Red Means Beautiful

April 26, 2012

Our good luck with the weather continued in Moscow.  I don’t really know what I was expecting of the city, but I was surprised by how beautiful it was. We had a free day the first afternoon, and it was pleasant to just walk around and enjoy the city and its architecture and monuments.

Arrival in Moscow. I'm a bit of a bag lady.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Street cleaning--we almost got hosed!

Choreographed Street Brass Band

Our second day in Moscow began with an optional visit to Lenin’s mausoleum. I don’t know what it is with dictators and bodies on display, but to date, I’ve seen good old “Uncle” Mao, Ho Chi Minh, and now, Lenin, and I can say with authority that the preserved body is not the most flattering look. (For the record, as there will probably be a large contingent of people who would like to preserve my body and keep me in a mausoleum when I die, my wish is to donate whatever anyone will take of my body and burn the rest.)

Lenin is in there.

After seeing Lenin we met a tour guide who took us through the Kremlin and Red Square. Before entering Red Square, however, we learned a little trivia about one of the buildings outside. The building has two different facades.  The story goes that Stalin was given two sets of plans for the building to okay. He signed off on them without specifying which he wanted followed. The architect/builder was too nervous to go back and ask which Stalin wanted, so the builder compromised by building one set of sides according to each plan. There you go.

Another opportunity to make a wish--
this one just requires throwing a coin from this spot outside of Red Square.

Red Square was originally built as a marketplace. The Russian word for red is the same as the word for beautiful. Red Square was actually named for its beauty, not its color, and the square has been white several times over the years. Red Square is home to St. Basil’s Cathedral, and I felt a little like I was standing in front of a candy church when I saw it in person. In fact, several of the buildings in the square give the impression of visiting a Candyland world. All are amazingly beautiful; it’s just that they are very colorful and intricate in a lollypop-type of way.

The country is getting ready for the May 9 Parade.

The churches around are beautiful while reminding me a bit of Candyland.

St. Basil's Cathedral

St. Basil's Cathedral without me.

The Kremlin was interesting. It’s home to the president, four cathedrals, and four palaces. The cathedrals were quite interesting, but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos inside. We also visited the Armory Museum which houses all sorts of art, jewelry, clothing, and pottery.

Inside the Kremlin--I don't know why I found these
facades for construction so amusing. 

Tzar  Bell commissioned by Empress Ana Ivanovna.
It's the largest bell in the world that weights over
445,000 pounds and is over 20 feet tall!

The bell was cracked when water was thrown on  it to put out a fire.
In addition to heating the bell, the fire burned its wooden
support causing it to fall into its casting pit.

One of the churches in the Kremlin

Another one

Getting arsty--or just trying to get the top spire in the frame

These school kids visiting the place fell in love with Ken.

More Kremlin views

We went on to visit the famous GUM department store after the tour, and then several of us went to an Easter Concert that evening.

GUM Department Store that borders one side of Red Square

Easter Concert

Moscow’s metro system is the second most used subway system in the world. Its stations are also among the most beautiful, and the girls and I spent a couple hours riding around below ground visiting the different stations.  

Subway Art

The subways were designed to be fallout shelters if necessary.

More subway art

And another

And another

We had a free day again the following day, which I spent being lost in Moscow. Fortunately, it’s a beautiful city to be lost in.

The weather finally turned on us as two hours before we were to walk 20 minutes to the train station for our overnight trip to St. Petersburg, and we did the walk in the rain. The trip made me grateful that my first new suitcase broke as quickly as it did and I replaced it with a sturdier one—it would have been quite a pain to carry my broken-handled suitcase through the rainy streets of Moscow. 

And a final note:

In the sushi restaurant. I was a little surprised
when I opened the door--which to use?