You can take shots like this in a lot of world metros – DC, London, and Prague jump to mind – but there’s a certain faded grandeur to the Moscow metro system that you don’t find elsewhere. It’s a remarkably vast system made up of twelve lines and 185 stations (for my local readers in Chicago, the El has 8 lines and 144 stations, and if you want to compare the relative layouts of world metros at scale, I recommend checking out this website after you’re done around here.)

Getting around can be a little tricky if you’re not familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet. (TRAVEL TIP: If you’re going to Russia, learn Cyrillic). This sign isn’t the pinnacle of clarity either. The top is dominated by an explanation of what you can find at each of the exits. The dark banner at the bottom shows you how to transfer to Line 5. The confusion comes in because if you can’t read Russian, you might think this sign is hanging IN Line 5. But it’s not. You’re in Line 1.

Lenin's presence is diminished in Moscow, but in the subways, he remains vigilant against those who would do harm to the Metro snack stand.