A Grand Tour Part 18 - Moscow

More mist delayed our entry into Moscow and to save precious time, we disembarked a few hours sailing from Moscow and proceed by bus to the Capital. This allowed us to keep somewhat to our already tight schedule.

MOSCOW! A large city with lots of traffic and, dare I say it, with considerable traffic problems. But that is all part of the experience.

We proceeded straight to the heart of Moscow and drove near the Kremlin
The bus took us past the impressive Novodevichy Convent & cemetery where many of Russia's famous are buried, including from recent days Mrs. Gorbachov. We stopped at a small park opposite this complex and loved the views:
Looking in the opposite direction, we saw quite a different sight, which was not at all pleasing to the eye, but was part of the Moscow culture:
But right in the park, there was something we all could relate to and which brings back family memories:
Wherever we went in Russia, we saw many souvenir stalls selling Russian type stuff. How many Matushka Dolls (which means 'little mother') did we see and buy? Well, we must have seen thousands and bought a couple for grandchildren. But they are certainly cute and of course very typically Russian:
A different experience, and a fascinating one, was to travel on the Moscow Metro. The fascination was perhaps more with the underground stations, which are museums in themselves and were extraordinarily clean and tidy -

Plus, to get down on the escalator was also quite something. We have travelled on long escalators before, but nothing quite like the ones in Moscow:

The Metro took us to near Red Square (Red meaning beautiful). It was getting somewhat dark by this time, but we still managed to get some reasonable photos that we treasure.
The first sight that caught our eye was the Resurrection Gate & Iverskaya Chapel. During the Communist era, these were knocked down to allow access for tanks and other war equipment to enter Red Square for military parades that were so common during the Soviet era and that we saw on our TV screens. In the 1990s they were rebuilt and are a far more appropriate entry into Red Square:
And to prove that we were really there, here is a shot of us two on Red Square with on the right the Tomb of Lenin -

On the left Gum Department Store, where we had a most expensive cup of coffee - but at least we can say that we were there and spent some money -

On the background, the magic St. Basil's Cathedral:

Its occasions like these which are good to share with others and we were fortunate to enjoy the company of many of our fellow travellers, including Tom & Julie:
St Basil's is really an unusual structure and dominates Red Square. It is sort of a fairy tale building with domes that are both colourful and impressive:

The following morning we paid a visit to the Kremlin and its treasures, which are again amazing and well worth another look. Ahhh...soooo much to see and not enough time to absorb it all.
As we entered the area I took a photo of these police on horse back and wondered at the time what the authorities would have done twenty years ago; maybe arrested me for spying?
Before entering the Kremlin we passed the office of President Putin:
It looks that Patsie isn't too sure about this monster of a gun and appears to be needing some support:
Carol happily joined in the photograph session. The cannon itself dates back to 1586 and is not surprisingly, the largest cannon ever made. I wonder how they moved it over 400 hundred years ago. Who carried the cannon balls and what 'kick-back' was there on firing? Perhaps it was never fired! In the background is the Cathedral of the Dormition.

The Cathedral of Dormition is another one of those places with huge historical significance. It's a pity there wasn't more time to delve into that. The Cathedral dates back to 1470s and has been used over its lifetime for the coronation of the Tsars, public proclamation of State edicts and the ordination of patriarchs. It is therefore a significant building and we were delighted that this edifice upholds the strong religious traditions of Russia.
Inside the church was this amazing silver chandelier that also caught our attention:

Looking around the square in which the Dormition Cathedral stood, we observed something like seven main worship centres/churches/cathedrals. Quite astounding that so much was poured into religious buildings.
One of these buildings was the Upper Saviour Cathedral and here is it is:

And this one is the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the private chapel of the royal family:
And so we could on and on. The Moscow Kremlin and all its surroundings deserve many more visits. Leave alone the many historical and interesting places in Moscow. We probably will not return, but highly commend any for taking much more time than we had. That goes for St Petersburg as well and no doubt other places.

Well, let's finish our Russian visit with a typically Russian flourish. What better way than our last night enjoying the Moscow New Circus. It was great and a fitting conclusion to a fantastic visit.

We really appreciated meeting positive Russian people and were very impressed by the energy and friendliness of the younger generation. Our tour guides were informative and very helpful. Then of course the special delight of sharing our tour with fellow travelers. You have seen pictures of Tom & Julie, Patsie (Hal was too busy taking photographs, like me) and many others.

So perhaps it wasn't too surprising that it was a watery farewell at the airport. Yep, it rained. Possibly (tongue in cheek) weeping for us. Don't think we added to the watery farewell, but appreciated the sentiment!


Where to now? Well, we have the energy. Turkey is our next destination. See you there!