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Every week for over 25 years, men and women, both clergy and laity, from every imaginable faith background have been sharing powerful stories of how they came home to the Catholic Church.

The Journey Home Program is produced in the Coming Home Network studio and broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) .

The program airs every Monday at 8 PM ET on EWTN TV, radio, and online ( www.ewtn.com ), and you can watch the encore shows at 1 AM on Tuesdays and at 1 PM on Fridays. In addition, the “Best of The Journey Home” airs Wednesdays at 1 PM ET.

Click below for a full, searchable archive of every episode of The Journey Home Program.

Latest episodes, phillip campbell – revert from pentecostalism.

Phillip Campbell was baptized in the Catholic Church as an infant, but his family didn’t really practice the faith. When he hit a low point as a young man, it

Greg and Jennifer Willits – Catholic Revert and former Worldwide Church of God

Jennifer Willits grew up in the Worldwide Church of God, and had some troubling experiences that led her to ask a lot of questions about God and her purpose. When

Nora Jensen – Former Wiccan

Raised in a Wiccan family, Nora Jensen grew up with an extremely cynical attitude towards Christianity. However, when she became a young adult, she began to have some deeply unsettling

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JOURNEY HOME - NOVEMBER 21, 2011

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15 of the Most Unforgettable Episodes of The Journey Home

The Journey Home is an awesome show that has been on EWTN for  very long time, and still continues to produce engaging and inspirational shows featuring guests who have converted to the Catholic Church. We love it, and we wanted to show our appreciation by bringing you some of of the most unforgettable episodes. You can find more in the Coming Home Network’s Youtube page , or the EWTN Channel playlist .

1. Throwing it way back to, Patrick Madrid

2. The Coming Home Network’s own, Matt Swaim!!

3. Anti-porn speaker/ author/ apologist/ awesomest, Matt Fradd

4. The ever awesome, Patrick Coffin

5. Meme Queen and former Lutheran, Nicole DeMille

6. Pro-Life Advocate and Activist, Abby Johnson

7. President of Sophia Institute Press, Charlie McKinney

8. One of the best new apologists, Devin Rose, former atheist and baptist

9. Former Neo-Pagan (wut?), Dr. Brennan Pursell

10. Founder of ChurchPOP, Brantly Millegan

11. Jerusalem Jones, Steve Ray

12. Convert from Judaism, Rick Rosen

13. The awesome Atheist convert, Jennifer Fulwiler

14. The time Marcus interviewed – wait for it – his SON! The resemblance is uncanny.

15. The unforgettable, Dr. Scott Hahn

BONUS:  Author and gifted man from Word on Fire, Brandon Vogt

About The Author

Shaun McAfee

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ADV #519: Our Journey to EWTN Adventures in Imperfect Living Catholic Podcast

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Our buddy Matt Swaim invited us to be on EWTN's The Journey Home (airing 4/15/24), so we returned the favor and invited him on our show to talk about life in Catholic media. GUEST LINKS Matt Swaim on social media - @mattswaim Coming Home Network Son Rise Morning Show EPISODE 519 SHOW NOTES & LINKS 🎥 Watch the full video here 🎓 Join School of Mary for Free! 🙏🏻 Free Rosary, audio Rosaries, and more 😄 Support Rosary Army 📺 Full Episodes 🍎 Listen on Apple (and leave a review!) 🔊 Listen on Spotify  👀 Greg's serialized novel ☎ Upload audio and video feedback via WeTransfer 📧 Email feedback  

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The Journey Home

Host Marcus Grodi gives you an inside look at the lives of dynamic Catholic converts throughout Europe, as he speaks with them about their remarkable journeys to the Church.

PHILLIP CAMPBELL

Baptized a Catholic, Phillip Campbell grew spiritually hungry in his teens, and spent time in Protestant congregations. But he came back to his faith and reunited with his family.

GREG AND JENNIFER WILLITS

Greg Willits grew up Catholic. His wife was in the Worldwide Church of God. After their child was baptized, they both had profound awakenings especially in regard to the Eucharist.

NORA JENSEN

Being raised in a Wiccan family gave Nora Jensen an extremely cynical view towards Christianity. But when she came to Mass, she found herself surrounded by happy,, smiling people.

SETH HAINES

Seth Haines and his wife battled issues that led them down different paths, but with prayer and discernment, they both realized their true spiritual home was the Catholic Church.

Don McLane experimented with several faiths, and even felt a call to the Episcopalian priesthood. But he discovered a deeper understanding of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.

Paul Rose always loved music, especially singing and songwriting. Upon discovering sacred music, he became even more enthralled with the religious patrimony of the Catholic Church.

JEREMY McLELLAN

Jerry McLellan is a stand-up comedian with a unique outlook on life. His views on Christianity evolved over time, leading him to eventually find a home in the Catholic Church.

COURTNEY COMSTOCK

Courtney Comstock shares the series of life experiences and questions that led her from a background in Pentecostalism to a home in the Catholic Church. JonMarc Grodi hosts

SANTONIO HILL

Santonio Hill was raised Catholic, but his big dream was to play college and pro football. When his pastor suggested the priesthood, he finally realized what was important in life.

FR. CORWIN LOW, O.P.

Despite a lucrative career, Corwin Low found money and success weren’t fulfilling. Dominican friars in Italy helped him reset his priorities, and he ultimately chose to join them.

JUSTIN HIBBARD

Justin Hibbard grew up in Evangelical communities, but COVID lockdowns caused him to re-evalute what it meant to be a Christian. Study and prayer led him to the Catholic Church.

FR. RICHARD WILSON

Richard Wilson went to West Point and worked in finance after his service. But despite his Protestant upbringing, he felt a higher calling to serve the Lord as a Catholic priest.

ANDRE AND ANGELE REGNIER

André was Catholic and Angèle an Evangelical Protestant. When they married, their world views collided, leading to much debate and eventually a commitment to the Catholic faith.

MICHAEL MASON

Michael Mason found his faith both challenged and deepened at the Southern Evangelical Seminary. When it all sounded more Catholic than Protestant, he came home to the Church.

JENNIFER SOUTHERS

After her husband died, Jennifer Southers looked for ways to grow stronger in her faith. A pilgrimage to the Holy Land led her to Catholicism and a deeper relationship with God.

DUSTIN QUICK

Baptized Catholic, Dustin Quick experimented with Islam as a teen. But after much study, he felt the truest expression of Christianity was in the Catholic faith he’d left behind.

DEB SCARAVILLI

Growing up a preacher’s kid, Deb Scaravilli fell in love with a Catholic man. She saw differences between Catholicism and her Evangelical roots, and found her true spiritual home.

MATT GERALD

Matt Gerald was raised in a faithful family of Methodist Protestants, many of whom were ministers. But when he married a Catholic, he discovered the beauty and truth of the faith.

DR. BRANDON VAIDYANATHAN

Raised a Hindu, Brandon Vaidyanathan began attending a youth group with a Catholic girl he was dating. Hearing things about the nature of God he’d never heard from Hinduism, led him to embrace the Catholic Church.

DR. ERIK BALDWIN

Erik Baldwin was serious about his Presbyterian faith, until a scandal in his congregation led him to reevaluate everything. He realized he could no longer treat his interest in Catholicism as merely an academic exercise.

LAWAIN MCNEIL

Lawain McNeil grew up in a strong Christian home, and early on, felt a call to ministry. He pursued a degree in Biblical studies and ended up serving in the Church of Christ. A number of factors in his life led him to begin exploring the Catholic Faith, including an interest in the Catholic literary and artistic tradition, and friendship with others who shared his background and were also interested in Catholicism. He shares how all those threads came together as he made his way home to the Catholic Church.

Kevin Shinkle

Kevin Shinkle was baptized in the Church of the Nazarene, but his family left the church when their pastor told his parents they had to stop smoking, and that brought an end to Kevin's churchgoing days for a while. He went on to college, and met some friends who were devout Catholics and helped him develop an initial curiosity about the Church. When his career as a journalist began to become more intense, he decided he needed a foundation of faith, and those seeds planted by his Catholic friendships began to bear fruit.

David Dean came from a Presbyterian background, and went on to college at Kansas University. At the time, it had an Applied Humanities program that focused on classical studies. Through the course of the program, a number of the professors and students became Catholic because of what they were finding about the Church’s role in the great philosophical and theological tradition, and David ended up entering the Church his senior year of college. He went on to spend a number of years working in Catholic education, and now serves as Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Tulsa.

Kathryn Whitaker

Kathryn Whitaker was baptized in a Methodist church as an infant in Texas, but after her pastor left, her family skipped around churches looking for a fit, including time spent with the Nazarenes and Disciples of Christ. Visiting Baptist churches in college, Kathryn heard her first real anti-Catholicism from the pulpit, and it shocked her and made her want to learn more about Catholicism, which she poured herself into. This led her to Catholic friendships, and eventually to marry a Catholic. Kathryn shares the incredible story behind how she ended up being confirmed Catholic and receiving her first Holy Communion, an hour before her wedding rehearsal dinner!

Mother Petra

Mother Petra was raised in a family full of Wesleyan ministers, missionaries and church planters, and went on to study at Indiana Wesleyan. She became increasingly frustrated by divisions in Christianity over everything from Bible interpretation to worship practices, and at one point even stopped going to church. When one of her sisters became Catholic, it opened up to her the possibility that there really was an authoritative way to understand the reality of what it meant to be a Christian. She entered the Catholic Church, and eventually religious life at a Byzantine monastery.

Dr. Kathryn Wehr

Dr. Kathryn Wehr talks about her journey from studying the arts and theology at Bethel University and Regent College, being guided towards liturgy and history, entering the Catholic Church, and being a Dorothy L. Sayers scholar. Her most recent project is an annotated edition of Sayers' masterwork, The Man Born to be King.

ROBERT TUNMIRE

Robert Tunmire talks to JonMarc Grodi about his journey from a secular lifestyle to the Catholic Faith.

SHARON RIPLEY

JonMarc Grodi talks to Sharon Ripley, a former African Methodist Episcopal minister, about what led her to the Catholic Church.

ANDREA GARRETT

Andrea Garrett, a former Evangelical and Anglican, talks to JonMarc Grodi about her journey to the Catholic Faith.

DR. TORY BAUCUM

JonMarc Grodi talks to former Episcopal priest and seminary professor Dr. Tory Baucum about what led him to enter full communion with the Catholic Church.

DR. BENJAMIN LEWIS

Dr. Benjamin Lewis shares how his Methodist roots gave him the foundation of faith that led him to pursue a home in the Catholic Church. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

SR. JULIA MARY DARRENKAMP, FSP

JonMarc Grodi talks to Sr. Julia Mary Darrenkamp of the Daughters of St. Paul about how friendship with the saints led her from Evangelical Protestantism to the Catholic Church.

JON SORENSON

Jon Sorensen from Catholic Answers shares the series of relationships and experiences that led him from agnosticism back to his Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

JONATHON SPAID

Jonathon Spaid shares his journey from Evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism, and how he came to work in campus ministry with FOCUS. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

CHRIS MOELLERING

Former Anglican military chaplain Chris Moellering talks to JonMarc Grodi about his journey to the Catholic Church.

KAILASH AND LILY DURAISWAMI

Kailash and Lily Duraiswami, who came from Hindu, atheist and agnostic backgrounds, share how they discovered beauty, goodness and truth in the Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

JEFFREY SHOTT

JonMarc Grodi talks to Jeffrey Shott about his incredible journey from fundamentalist Christianity to angry atheism, and eventually to the Catholic Faith.

FR. SEAN LOOMIS

Fr. Sean Loomis, who works in deaf ministry for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, shares what led him to embrace the Catholic Faith and a vocation to the priesthood.

SR DIANA MARIE ANDREWS, O.P.

Sr. Diana Marie Andrews, who grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, shares what led her to the Catholic Faith and a religious vocation with the Hawthorne Dominicans. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

BECKY CARTER

Becky Carter talks to JonMarc Grodi about why she left the Catholic Church after getting married, and how her experience of “church shopping” and the question of Baptism led her back.

KERSTIN PAKKA

JonMarc Grodi talks to Kerstin Pakka about how healing after abortion brought her to faith and a spiritual home in the Catholic Church.

DR. JOHN BRUCHALSKI

Dr. John Bruchalski shares how he went from being an OB/GYN who performed abortions to returning to his pro-life Catholic roots. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

ALICIA BAKER

Alicia Baker shares how her journey of healing from trauma and abuse led her back to the Catholic Church. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

JEREMY CHRISTIANSEN

Jeremy Christiansen, author of “From the Susquehanna to the Tiber,” shares his journey from the Latter Day Saints to the Catholic Church.

KEN HENSLEY, KENNY BURCHARD

Ken Hensley, a former Baptist pastor, and Kenny Burchard, a former Foursquare pastor, share a bit about their journeys to the Catholic Faith, and dig into some of the unique challenges faced by other Protestant clergy who become interested in the Church.

Marc Lozano

JonMarc Grodi talks to Marc Lozano about his journey from atheism to Catholicism, and how his experience working for the NBA led him to develop Christ Centered Capital, a faith-based approach to investing money.

SOREN JOHNSON

Raised Evangelical, Soren Johnson entered the Catholic Church after much prayer, study and discernment. His faith has only grown as he’s served as a teacher, communications professional and co-founder of Trinity House Community.

DEACON LARRY ONEY

The son of a Louisiana sharecropper, Larry Oney grew up angry at the injustice he experienced because he was black. The kindness of a white family broke through, leading him to seek God’s love and peace as a Church deacon.

FR. STEPHEN HILGENDORF

Fr. Stephen Hilgendorf shares his path from the Anglican priesthood to the Catholic priesthood through the Personal Ordinariate. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

LISA COOPER

Lisa Cooper talks to JonMarc Grodi about how she grew up in the Word of Faith movement, and what led her from the Prosperity Gospel to the Catholic Church.

CHARLIE JOHNSTON

Charlie Johnston grew up in a family with mixed religious faith. He talks to JonMarc Grodi about how his study of the inner workings of U.S. History helped him to see the necessity of the Catholic Church.

FR. MICHAEL RENNIER

Fr. Michael Rennier shares his fascinating journey from Pentecostalism through Anglicanism to the Catholic priesthood. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

LORI ANN MANCINI

JonMarc Grodi talks to LoriAnn Mancini about how her journey from the New Age movement to the Catholic Church started when she began sending her child to a Catholic school.

TREY PLUMMER

Former Baptist preacher Trey Plummer shares what led him home to the Catholic Church. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

DEREK ROTTY

Derek Rotty shares how his interest in history and philosophy led him from agnosticism and a secular lifestyle to the Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

SRISHTI GUPTA

Srishti Gupta shares her journey from Hinduism through atheism to Catholicism, and how she became a Catholic campus minister. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

Former Southern Baptist Sam Guzman shares how his experience of art and literature brought him home to the Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

LAUREN DE WITT

Lauren De Witt talks to JonMarc Grodi about growing up as a Baptist “preacher’s kid,” and how she came home to the Catholic Church.

RACHEL BULMAN

JonMarc Grodi talks to Rachel Bulman about her journey from Pentecostalism to the Catholic Church.

FR. SEBASTIAN WALSHE

Fr. Sebastian Walshe, O. Praem, shares his experience of becoming Catholic from a Jewish and Lutheran background, and how he discerned a call to the priesthood. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

DEACON GRAHAM GALLOWAY

Deacon Graham Galloway, a former Presbyterian, shares how his experience as an actor in Hollywood sparked questions that would eventually lead him to the Catholic Church. JonMarc Grodi hosts

JonMarc Grodi talks to former Presbyterian minister Dean Waldt about how he ended up in the Catholic Church.

NORMAN BIN YAZID

Former Seventh-day Adventist minister Norman bin Yazid shares what led him to the Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

GARRETT CICHOWITZ

Garrett Cichowitz discusses his journey from Reformed Protestantism to the Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

JENNIFER FITZ

JonMarc Grodi talks to Jennifer Fitz about her journey back to the Catholic Church after years away from faith.

MALLORY SMYTH

Mallory Smyth shares why she left the practice of her Catholic faith for Evangelicalism, and what drew her back to the sacraments. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

DEACON JOE ALLISON

JonMarc Grodi talks to Deacon Joe Allison, a former Evangelical missionary, about his journey to the Catholic Faith.

Mick Souza, who won Mr. Universe in 1992, shares what led him back to his Catholic faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

DR. JASON REED

JonMarc Grodi talks to former Protestant seminary professor Dr. Jason Reed about how studying St. Thomas Aquinas led him to the Catholic Church.

DR. ANNIE BULLOCK

Dr. Annie Bullock, a former Baptist and Episcopalian, discusses how doing doctoral work on the early Church led her to Catholicism. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

RAKHI MCCORMICK

Rakhi McCormick shares how discovering Church teaching on human dignity led her from Hinduism to Catholicism. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

KATIE JACOBSON

Katie Jacobson shares her experience of wandering through a number of Evangelical Protestant denominations before finding a home in the Catholic Church. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

Nick Alexander

Nick Alexander talks with JonMarc Grodi about how his experience of Episcopalian and Charismatic communities eventually led him to the Catholic Church.

Marcus and JonMarc Grodi Anniversary Special

Marcus and JonMarc Grodi discuss 25 years of The Journey Home on EWTN, and look ahead to the future of sharing more stories of those who have come home to the Catholic Church

LARRY CHAPP

Marcus Grodi interviews Larry Chapp about what led him back to the Catholic Church after many years as an Evangelical Protestant.

FR. RANDY SLY

Fr. Randy Sly, formerly a Charismatic Episcopal Bishop, shares what led him to the Catholic Faith.

DR. TIM GREGSON

Marcus Grodi and his guests address the personal obstacles, doctrinal objections, and the irresistible attraction to the Church Jesus founded 2,000 years ago.

DR. IAN MURPHY

Marcus Grodi talks to former Baptist minister Dr. Ian Murphy about his journey to the Catholic Faith.

DAVID CURRIE

David Currie was raised in a strict Fundamentalist home. But during his seminary studies, he realized many Bible passages didn’t fit any Protestant theology. He found his answers to the Scriptures in the Catholic Church.

CASEY AND ERIN PHILLIPS

Casey was the son of a Baptist preacher, who was eventually drawn to the liturgy and theology of the Episcopal Church. But he soon realized the Catholic Church fulfilled all the things he loved about his faith and more.

A Muslim father and a Christian mother exposed Jacob Imam to stark differences in faith, which led to a totally secular lifestyle. But reading the Bible, and the book of James, created a path in Catholic social teaching.

Prayer Roundtable Fr. Jay Kythe & Fr. Gabriel Landis

Dr. Gavin Ashenden

Fr. Gabriel Landis

EMILY WOODHAM

DR. ANDREW BLASKI

DR. KARIN ÖBERG

Dr. Jennifer Frey

Fr. Gaurav Shroff

FR. JAMES BRADLEY

Former Anglican priest Fr. James Bradley shares what led him to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

MELISSA SLAGLE

Melissa Slagle talks to Marcus Grodi about how studying the question of Christian authority led her from the Baptist Church to the Catholic Church.

FR. ANDREW JONES

Marcus Grodi interviews former Baptist Fr. Andrew Jones about his journey to the Catholic faith and his path to the priesthood.

Dr. David Russell Mosley

Dr. David Russell Mosley shares how J.R.R. Tolkien and the theology of redemptive suffering led him from the Church of Christ/Restorationist movement to the Catholic Faith. JonMarc Grodi hosts.

Craig Alexander

Marcus Grodi welcomes Craig Alexander, who was raised Methodist, to discuss how his experience in the Marines and the consequences of his own mistakes helped prepare him to embrace the Catholic Faith.

DEACON LOU AARON

Marcus Grodi welcomes Deacon Lou Aaron to discuss how his battle with alcoholism helped him rediscover his Catholic roots.

JIM WAHLBERG

Jim Wahlberg joins Marcus Grodi to share how a visit from Mother Teresa to the prison where he was an inmate help start him on the path back to his Catholic faith. 

DOUG AND DAWN DOUGHAN

Former Evangelical youth ministers Doug and Dawn Doughan share what led them to enter the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

JOELLE MARYN

Marcus Grodi welcomes Joelle Maryn, a Catholic who lost her faith while working in the fashion industry, to share what led her back to the Church.

CHRISTINE FLYNN

Christine Flynn, a former agnostic who dabbled in the occult, shares what led her to the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Former Evangelical Protestant seminarian Bo Bonner joins Marcus Grodi to share what led him to become Catholic.

Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

• Patriarch’s Pond
• Old Arbat Street
• Maroseyka Street
• Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography. 

The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita. 

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

• Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
• Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
• Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
• Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
• After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
• To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

• Novoslobodskaya
• Mayakovskaya
• Elektrozavodskaya
• Komsomolskaya
• Ploschad Revolyutsii
• Dostoyevskaya
• Prospekt Mira

2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem. 

People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions. 

Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev  and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

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Andante Moderato

music is a journey

Glière: Harp Concerto (Elizaveta Bushueva)

Accompanied by the Moscow City Symphony “Russian Philharmonic”, Elizaveta Bushueva performs Reinhold Glière’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra in E-flat major, Op. 74. Conductor: Sergey Tararin. Recorded at the Moscow International House of Music, Svetlanov Hall on February 3, 2011.

Glière wrote this concerto in 1938, sought the technical advice of the harpist Ksenia Alexandrovna Erdely (1878-1971). She made so many suggestions that he offered to credit her as a co-composer, but she declined. The work was published as the work of Glière as edited by Erdely.

Ksenia Alexandrovna Erdely ( 1878, d. Mirolyubovka near Elisavetgrad – 1971, Moscow ) was a Russian and Soviet harpist, composer, and teacher. She was the People’s Artist of the USSR (1966). Considered the founder of the Soviet school of playing the harp. Aunt and mentor other known harpist, Olga Erdely.

The concerto is in three movements:

• I. Allegro moderato in E-flat major
• II. Tema con variazioni in C-flat major
• III. Allegro giocoso in E-flat major

Related: Mozart – Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra

Related: Rodrigo – Concierto de Aranjuez (Xavier de Maistre: Harp, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Jurek Dybał)

• Harp Concerto (Glière) on Wikipedia
• Recent Posts

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• Elgar: Serenade for Strings [Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra] - April 19, 2024
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I am Özgür Nevres, a software engineer, a former road racing cyclist, and also an amateur musician. I opened andantemoderato.com to share my favorite music. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon , so I can help more animals! View more posts

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2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

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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