Moscow

We say Goodby to our train in Moscow

Saturday August 12

The time we spent in Moscow was very enjoyable. When Di & I were in last in Moscow in 2002, it struck us as a depressing, dull and miserable place that felt like they ‘regimentally’ treated the tourists and the locals alike. Many people looked discouraged and unhappy. This time things were so different. Most streets and buildings now looked very well maintained and clean, streets and shops were user-friendlier; locals had smiles on their faces and a spring in their step. Moscow was now a city that was house-proud and on the move. Although the place was busier in the tourist areas, one now felt so much safer and more relaxed.

We said goodbye to the Zaren Gold train this morning. Our train trip on the Trans Siberian had finished and we had arrived in Moscow; 7,356Km from Beijing and our 15-day Tsars Gold experience was now coming to the end.

One case each but they are heavy...

Outside the station

We immediately got in a tour bus to go to the Moscow Kremlin.

On the way we passed the headquarters of the former KGB. If only the walls could tell their story

Soon the walls of the Kremlin came into view.

And we passed by Red Square.

A park nearby had a large statue of St George - the patron Saint of Moscow.

We then went to the main entrance - the Borovitskaya Tower.

In 1812, an explosion staged by the retreating French army damaged the tower but the tower was restored in 1817-19. The Soviets installed a red star on top of the tower in 1935. Following the closure of the Spasskaya Gate in Red Square to all traffic at the end of the 1990s, the Borovitsky Gate became the main vehicle and public entrance. Together with the star, its height is 54m

Borovitskaya Tower

Many buildings are contained with the precincts of the Kremlin

There are about 20 towers around the Kremlin walls, the one in the background faces onto Red Square.

Ivan the Great Bell tower is the name given to the church shown here, it is the Kremlins tallest building (81m high) and has dominated the Moscow skyline for centuries.

It was built in 1508 on Cathedral square for the 3 Russian Cathedrals, (see further below): Assumption (closest to the tower) and Archangel and Annunciation (which don’t have their own belfries.)

This yellow building is were some state functions are held, we were told that Mr Putin works here however now understand that his working office is about 10 minutes away and not where tourists wander about.

The bronze bell from the Ivan the Great Bell tower cracked during a fire after being completed and has never been rung. The bell is the largest bell in the world weighing 201.9 tonne with a height of 6.14 m and diameter of 6.6 m. The broken piece weighs 11.5 tonne

The Cathedral of the Dormition was completed in 1479 to be the main church of Moscow and where all the Tsars were crowned. The massive limestone façade, capped with its five golden cupolas was the design of Aristotele Fioravanti. Several important metropolitans and patriarchs are buried there.

The cathedral of Assumption is the oldest and most important church in the Kremlin & has long been a symbol of Russia’s claim to dominance among the Eastern churches.

Cathedral of Assumption

The cathedral of Annunciation was the personal church of Moscow’s princes & Tsars but was damaged in the Revolution and closed and now operates as a museum, but maintains its majestic atmosphere.

The Church of Nativity is a Kremlin curiosity that laid buried and forgotten for several centuries, extensive restoration work has been undertaken on many occasions and whilst some paintings have been lost, the exterior has been faithfully restored.

Vladimir Putin’s Helipad in the Kremlin built in 2013 to ease traffic congestion -so he claims.

This tree was planted by Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey in outer space when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the earth on 12 April 1961.

We proceeded into Red Square, a very busy venue at this time of year since with the upcoming military tattoo and seating being installed, much of the area was fenced off.

Saint Basil’s cathedral is officially called the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed.  It is a museum. It was built on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. The building is shaped as the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky.

Lunch was a great experience at a nearby restaurant; the staff dressed in national costume.

Sunflowers growing (Stu they look good!)

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is on the banks of the Moskva River, and is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world.

A church was built on the site in the late 1800s before being demolished in 1931. The rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was completed in 2000, and has become a religious focal point in the city.

The five-domed neo-classical exterior of this Moscow church stands out on the skyline, while inside the paintings and gold leaf gilding are spectacular.

We had a good view of the Kremlin from the bridge over the Moskva River bridge behind the Cathedral.

Also the ship with Peter the Great built to celebrate 300 years of the Navy.

MOSCOW BY NIGHT

After dinner we left for a great tour, Moscow by night here we could see first hand the people's 'Life is for living' attitude and their lifestyle

We used the Underground; the worlds 2^nd busiest metro after London.

The artwork and sculptures in each station is outstanding; we visited two.

On exiting one station, we passed the famous Bolshoi ballet hall and then a short walk to Red Square, were locals were enjoying the evening and the place was busy, alive and bustling with families and

younger people at cafes and restaurants that line the edges.

Sate Duma Building

Lenin's tomb mausoleum in the foreground.. It was closed for the tattoo set up

Tatto Poster

St Basils by night

That was our Goodbye to Moscow and the fellow travellers we met in our group on Zaren Gold.  We had had a superb time, enjoyable experiences & wonderful guides. Much of what we saw here has changed our opinion of Russia and the life that people live there. Maybe it could be that the media don’t get ratings or sell papers with good news, however many Russian citizens today no longer live as poorly or as oppressed as the media portray. Many younger people are outspoken about the past and have a really positive and highly optimistic and see them as a major players in Europe.

Sunday 13th August

So it was off to the station to catch the Sapsan High speed rail link to St Petersburg. This was a journey I will describe in the next posting….

Thinking back on our Zaren Gold experience there were unfortunately a number of things we were promised that didn’t eventuate - most probably due to miscommunication; but we managed to make it all happen ourselves.