steve wilson world laughter tour

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“Opening the door to laughter can lead to a deeper place helping people to have a more balanced, loving, healthy and happy lives.”  The Edmonton Journal, 2008

It has long been known that laughter is good medicine, and now there is Laugh A Lot, Friends in Houston, Texas.  Derived from yoga and supported by modern science, Laughter programs are designed to provide educational information on the health benefits of laughter and to experience the joys of laughter.  Be prepared to experience mirthful laughter and walk away with a lighter…and healthier heart!

Jeanette Lazarofsky, founder of Laugh A Lot, Friends, has completed training offered by the World Laughter Tour, Inc., to become a Certified Laughter Leader and has organized Laugh A Lot, Friends, in Houston. 

The World Laughter Tour (WLT) based in Columbus, Ohio was founded in 1998 by Steve Wilson, a psychologist and self-proclaimed “Cheerman of The Bored.  Now there are over 500 certified laughter leaders trained by the WLT in the United States.

Jeanette with Steve Wilson, Joyologist, MA, CPS--Internationally recognized founder of World Laughter Tour and author of seven joy-of-life books, and Paul McGhee, PhD in Psychology and internationally known for his research on humor

Ongoing research in the science of laughter points to the method’s capacity of reducing stress and diminishing social isolation while improving self-confidence and general sense of well-being.  World renowned researcher, Dr. Lee Berk, at the University of California, reports strong evidence of laughter’s role in boosting the immune system and, therefore, laughter is likely to aid in preventing some illnesses altogether.

Jeanette with Lee Berk, DrPh, MPH, Director of the molecular research laboratory at Loma Linda University and longtime researcher on the benefits of laughter

Some of the documented benefits of laughter include:

• Relieves Stress
• Enhances the immune system
• Improves breathing, blood flow, digestion, and sleep
• Adjusts blood pressure and blood sugar
• Burns calories
• Relieves pain
• Improves sleep
• Encourages relaxation
• Boosts self-confidence, promotes compassion, deepens creativity

“Three to five minutes of intense laughter can double the heart rate—the aerobic equivalent of three strenuous minutes on a rowing machine!” –Dr. William Fry, Jr.

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Starfish Projects

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Established in 2003 by Pam and Steve Wilson, the Laughter Arts & Sciences Foundation came to be after three years of World Laughter Tour programming revealed many individuals who wanted to promote the benefits (therapeutics) of laughter, but did not have the financial resources to take courses, buy books, or buy materials for various projects.

World Laughter Tour (WLT) convened the first International Symposium on Laughter in 2003 in Kissimee, Florida. 125 people attended form 14 countries. Emerging from that symposium, two strong energies propelled the LASF notion:

• Among the presenters was Godlieve Smulders, an Amsterdam artist who was (1) painting impressionist portraits of laughing faces (and had already created l@ughterlab as a way of connecting the world through laughter), and (2) creating music from laughter. This was one of the strong inspirations for the connection between laughter/art/science.
• Pam and Steve became aware of 5th grade teacher Debbie Davidson, who monthly was taking her students to Bethany Nursing Home in Canton, Ohio, where the kids each ‘adopted’ a grandparent. At their monthly get-togethers, they ate lunch together and discussed current events. It was a love fest with both kids and seniors benefiting. When Peggy Stabholz and Nancy Engle established a WLT laughter (therapy) club at the home, the seniors were excited to show it to the kids. The teacher loved it and took the program to do with her homeroom students. From then on, every monthly visit included a laughter session.

A few months later, it was built with the help of attorneys: The Laughter Arts & Sciences Foundation was established as a full-fledged non-profit charity (501.c.3).

In the time to follow, a mission was devised, an Advisory Board was formed, and a scholarship grant program was established. Applications could be obtained from the website, then were reviewed by a scholarship committee. As Fundraising began, one of the first significant donations came from 2 WLT Certified Laughter Leaders (CLLs), who were veteran service personnel. This was followed by a scholarship established to honor the memory of the 31-year-old son of another CLL, who died in 2001 in the attack on the World Trade Center. Donations are solicited with every online purchase from World Laughter Tour. Most donations to the foundation have come from CLLs as part of their annual certification renewals.

Eventually, the grants program expanded from educational projects to materials and other supports for relevant projects. In 2013, LASF unveiled a program of endorsing worthy projects to promote awareness of laughter as a powerful part of the “human tool box”. These are called Starfish Projects, and can be viewed on the site , with encouragement to donors to earmark funds for their favorite projects.

Pam and Steve have overseen the development of the LASF website, and continue to provide all the administrative support for LASF: office space, letterhead, phone, postage, bank account, etc. This is not their first endeavor with charity; their family spirituality is steeped in the Jewish concept of tzedakah , or charitable giving. In adddition, their shared background in boy scout & girl scout values of helping, especially the needy has fueled their passion for this important work. They have also been long supporters of social and human services, especially through the establishment and ongoing participation with the Stephen H. Wilson Scholarship Fund at Columbus State Community College,

The need remains great. The cause is more worthy than ever. Since the economy tanked in 2008, the need for financial assistance for worthy projects has increased dramatically. The need for more laughter in the world is greater than ever.

Laughter Arts & Sciences Foundation

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The official podcast of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor

Sunday Oct 15, 2023

Episode 114 - Steve Wilson Returns to Talk about The World Laughter Tour, History, Theories, and Joy!!

“We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” — Joseph Campbell

Steve Wilson returns to LaughBox with Katy BEE and Jim-Bob Williams to talk about the inception and history of laughter clubs and what “Good Hearted Living” can do for us with six practices!

Since its inception, World Laughter Tour has been recognized as a significant global influence in the practical applications of laughter and humor for health and world peace. Steve Wilson is a very popular and talented Certified Speaking Professional, experienced educator of mental health professionals, member of key professional organizations such as  Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor  (AATH),  International Society for Humor Studies  (ISHS), and the  American Humor Studies Association  (AHSA), as well as having  been the  2010 recipient of the Doug Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award, and Rire d’Or Golden Laughter Award in 2007 from the  French School of Laughter  and Well-Being.

He still maintains a very active presence in WLT and will often answer phone calls and inquiries, as well as making himself available to trainees, attendees, the media, or other interested parties who wish to speak with him personally.

Connect with him at:  www.worldlaughtertour.com

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Visit Larry's website at www.larrywilde.com

On June 28, 2008, Steve received the mantle of this auspicious position with all responsibilities, rights and privileges appertaining thereto (along with a big box of funny stuff) from Larry Wilde.

We honor those who make us laugh, professionals and amateurs alike, as well as friends, neighbors, teachers, and relatives, including your Uncle Fred and Aunt Tillie.

This is the place where you can come to share ideas about how to celebrate humor, information about the ancient roots of humor and the myriad contemporary expressions of humor.

We look forward to encouraging humor in everyone's life around the world and all year long.

Scott Friedman, CSP, 2004-2005 President of National Speakers Association, Suggests These 10 Ways to Celebrate National Humor Month

10. Send out child-like invitations to your next meeting.

      Everyone brings a gift for a needy child.

9.    Be a Cookie Monster! Come in early to drop off a cookie

      (or chocolate!!) on each employee's desk. No note. No

      announcement. Surprise!

8.    Change the word "deadline" to "finish line" to celebrate all

      completions.

7.    Practice kind acts of random. The third person to work

      today wins a photo with my Aunt Gladys.

6.    Celebrate employees' 'inner child' by posting their baby

      pictures on a bulletin board and guess who's who.

5.    Celebrate the first stress of the day! Computer issues?

      Bravo! Time for a latte and a chocolate croissant.

4.    Make an "already done" list and celebrate your

      accomplishments.

3.    Play theme music to match the tome of your upcoming

      meeting, i.e., Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." "What ever

      happened to her?".

2.    Name that "hum." Organize a 'hum-along'. It's hard to be

      stressed when you're humming.

1.    Enroll yourself in the Hokey Pokey Clinic and turn

      yourself around.

Scott's inspiring book, "Celebrate!: Lessons Learned From the World's Most Admired Organizations" is available at www.scottfriedman.net

National Humor Month Kicks Off with April Fools' Day

Get Ready to Start National Humor Month with a Bang!

all content © 2016 National Humor Month

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Steve Wilson: Why Do We Laugh‪?‬ Watching America

• Society & Culture

Humans are born with the ability to laugh and smile. It is built into our nervous system. In this episode of Watching America, we hear from psychologist and Gelotologist (laughter expert) Steve Wilson. He’s the director of National Humor Month and president of The World Laughter Tour. Wilson also provides training in therapeutic laughter and developed “Good Hearted Living” practices. Host Alan Campbell talks to Wilson about the benefits of laughter, what it means to have a “sense of humor,” and what makes a joke funny—or offensive. https://www.worldlaughtertour.com

• More Episodes
• WHRO Public Media

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

• Laughter reduces stress and increases endorphins, which are the body's own natural opiates – they make you happy! Therefore, when you laugh, the production of endorphins in your body keeps you feeling good for ages (American Journal of the Medical Sciences).
• Laughter increases pain tolerance (New England Journal of Medicine)
• Laughing is a fun new way to exercise.
• Laughter has many positive benefits such as enjoyable social interaction, improved mood, more positive outlook, and "prevents hardening of the attitudes" (Steve Wilson).

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About the business.

The Mission of World Laughter Tour, Inc. is to create and disseminate an adjunctive therapeutic modality called "laughter therapy", by properly applying laughter theories and practices into multi-generational, multicultural, systematic health and happiness programs. We do this by promoting attitudes that support mental and physical health, thereby helping primary treatments work better, and by teaching methods that are uplifting, simple, effective and powerful. We believe these methods make a remarkable impact both in the overall health and wellness of every individual we teach and serve, as well as making the world a better place; one filled with laughter, kindness, tolerance, forgiveness, and harmony. …

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The World Laughter Tour brings me happiness, peace, joy and all-around self confidence when I participate in a laughter circle. Laughter brings on feel-good endorphins that continue to radiate in my body for many hours. Training to become a Certified Laughter Leader encompasses the theory, ethics and practical aspects of successfully conducting ahhmazing laughter sessions. Steve Wilson, Founder & Cheerman of the Bored of the World Laughter Tour continues to offer support to everyone interested and involved long after the training has ended. Steve, thank you for the World Laughter Tour!

We had a wonderful laughter workshop. Our speaker was great, engaging us in activities, showing us the positive health benefits of laughing and taking life not too seriously. A great stress-reliever, blood pressure decreaser, fun, feel-good type of deal, booking a speaker through this company is educational as well as a kickin' good time. Highly recommend it! +laughter workshop

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Best things to see and do in Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. It’s rich and complex history is a constant reminder of its strategic position between Europe and Asia and makes it one of the cities you should visit once in your life. In terms of the many iconic landmarks, the delicious cuisine, and the characteristic, colorful architecture it has, Moscow is full of surprises for first-timers and seasoned travelers. Apart from the main attractions, it has like the Kremlin or Red Square, Moscow has many hidden gems for you to discover on your free walking tour with your local guide. 

On any of the free guided tours we offer in Moscow , you will be able to find a selection of many tours which are available in different languages and at different times of day, like the morning, afternoon, and evening. Since Moscow is such a large metropolis, getting your bearings by doing a guruwalk with a local guide who will show you all Moscow’s hidden gems is a great idea. This way you get to learn as much as possible about the local culture and way of life. A trip to Moscow wouldn't be complete without visiting iconic places like St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, or the State Historical Museum, before getting some fresh air at Gorky Park, the medieval church of Kolomenskoye, or shopping at Izmailovsky Market. Don’t miss visiting the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Bolshoi Theater, or checking out the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve. 

Many travelers have left their r eviews and opinions about the local guides , gurus, and the routes they walked. If you have any questions about the routes or what is included in the tour, check out their opinions. 

Free walking tour near Moscow

Others cities to visit after moscow, where are you traveling to.

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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Nikolay Borkovoy

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Anika Socotra-International

Our mission is to provide you with the kind of holiday you want: where you can relax in wonderful ...

Al'bina Andreeva

Moscow guide&photo! Feel Putin vibes and explore the enigmatic Russian soul through history ...

The sprawling, mind-boggling metropolis of Russian Moscow has long been one of the theatrical stages on which the great dramas of Europe and Asia have been played out in grand style. Burned by Napoleon in 1812, immortalised by Tolstoy, utilised by the Bolsheviks and championed as a bastion of heroic defiance by the post-war communists, it’s almost hard to believe just how defining the historical events that found their home on Moscow’s streets have been. Moscow tour guides will easily be able to mark the major must-see landmarks on the map, from the onion-domed orthodox Saint Basil's Cathedral, to the political powerhouse of Red Square just next door, while others will be quick to recommend a ride on Moscow’s famous subterranean metro system, or a visit to the UNESCO-attested Novodevichy Convent on the city’s southern side. But Moscow is a city also in the throes of a cultural wrangling between the old and the new. Creative energies abound here: Boho bars and pumping super clubs now occupy the iconic mega structures of the old USSR; high-fashion outlets, trendy shopping malls and luxurious residential districts stand as testimony to a city that’s now the undisputed playground of the world’s super-rich, while sprawling modern art museums dominate the cultural offering of the downtown districts north of the Moskva River.  

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