Two Girls From Texas in a Car: MOSCOW - NOVODEVICHY CONVENT & CEMETARY , METRO, CULTURAL - BOLSHOI, STANISLOVSKY THEATRE & NOVAGA OPERA

NOVODEVICHY CONVENT

In 1524 Grand Prince Vasily III founded the convent and cemetery to celebrate the taking of Smolensk from Lithuania. From early on, the "New Maidens" convent was a place for women from noble families to retire - some more willingly than others.

All of the walls and towers along with many other bbuildings on the grounds were rebuilt around 1689 under the direction of Sofia Alexeyevna.

The centerpiece of the monastery is the white Smolensk Cathedral . Sofia Alexeyevna used the convent as a residence when she ruled Russia as regent in the 1680's. During her rule, she rebuilt the convent to her liking - which was good

. Her half brother, Peter the Great imprisoned her her after she took place in the Streltsy rebellion.

Eudoxia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter the Great, was also imprisioned here. Even though she bore him a son,Peter detested her conservative,demanding personality, and soon rejected her for the daughter of a beautiful wine merchant.

After Peter's death, his son, Peter II recalled his grandmother and recalled her back to Moscow where she lived in high style.

NOVODEVICHY CEMETERY

This is one of Moscow's most prestigious resting places - a veritable who's who of Russian politics and culture. Here you will find tombs of Chekov,

Gogol,Mayakovsky,Prokofiev,Stanislavsky,

and Eisenstein, among many other notables.

SHOSTAKOVICH

In Soviet times Novodevichy Cemetery was used for eminent people the authories judged unsuitable for the Kremlin wall - most notabley Khrushchev.

The intertwined white and black blocks around his bust were intended by sculptor Ernst Neizvestny to repesent his good and bad sides.

The tombstone of Nadezhda Alliluyeva, Stalin's second wife, is covered by unbreakable glass to prevent vandalism - she committed suicide.

Tomb of the unknown soldier

Boris Yeltsin's grave is marked by an enormous sculpure of a Russian flag - he died in 2007.

METRO

When Stalin announced plans for Metrostroy (construction of the Metro) in the 1930's , loyal communists turned out in droves to lend a hand.

Thousands of people toiled around the clock in dire conditions, using pickaxes and spades and hand pulled trolleys. Some 10,000 members of the Moscow Soviet youth league contributed their time to build the Communist dream.

If you rub the dog's nose, it means you will have good luck!!!

The first metro line opened on May 16,1935. The red (of course) line connected the north to the south. The metro continues to expand. Nine million people ride the Metro per day.

BOLSHOI

The top entertainment option in Moscow. This historic theatre saw the opening of Tchaikovsky's Swan lake in 1877 and the Nutcracker in 1919. Artistic directors come and go, but iconic Swan Lake and Boris Godunov remain.