Random Travel Photos 1: Moscow Metros

Here's some photos from various Moscow Metro stations that I took in June 2002, while visiting my friend and roving travel reporter James Jeffrey. Many of the metro stations in Moscow (and St. Petersberg) are incredible works of art, designed to show the superiority of Soviet communism. I think the construction of these mass transit systems started in the mid-1930's and was one of the first great infrastructure projects of the Soviet era. Many of these stations were replete with mosaics, paintings, ornate columns, space aged designs straight out of Dr Who or Star Wars and many other varieties. Also these Metro stations were usually deep underground, so to get in or out of them you had to ride a long steep escalator for what seems like ages. The more elaborate stations seemed to be on the inner city lines as the ones further out became increasingly drab, probably because they were built much later.

More travel snaps and stories later.