"The little man who almost defeated death"

History books are full of great men, but unlike Peter the Great (204 cm / 6'8") Lenin was a very short man. The great leader of the Communist revolution in Russia, the main man in charge of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1924 is known all over the world, and I have read so much about him. About how he was smuggled home from Switzerland to lead the revolution to how he "handled" his opponents.

Walking around in Moscow you can still see that he meant a great del for this country. There are monuments all over the place, and people seem to talk about him with respect.

Many Russians still believe a lot was better during the communist times. This seems to be more frequent among older people. People my age talk about it, not with shame, not with enthusiasm, but just like any other casual matter like taxes or what to have for dinner.

Lenin is now again on public display. I have heard rumors that they are taking him away soon, so this was maybe my only chance to ever see the body of a man history will soon forget. I was determined to see him, so on my last day in Moscow I went to the Red Square at 9:30 in the morning. The Lenin Mausoleum was supposed to be open from 10:00 to 13:00, and the Americans told me about two hour lines, so I figured it was best to get there early. This turned out to be a good idea, cause the only people there when I arrived was a busload of Japanese, running back and fourth between the cloak room and the security post.

The security was very strict, and I needed to leave everything such as backpack, cellphone, camera, keys, etc. in a cloak room before entering the security check (like those at the airport). I got in the line right in front of an old Japanese couple, which turned out to be just perfect. I have heard tales about seeing Lenin before, and those were all stressful stories about a line packed with people kept moving at high speed by strict guards. This was not the case for me. The old couple behind me in the security was carrying all kinds of illegal things, and spent a lot of time in the security. So I just walked slow to let the people in front of me get to a good distance ahead before I entered the Mausoleum. This way I got the whole building for myself. There were of course several guards, but they don't count! There were 6 on the way in to, six inside, and six on the way out from Lenin's display room. And of course several at the entrance and the exit. I went down the stairs and entered the room, this was behind Lenin, so I had to walk around him to get out. The first glare I got at him was the side of his head. His right ear to be exact. This was in fact the first time I have ever seen a dead person. As I walked up around him I could see his head and fists. He was wearing a black silk suit with red inscriptions that covered this body and his feet. There he was, looking nothing like I expected. Of course, he was dead, but I still imagined him with his right hand raised in the characteristic wave! His Beard was almost shaved off and what was left was more blank than gray. I stopped in front of him for a few seconds, then I looked up at some of the guards, they did not react, so I stayed another few seconds. Many thoughts went through my head, I know, because I remember I noticed, but I have no way to recall what they were.

This was a very interesting experience that I am very glad I did get the chance to be be part of. I am sure I will appreciate it even more next time I read a book or an article mentioning this historically important little man, Lenin.