itinerary, we will be presenting many topics to the Russians regarding Missouri Botanical Garden's protocols for plant propagation, nursery production logistics, and strategic planning for Garden development. As a bonus, we look forward to shadowing their successful tactics thus far and building our skills as necessary. Traveling throughout Russia to view the unique flora in their natural niche is a highlight we are certainly excited for. Looking towards improvements and additions to our permanent collections is top priority for our conservation efforts.
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| Quick stop at the Main Botanical Garden in Moscow |
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| Spasskaya Tower ("Saviour Tower"). Infamous clock tower in Red Square |
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| Moskva River looking out towards Kremlin |
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| Zhukov Statue |
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| State Historical Museum |
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| Annunciation Cathedral |
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| Secret Garden aka Taynitsky Garden |
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| Red Square was as iconic as expected. |
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| Ivan the Great Bell Tower |
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| Dinner time. Unfortunately, we did not get a picture with Igor. For the record, he took this photo of us at dinner. |
Still sunny in Volgograd. The last photo is Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Anyway, I'm pretty impressed how you remembered the names of all attractions seen in Moscow.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nikita. I'll make the change. Justin and I were struggling to remember them all. So much to absorb in a short time period. Thank you again for your hospitality. We enjoyed our brief but enjoyable visit,. .
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