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It took all of 1.5 minutes for me to fall asleep last night!Sooo tired! My alarm clock didn't go off, so I was a little late for breakfast. We talked to the front desk and apparently we did not need to "register" as it was a weekend.You only have to register on the weekdays.Seriously?Does anyone know what this registration thing is - or is it made up so the guards can solicit a bribe?So we weren't registered.We also were told we had to carry our passports around with us.Apparently the police can stop you and demand to see your passport.Awesome.The way my luck has been, that would happen to me.
It started off as a rainy day, by the time we were ready to leave the hotel, the rain stopped, so we first wanted to head to the Red Square/Kremlin while the weather held out. There are a lot of underground walkways for crossing streets - with little shops down there.It kinda reminds me of China.
The metro was clean and easy - and beautiful.There was a section in my guide book that talked about the metro stations and how ornate some of them were.I concur!
It of course was cold there and I had my sweater.Luck was on my side though, and it warmed up later in the afternoon.I notice there is a large police presence. Another thing I noticed and was disappointed with is the lack of translations.It is a rarity to see signs in the metro or at tourist attractions that were in English.
As we walked into the Red Square, we had to go through a metal detector (I later learned this was only in the daytime). It was nice that the bells were going off.There was a soccer exhibition going on because of the big match between Manchester and Chelsea later that week. We walked past Lenin's mausoleum and noticed that the flag was flying over the Kremlin, meaning that the President is home.
A little Red Square history:
The Red Square was used for various public ceremonies and proclamations, and occasionally as the site of coronation for Russia's czars.The name of Red Square derives neither from the color of the bricks around it nor from the link between the color red and communism. Rather, the name came about because the Russian word красная (krasnaya) can mean either "red" or "beautiful". During the Soviet era, Red Square maintained its significance, becoming the main square in the life of the new state. Besides being the official address of the Soviet government it was renowned as the location for military parades. Kazan Cathedral and Iverskaya Chapel with the Resurrection Gates were demolished to make room for heavy military vehicles driving through the square (both were later rebuilt after the fall of the Soviet Union). There were plans to demolish Moscow's most recognized building, Saint Basil's Cathedral, as well. The legend is that Lazar Kaganovich, Stalin's associate and director of the Moscow reconstruction plan, prepared a special model of Red Square, in which the cathedral could be removed, and brought it to Stalin to show how the cathedral was an obstacle for parades and traffic. But when he jerked the cathedral out of the square, Stalin objected with his famous quote: "Lazar! Put it back!".Two of the most significant military parades on Red Square were the one in 1941, when the city was besieged by Germans and troops were leaving Red Square straight to the front lines, and the Victory Parade in 1945, when the banners of defeated Nazi armies were thrown at the foot of Lenin's Mausoleum.
We then went in front of St. Basil's to take some pictures before heading in. We saw so many different cultures in the Square.Naturally, I have pictures with a huge Japanese tourist group, cameras and map in hand, behind me.We asked some girls to take a picture of the 3 of us and they asked to talk to us in order to practice their English.After talking to them, we went into St. Basil's where I learned you had to pay a fee in order to take pictures inside.Too late. So once inside, it wasn't quite what I had expected.I expected a huge church, but instead, it was many small rooms with decorated altars.
A little piece of St. Basil's history:
Saint Basil's Cathedral - Russian: Храм Василия Блаженного) is a multi-tented church on the Red Square in Moscow that also features distinctive onion domes. The cathedral is traditionally perceived as symbolic of the unique position of Russia between Europe and Asia. The cathedral was commissioned by Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the Terrible) Moscow to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan. Saint Basil's consists of nine chapels built on a single foundation. The interior of the cathedral is a collection of separate chapels, each filled with beautiful icons, medieval painted walls, and varying artwork on the top inside of the domes. A popular legend says that Ivan had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, blinded to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. However, Yakovlev designed the chapel added to the edifice in 1588, four years after Ivan's death, and had therefore not been blinded.
After that, we walked around the Red Square a little more.It was weird to be text messaging with Mike while I was in the Red Square and he was on the Great Wall of China.Next we saw 2 guys dressed like a Russian soldier and a Russian aristocrat.It was 100 RUR to take pictures with them.While Charles and Lyuba were not sure they wanted to spend their money on that, I said "Why Not?It's less than $5 USD and we got a huge laugh and some of the funniest pictures of the entire trip. We posed with them a million times - holding their (heavy) guns, swords, etc.I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.
Once outside the Red Square, we stopped to look at some souvenirs.There were the nesting dolls, soviet bullets, huge soviet bullets that doubled as lighters, fake Euro money, you get the idea.We walked over to the Kremlin, going past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and through some Tulip gardens.
Once inside the Kremlin, it was kinda like "wow, where do we start??"
Some Kremlin history:
The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: Московский Кремль) is a historic fortified complex overlooking the Moskva River (to the south), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the east) and the Alexander Garden (to the west). It includes four palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of Russia.The site has been continuously inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC. The existing Kremlin walls and towers were built by Italian masters over the years 1485 to 1495. The irregular triangle of the Kremlin wall encloses an area of 68 acres. Its overall length is 2,444 yards, but the height ranges from 5 to 19 meters, depending on the terrain. The wall's thickness is between 3.5 and 6.5 meters. Cathedral Square is the heart of the Kremlin. It is surrounded by six buildings, including three cathedrals. The Cathedral of the Dormition was completed in 1479 and was where all the Tsars were crowned. The gilded, three-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation was completed next in 1489, only to be reconstructed to a nine-domed design a century later.
The other notable structure is the Ivan the Great Bell Tower on the north-east corner of the square, which is said to mark the exact centre of Moscow and resemble a burning candle. Completed in 1600, it is 266 ft high. Until the Russian Revolution, it was the tallest structure in the city, as construction of buildings taller than that was forbidden. Its 21 bells would sound the alarm if any enemy was approaching.
The Tsar Bell (Russian: Царь-колокол) is the largest bell in the world, weighing 216 tons, with a height of 6.14 m and diameter of 6.6 m. It was founded from bronze in 1733-1735. The bell was never rung — during a fire in 1737, a huge slab (11.5 tons) cracked off while it was still in the casting pit. After the fire, the bell was placed on a stone pedestal next to the Bell Tower.Tsar Pushka (Russian: Царь-пушка) is a huge cannon, commissioned in 1586. The cannon weighs nearly 38 tons and has a length of 17.5 feet, a caliber of 35 inches, and a diameter of 41 inches. The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the largest howitzer ever made. The cannon has never been fired.
Pictures inside the cathedrals are not allowed.I tried to take some undercover pictures, not that I needed them to be able to remember the massive Jesus face staring down at me. The cathedrals themselves immediately reminded me of St. Mark's in Venice - they both have Byzantine influence, were very ornate, had a lot of gold, and a lot of things to look at. We only went in 3 of the 5 cathedrals, as we had a lot to do!
There is also a place in the Kremlin called the "Secret Garden".I am not sure why - there are no walls or anything around it. It was planted in 1870 on the South slope of Borovitsky Hill. It was cool to walk thru though - absolutely gorgeous tulips.
So, it was now waaaay after lunchtime, and we all needed some food. We went to the food court at the mall in order to get something quickly. We decided to go with the tried and true Sbarro's restaurant. Yum!I probably love pizza a little too much!After the pizza, it was time for a bathroom break. I wasn't expecting to have to pay for this break, but it cost about 75 cents to use the bathroom… can I expense that?
We kinda wandered through the mall because I was looking for a warmer sweater than the one I had on.We passed stores such as "Women's Secret" before coming to some that were actually brands that I recognized. I saw the store that Jenn and I adored in Paris - Naf Naf. I decided to go in and do a little price comparison. The same clothes that were in Paris were in Russia - for about 5 times the price I paid! I gave up on the sweater, as there were more things I wanted to do.
As we were headed back to the metro, there were 2 guys with a hawk and 2 monkeys that were charging for pictures with them.The monkeys were so cute in the outfits, sneakers, and diapers. Of course me and animals, I made Lyuba and Charles stand there for like 10 minutes while I played with the monkey. So we get on the metro to head to a souvenir street.In Moscow, the turnstile where you go through to get to the metro is open. If you pay, it stays open.Apparently, when you don't pay, it closes on you… which I found out when I went through before Lyuba scanned the metro pass we were sharing. After walking down the souvenir street, it was time to go back to the hotel and rest.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant near the Red Square which was really cozy. So cozy in fact, that I fell asleep at the dinner table waiting for the food. Lyuba did a great job picking out the restaurant - the food was fantastic. We walked through the Red Square at night (no metal detectors this time), took some incredible pictures, and walked around the outside of the Kremlin before taking the metro back home. There was NO PROBLEM falling asleep that night as the 20 miles we walked that day had tuckered me out!
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