With the weather worsening and snow already on the ground, why not enjoy a different kind of exploration? This week's "walk" passes through some of the metro's most spectacular stations, as well as a couple of hidden gems above ground, which provide a nice contrast to Moscow's subterranean crowd.
Those of us who use the metro every day often hurry past and under the magnificent artistry on its walls and ceilings. Taking the time to stop and appreciate the variety of decoration buried under the city can enrich your daily journey and make a picturesque tour in its own right. If you don't have a season ticket, which I recommend, then buy a ticket for five trips (pyat poyezdok).
1. Just down the road from Mayakovskaya metro is - of course - one branch of the popular Starlight Diner, open round the clock, which makes an excellent starting point; with heaters and soft blankets on the patio, you can still admire the aquarium fountain under the autumnal chestnut trees. After a meal, enter the metro station with the entrance on Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa and go down the escalator (33 meters deep to allow it to double as an air-raid shelter). This will take you to Mayakovskaya's steel and pink rhodonite central hall. The mosaics on the ceiling take you through a day in an idealized Soviet life. Starting with cherry blossom and a plane, you pass under divers, parachutes, statues and factories backed by darkening skies. The Spasskaya clock tower shows first noon and then midnight and the final sunflowers take us well into the following day. At the far end, at the top of the newly opened exit, commuters and visitors are greeted with a brilliant mosaic hall.
2. From Mayakovskaya, head north to Belorusskaya, and change onto the brown ring line, following the color-coded signs and passing a group of statues representing Belarussian partisans. The central hall for the ring line has octagonal pictures of Belarussian life on the ceiling, a traditional quilt pattern on the floor and ornate lamps.
3. Get onto a train heading clockwise around the ring line, getting off at Novoblodskaya to admire the art nouveau stained glass and mosaics. Continue on to Prospekt Mira for the gilded porcelain. From there, you can exit the station to visit the nearby eighteenth century apothecary garden, established by Peter the Great. Pay for a 50-ruble ticket from the machine and enter through sliding doors into a hidden world behind the bustling street.
4. Walking between the ponds along the pergola, whose creepers are currently a rainbow of autumn leaves, you pass a number of interesting features: old palm houses, collections of ferns and heather, the Siberian larch said to have been planted by Peter the Great, and the white willow by the duck pond which is the oldest tree in central Moscow. This garden is a delightful flowery oasis in the spring and now, with the last of the summer planting still adorning the borders, the arboretum comes into its own.
5. Returning to the metro station, carry on around the ring towards Komsomolskaya, a huge baroque station that epitomises Stalin's grand scheme to build "palaces for the people": massive chandeliers, marble columns and gold mosaics depict a chronology of military history scenes. Continuing on to Kurskaya, you can come up for air and visit the "Vinzavod" round the corner. This converted brewery and wine factory is becoming a maze of art galleries often showing stylish and innovative work. To see it, it is best to transfer to Chkalovskaya station on the light green line before coming out onto the street.
6. Find and follow the tram lines for a short way until a road leads off to the left under the railway. On the other side of the tunnel, turn right into 4th Syromyatnichesky Pereulok and on your left you will come to the entrance at the end of the big building. There are a variety of exhibitions here at any one time and the walls themselves are interesting and decorated with murals and graffiti. There is no café here but there are plenty nearby, including a large food court in the Atrium Centre.
7. Back at the metro, you can either go on along the ring, take the dark blue line to Ploschad Revolutsii with its famous bronze statues, or ride the light green line from Chkalovskaya north to the newest station, Trubnaya, which opened just over a month ago. Here the back-lit stained glass mosaics of famous Russian towns, reflected in the polished floor and the gleaming marble pillars, provide a fitting end to this underground voyage of discovery. N
Family friendly features
1. The Starlight Diner does a great kids' menu along with pencils to colour it in and space to run around while parents finish their coffee.
2. At weekends the Metro is less crowded, but at almost any time people will give up seats for small children.
2. While a trek through the Tretyakov leaves many complaining of "museum legs," the underground art galleries of the metro are perfect for short attention spans.
3. There is a lovely playground behind the duck pond in the botanical garden, complete with sandpit, swings and a sheltered picnic area.
4. If the children have had enough by the time you reach Kurskaya, you can always book them in (at a price!) to the adventure playground in "Atri Land" on the top floor of the shopping centre, leave your mobile phone number and go to the Winzavod without them.
By Phoebe Taiplin
