Yesterday was Independence Day and as it was Sundy, today was the public holiday. This was quite convenient for us as our first stop this morning, after a driving tour of part of Moscow, was the Metro and it would not be full of commuters. There was one fantastic street we went down which had about 12 churches on it – can't remember the name of it.

The cost to travel in the metro is 1 US$ regardless of the distance you wish to travel. It is an extensive system and is well used. If we had been using it during rush hour we would probably have had to be pushed in like the Japanese system. In some parts of Moscow the metro is deep underground – up to 100m. The first station we visited was full of paintings and mosaic murals all depicting life and events in Russia's history. Next on to one of the trains for one stop only. This next stop had 2 statues on each of the portals to the platforms again depicting life and events in Russian history.

Back onto the next train – they seem to come through every 3 minutes – and off after 3 stops to enjoy a station with more mosaics and paintings. All of the stations we visited also had beautiful light fittings. Not sure if these were the only 3 stations which were decorated like this but suggest there would be more. Could have spent more time in there but up to the surface to our waiting bus.

Now off to the Red Square which is actually a rectangle. We entered through a gate beside a large red brick church. Again, because of the long weekend, it was not too crowded. Unfortunately there had been an official function and a rock concert the previous day and there was no access to Lenin's tomb due to scaffolding and fencing that had yet to be removed. We were surprised at how small the square was recalling the big parades we used to see on TV and movies. They must have been taken with wide angle lenses on the cameras. It was still impressive however. One of the long sides consisted of a red wall, being one side of the wall surrounding the Kremlin, the other long side was the Gum Department Store (Harrods of Russia) and at the far end was St Basil's or The Church of the Assumption.

We had some free time to explore the square and department store and get some lunch. It was suggested, by our local guide, that we skip going to the church as we would be visiting more ornate churches the next day and this one was quite plain in comparison.

Once the group regathered we headed off to the Kremlin, parts of which were of course not accessible to the public. There were interesting buildings (modern and old), churches, a large cannon, a damaged bell, many towers (all unique) in the wall etc. Interesting place, but could have been more interesting had we been able to get access to some of the buildings where the governing is done. The buildings we had access to were The Church of the Assumption (no pictures allowed) and The Armoury, the building which housed the jewels of the royalty as well as some exhibits of battle equipment. We did not go into this last one which was an optional extra. Security was obvious throughout the Kremlin, but not over the top in the areas we were allowed to visit.

Dinner was in our hotel and again provided by the tour company. This was a much better (hot and tastier) meal than the previous night and consisted of soup and bread, a stew done in individual hotpots and a scoop of ice cream.

After dinner we were off on our Moscow By Night tour with the first stop at the New Maidens' Convent. In the park nearby was a sculpture of ducks based on the story “Make way for the Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. We have seen another set of these in Boston. This one in
Moscow was a gift to the children of the Soviet Union from the children of the United States by Barbara Bush in 1991. Now off to the statue of Peter the Great where we would have a glass of champagne and/or orange juice, provided by our tour director. The statue was controversial and not liked by some who claim it was actually made for and then rejected by the USA and is of Christopher Columbus.

Then we headed off to Red Square to watch the lights come on. Unlike St. Petersburg ,which did not get dark until the early morning, Moscow started to get dark about 1030. All the towers in the wall around the Kremlin, the church and the department store were lit up. It was worth the visit.

Another full tiring day behind us we flopped into bed knowing that we did not have an early start in the morning.