I grew up in the age of communism and The Cold War. The Kremlin was always a destination held in awe. Somewhere unreachable, somewhere which didn’t quite fit into the “rest of the world”; and somewhere rather ominous. But in my young world, “Russia” was a country of great poets, music, and art. The Moscow that we have seen still has the juxtaposition of two separate worlds, but none of the “ominous”.
We took the metro from Partizanskaya to Ploshchad Revolyutsii on Line 3, and walked through Alexander Gardens to the entrance to the Kremlin. We had to check our back pack, but cameras were OK. Not really much security given the x-ray machines and air-puff detectors in other tourist sites around the world. The Kremlin is where Putin’s residence is. It was originally constructed in the 1100s as a walled fortress. It is a conglomeration of palaces, churches, and other buildings. As Russia grew, by the 15th Century the Kremlin represented the “power” of Moscow. Tsars were crowned and buried there. In the Soviet era, became the centre of politics. Today, you cannot cross the “white line” in the middle of the road because the “other side” belongs to the government, and you are only allowed to visit the “tourist” area. Still a total mystery. But it is an amazingly impressive area. We visited the area of the churches; saw the Annunciation Cathedral which was the private chapel of the Royal Family. It’s splendid, very different from our protestant churches. We were surrounded by, but didn’t go into, the Assumption Cathedral, the oldest and most important church in the Kremlin; the Cathedral of the Archangel, dedicated to the war-mongering Archangel Michael, this church became the final resting place for the rulers of medieval Russia; Church of the Deposition of the Robe; Ivan the Great Bell Tower, which is the Kremlin’s tallest building; Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles of the Patriarch’s Palace; and the Church of the Nativity with its distinctive gold coloured cupolas with the cross on top of each one. All the cathedrals are built in a different style depending on who had them built. The hardest part is trying to figure it all out. Our guide gives us so much information, and then when it is all over, you can’t remember all the details, and being a detail sort of a person, I really get frustrated by this!!
After the churches we went into the Armoury Palace. We were “allotted” a time from noon to 1:30 pm. It was really interesting seeing the exhibits of Russian dress for the Tsars, Empresses, religious leaders, etc; the armour for the soldiers and horses; and various gifts to Russia; beautiful carriages and sledges; and of course the beautiful Faberge eggs created for the tsarist family in the 19th C by the jeweller Carl Faberge. I think you either need to spend an enormous amount of time studying Russian history, or spend more than 3 days in Moscow to get a full understanding. But all I can really say is that it is all fascinating, beautiful, and so interesting; but we haven’t even scratched the surface of the intrigue.
After our tour ended, we met Chris and went into Red Square and had lunch in the GUM. This is truly a “high end” shopping mall. Splendid in its layout, three stories and three separate aisles joined by intricate bridges and containing all the well known labels. You know when de Beers has a store there, its “up-scale”!
My favourite site in Moscow has been St. Basil’s Cathedral which was commissioned in 1558/60 by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate his conquest of the Tatar city of Kazan in 1552. It consists of 9 separate churches in one building each topped with a colourful onion dome and is based on the concept of Jerusalem. It is an absolute treat. It is rich in paintings, architecture, and icons. You wind your way through narrow passage ways from one chapel to the next in total awe of the beauty.
We met up with Chris and Jon and walked for about 20 minutes to Arbat Street. This is an attractive cobbled pedestrian street with gift shops, restaurants, and street artist such as musicians, and artists.
We continued our Moscow Tour with an evening concert in the Geological Museum. This was put on by Zlatoust (www.zlatvocal.com), a group of highly gifted men and women that moved me to tears with their soulful church music and rousing Russian folk songs. How I would love to see this group perform in Toronto. They are so professional and talented!
Then it was back on the metro to the hotel where we arrived shortly after 9. Ray and I went for dinner in one of the “tents” outside the hotel. While we were there, the skies opened, and there was a tremendous thunderstorm storm with heavy rain and wind. But inside the tent, all were dry. One group had a guitar player and he entertained us with Russian folk songs. Then it was time for bed. Another long day, tiring, but thrilling.
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