Moscow Day Two (July 6, 2019) #13

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 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 get in, just the shorter Skip-The-Line-Line which is only like 5-10 minutes.

'Kremlin' means roughly '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; when you walk in there is a long line of his cannon that were captured 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 a number of 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 end 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 ultimate symbol of Russia.

There are Lenin look-a-like 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

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

This is a tub or a stove built for the religious service called Chrism commissions by Empress Catherine 11

By the time we work our way back through Red Square and eventually back to the apartment it's 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!

The Red Star..pretty impressive actually

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 2, and possibly 3 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 old architecture fits in so well with the modern. A beautiful city.

 

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

The Train Station that goes to St. Petersburg.

No shortage of trains going north.

These mugs were sold on the train as we crossed Russia but we never bought one until the trip was over because we were back packing and I did not want it broken. They are beautiful coffee mugs and are only sold for the Trans Siberian Railway. Yes, I would do it again.