2019 Russia #13

Moscow Day Two July 6, 2019

Another beautiful morning dawns, which is great as it’s Kremlin Day!  After a leisurely breakfast, we take the bus down to the entrance to Red Square, and then stroll down along the beautiful grounds in front to the spot where we are to meet our guide, who is, of course, 45 minutes late because it’s Russia.  This is a Skip-The-Line-Tour, which is great, as it means we don’t have to stand in the very long line to enter, just the shorter Skip-The-Line-Line, which is only like 5-10 minutes.

To view a photo full-size, left-click on the image.

‘Kremlin’ translates roughly as ‘fortress’; it’s a walled town within a town!  There are many kremlins within Russia, but this is THE Kremlin that the others are all named after.  It was founded in the 12th century, and most of the major buildings were constructed between the 15th and 17th centuries.  Napoleon tried to blow it up in 1812, and it didn’t go well for him. There is a long line of his captured cannon from when he was forced to retreat all the way back to Europe.  It also has the world’s largest church bell and one of the world’s largest cannons. 

 It’s the biggest fortress in Europe at nearly 40 hectares, and it contains an armory that is mostly a museum nowadays, four palaces, numerous churches, and beautiful grounds, plus the present Senate building and several other important government buildings, so there are always large black cars with tinted windows coming and going.  

When we finished the tour, it was time for a snack in the grounds with our guide, and then we exited through a one-way gate in the back of the fortress, which pooped us out onto Red Square right in front of Saint Basil’s Cathedral!  Mandatory photo op.

In 1552, Ivan the Terrible captured the Tatar stronghold of Kazan. He commissioned this landmark church to commemorate the victory. This ultimately became the cultural symbol of Russia.

There are Lenin look-alike booths everywhere. It costs money to have your photo taken with him. I took this shot, and the lady was not happy about that.   

 This is where Putin has his office. Alas, he was not at work that day, so we missed him.

 It was a dark and stormy day…

The Chapel of Russian Patriarchs.

This is a tub or a stove built for the religious service called Chrism, commissioned by Empress Catherine II

That is Jane, our guide, with Steve. A very bright and energetic young lady. We thoroughly enjoyed her.

By the time we work our way back through Red Square and eventually to the apartment, it was mid-afternoon, time for a cleanup and some feet-up time, then a quick dinner at our favourite spot and back onto the bus, because it’s time for The Bolshoi!

Quick note for Bolshoi fans: if you get a chance to go, BOOK WELL IN ADVANCE.  I booked 6 weeks ahead and took what I could get (The Taming of the Shrew) on the one remaining evening that was still available.  But to a Philistine like me, it’s all people jumping around in their underwear, so what’s the difference, really?

The Bolshoi has been so successful that it’s now two (possibly three) theatres!  We didn’t get the original theatre, but they are all built to the same high standard, and it was a very nice experience.  The wine sucked, but the snacks were great 🙂  Oh yeah, and pics are strictly forbidden inside the theatre, so you’ll have to imagine the rest.  Speaking as a Philistine, I highly recommend it!

The next morning, it’s time to say goodbye to Moscow 🙁  We’ve really enjoyed our time here, and there is so much more to see.  There are tons of museums and art galleries, historic buildings, cathedrals, architecture, and culture.  To our eternal shame, we didn’t tour the Moscow subways.  So, there’s definitely enough still here for another trip someday.  But today it’s off to Leningradsky Vokzal to catch the Sapsan high-speed train to St. Petersburg!

There’s a Red Star on the top of that thing. New guy gets to go up and polish it.

The train station to St. Petersburg.

A much more contemporary interior than the Trans-Siberian stations.

Deb waited until now to buy our mugs, so we didn’t have to pack them all the way across Russia!