Moscow, Russia

What an historic city! Red Square, the Kremlin Walls, Museum and Cathedrals, Lenin’s tomb, St Basil’s Cathedral, the richly filled art galleries and museums – the list goes on. My 5 week visa wait and two trips to the Russian Embassy Visa Dept in London and the long paperwork and questions were more than rewarded in my visit here. Moscow is clearly a working city of millions but a beautiful city centre with world famous sights. I’ve always wanted to go here and now that I’ve done it, I’d love to go back again and see more ….. I can only wish. Don’t forget to try any one of the hundreds of local vodkas, potent but delicious !

I visited Moscow as part of my 2 week tour to Russia and Finland. I then travelled on to St Petersburg, (click here for link), by Sapsan high speed train., (click here for link to train info post.

After a 4 day stay in St Petersburg I then travelled onwards across the border to Helsinki, Finland, (click here for link) by international train.

This was actually an easy tour to complete, despite my initial reservations, but does necessitate some pre-planning and familiarisation with visas, currency etc well in advance – like 2 months at least, to get the paperwork completed in time.

Moscow is a must!

Ok, hands up all those who have wanted to go to Russia – yep, as I thought virtually everyone does!

It still stands as somewhat of a mystical country.

We have read of the long line of Czars and Royalty who enslaved their people with their absolute might. We all know the stories of the impoverished people who rose up to topple the uncaring Czar, his Royal family and the legend of Rasputin. We have heard of the heroic fight by the Red Army against invasion in WW2. Many of us remember Communism, the Cold War and threats of a nuclear war between the old USSR and USA.

We probably have seen one of the many films/documentaries about the October Revolution and the storming of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg (more on that in my next post) – click here for St Petersburg post .We have no doubt heard or even witnessed the aftermath of WW2 with its Cold War and brutal Communist dictatorship and then the reversal of Communism under various leaders in the 1990s,

All these events and history have left their mark on Moscow and all are indelibly linked if you want to understand this country and its culture.

The Palaces of the past, rich nobility are mostly still there (those that weren’t destroyed in WW2 that is).  Some of the religious buildings are still here – Communists knocked down/ redeveloped many – but St Basil’s still shines out like a beacon across Red Square. The Kremlin fortified area (nowadays taking on a different meaning to the word), is still standing in its magnificence.

Monolith, bland Stalinist structures abound. Even a new skyscraper area has taken shape in the financial district, to rival many worldwide big cities.

The people remain stoic and industrious, welcoming in a straightforward and often regimented fashion. However the accumulation of obscenely high wealth by the few is also evident in their ostentatious blacked-out windowed, SUV vehicle motorcades through the city.

I have always wanted to see this city – in fact have wanted to see much of Russia – it is the largest country in the world after all, double the size of the second biggest. One city cannot portray an entire nation, so I did get to see St Petersburg also – click here for that blog  but still that’s not enough. One day I may get to see more

Russian Visa

Do not forget that many foreigners need a Visa to enter Russia, even in these more enlightened days.

For us Brits, it is not cheap – costing me more than £180 – the prices I note have come down considerably since then but you have to factor this into your budget. That doesn’t include the cost of two return trips to the Russian Visa section in London. I had to present all my documents (after I sent copies, for another fee, to the visa pre-check section). Then take the pre-approved documents to the Russian Visa agency, wait around 5 weeks and then go back and collect my visa.  All this time the Embassy had my passport too, so I couldn’t travel anywhere anyhow.

I was so hoping my 8 days in Russia was going to be worth this amount of money and time for just the visa.

An example of what a Russian Visa looks like – not mine by the way!

Just a word of wording about Russian visas – be prepared for over 30 in depth questions to be answered. Among others, they wanted to know the full names of my deceased parents, the names of my University lecturers from 40 years ago ! (I could only remember one), a list of every country I had visited in the last 10 years and dates (all 54 of them!).

To top this they wanted copies of my savings accounts (to prove I had funds) and insurance documents. Then there was all the names and addresses of hotels I was staying in, tickets of all travel arranged (I had train tickets for Moscow to St Petersburg). Finally a letter from someone who was inviting me to Russia and stood as my sponsor ….. what!!! ….I’m a tourist and don’t know anyone there!

I contacted the pre-check guys and asked what on earth was this last question about. They said to check my booked train tickets and send me everything printed off from them. Turns out the train company sends a letter section (it was in Russian so I had no idea what it said) with the ticket. That is an official invite/sponsor to visit Russia and suffices.

Crazy how they wanted in depth info on my past that even I struggled to remember yet accepted an invitation from the head of Russian Railways (who I have never met or who knows me). This is auto sent with tickets to all foreigners as documentation for a visit. I also found out the hotel can provide this “letter of invitation” also – again crazy!

It took a week to gather this info for the forms. They wanted copies of all my train tickets, hotel and flight bookings, insurance policy, bank account, Then I had to supply 3 photos, passport, long form of answered questions and finally the fee to be sent to the pre-check guys. They check and say all is ok, or not and ask for more things, and then give you a certificate of documentation approval.

You then take all the documents agreed to the visa agency in London. This is the UK Visa agency the Russian Embassy in London uses https://www.vfsglobal.com/. You don’t contact the actual embassy.  They send you a timed reservation to hand in the documents. You wait an hour or so. They say all seems ok and you can leave and they will contact you to recall you back in about 4 weeks to come back and collect your passport with the Visa in it.

I got the email after 4 weeks, went back, gave in my email recall number, waited about an hour and was handed back my passport with my visa inside ….. job done.

When I look back on it, the time and money spent was infuriatingly slow and expensive and the process somewhat confusing. I had to email the pre-check guys twice as I didn’t understand one question, let alone what the answer should be. I had another where it asked for a certain reference number but I had nothing that equated to that on the provided documents ……. it is, as I said, a painstakingly annoying procedure.

BUT ….. and this is a big but, there is no way round it, so bite the bullet, expect it to take longer than you need to verify anything and just accept that the bureaucracy is here to stay. The reward of visiting Russia in the end will pay you back in bucket-loads at the experience.

Arrival in Moscow

Like London, New York, Tokyo etc, Moscow has more than one airport so make sure you know which one you are arriving at to plan your quick exit from it. The city has three international airports :-

Sheremetyevo International Airport

Sheremetyevo (SVO)- click here for info, is the busiest in Russia and therefore also Moscow. It is about 30 km north of the city. Aeroexpress (click here for info) trains go to Belorussky Train Terminal in Moscow every 30 minutes . They stop running between 23:35 pm and 5:35 am. Journey time around 50 minutes.. Tickets can be bought on the day at the airport tickets offices or stations or online at Aeroexpress website

There are two bus services every 35 mins approx, that will take you to the start of the nearest Metro lines, about 30 mins away – the green and the purple lines. You can then use the Metro to get into the city in about 35 mins.

Domodedovo International Airport

Domodedovo Airport (DME) – click here for info,  is Moscow’s second airport and is situated to the south of the city about 42 km away.

Aeroexpress trains (click here for info), also runs trains from Domodedovo to Paveletsky Train Terminal, journey takes around 45 mins. A bus will connect you to the nearest Metro station on the green line in about 35 mins and then a further 30 mins to get into the centre of town. Cheaper Commuter trains will also get you into Moscow but take around 1 hr 10 mins.

This was the airport I flew into. I personally booked my Aero Express train ticket online in advance. I got a print out to present on the train which was indeed checked by the train inspector. It cost about £5 at the time and was easily the best option. Trains are modern, comfortable, fast, safe and you get great views of the Moscow suburbs on the way in.

Vnukovo Airport

Vnukovo Airport (VKO) -click here for info, serves predominantly internal Russian flights but also a few flights from the former Russian Republics eg Moldova. Unless you are flying internally this airport will be irrelevant to you.

It also has an Aeroexpress train line- click here  to Kievskiy train terminal in the city in 35 mins, There is also a bus to the nearest Red line metro station that takes around 35 mins, then a further 30 mins into town on the Metro.

All the above have a taxi service, but unless you can afford their huge prices and dodgy deals I would avoid them. They take 2 to 3 times the time of a train to get to the centre due to Moscow’s horrendous traffic jam problems anyhow.

Where I stayed in Moscow

To start to explain all the different areas for hotels in this major city would be a gargantuan task – so I won’t !

Safe to say that the Moscow Metro is very swift, safe, modern, integrated with the railway stations and gets you to everywhere you want. It has 14 lines and 228 stations, so important places will have a Metro station nearby.

My recommendation thus is base yourself near a Metro station. It will be your best friend to get around the city. There are buses but unless you read Russian script it will be impossible to decipher them.

If you want info on how to use the Metro this site contains it all https://russiau.com/using-moscow-metro. Like them I advise buying a Troika travel pass. This allows you use of Metro, bus and tram. It’s a reloadable card so put 400 roubles on it when you buy it (makes each journey 40 roubles rather than 57 if you buy a single ticket each time. It tells you how much is left on the readout each time you use it so its easy to keep track of expenditure.

Most of the big places to see eg St Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square, Kremlin, Pushkin Museum etc etc are in the centre of town. If you are an energetic type then you can pretty much walk between all of them and admire the streetscape on the way. I did this mainly and only used the Metro to get in and out of the centre and a couple of trips to more outlying places eg Gorky Park.

Novotel Kievskaya Moscow

I checked loads of hotels and found the Ibis Hotel and Novotel next door had amazing prices. They were international chains that I was familiar with so knew their standards. The Hotel Ibis was cheaper but the Novotel at 4 stars was just a little more for what looked like much better accommodation. It was next to Kievskaya Metro station in a newly built block and indeed on arrival looked pristine. Click here for link to hotel site

The public areas were superb and it felt more 5 than 4 star. It was clearly new , or amazingly maintained. Stylish and well designed. I was very impressed. The entrance was via a lift to a higher floor. Security guards were present at the ground floor and when you exited the lifts into a communal atrium.

You go one way for the Hotel Ibis and the other for the Novotel – they are part of the same hotel chain and obviously were catering for different clientele within the same building.

The Novotel reception was a design creation, with a swirling central staircase, central display of a tree with a counter area and comfy inviting bar to one side.

All staff were very friendly, spoke excellent English and helpful. At my evening meal I had a long chat with the waitress about life in Russia and her travels between courses. That was a real treat to speak to a Muscovite and her English was so good.

The room was great. Again ultra modern, new and clean. I had a sofa and big desk and an enormous bed. Wifi was great, air con superb and it was thankfully very, very quiet. The bathroom was similarly modern and contemporary. I could not find fault with anything and would certainly recommend and stay here again if I was ever in Moscow once more.

My first sightings in Moscow

My first day in Moscow and what should I see first?

Well, I head out from my hotel and across the road is Kievskaya train terminal/Metro station. The exterior is ornate and my first introduction to some beautiful architecture both outside and inside the Metro.

Metro stations here can be like no others in the world. They are often incredibly ornate inside with vaulted ceilings, statues and murals galore. They were designed to be over-the-top by Stalin and the later Communist elite  to show off to everyone their  achievements and prestige..

This station was no exception

Kievskaya Station

Three Metro lines pass through this station and it is a major transport hub. Each platform for the lines was ornately decorated in a classical style. I thought I was in an underground palace it was so decorative. A huge mural was on one wall and mosaics in plaster frames were affixed over the arches.

Marble facings and coloured tiles covered the heavy archway supports and even a few statues were dotted around the area. Was I in a opulent subterranean entrance to a grand mall or noble’s residence? Nope, this was actually typical of many of the Metro stations.

In some stations, the statues have gained notoriety for luck and people rub the brass statues in various places for luck. There is one of a dog and so many people rub its nose in another station as they pass by that it has a gold coloured snout compared to the rest of the dark brown-green body of the bronze animal.

You can even get a book that describes every Metro station and what to see and rub, photo or gawp at as so many stations are meticulously decorated in grand opulent styles.

What an introduction to the city!

Remember a lot of the Metro signage is in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet script so work out the words/figures to entrance and exit and you shouldn’t go wrong as these areas are well signposted. I just kept reminding myself that exit (Выход) looked like the word “bixon”, and entrance (Вход) was like “boa”. That’s just my idiosyncratic way to not get lost!. Also memorise the script for the station you need to get off at as the main big signs are in Russian Cyrillic.

Where I was headed for was only three Metro stops away and I was already excited to be about to step into a place that has been famous the world over and an iconic scene recognised around the world.

Arriving at Ploschad Revolyutsii I ascended the escalators and stepped outside. What I first saw was not what I was anticipating, as I knew my place was round the corner, but nonetheless wonderful.

Epiphany Cathedral Monastery Moscow 

The cathedral/Monastery in front of me was small by Russian standards but was ornate and painted a bright pink/red that stood out against the white washed buildings in the street.

This was actually the oldest Monastery in Moscow, having been founded in 1296. Now it has a famous seminary choir and has resumed services after being closed for decades.

The surrounding streets were very grand, turreted, wide arched doorways from the 17th Century and well restored. The highlight standing out, as I turned the corner onto the main pedestrianised shopping street of Nikolskaya, was the façade of the Russian State Humanitarian University

This was obviously a grand shopping street but many of the stores had been boarded up and others closed down.

I knew that Russia had heavy economic sanctions imposed on it just before my arrival. I had also heard that the Russian economy was severely faltering and experiencing a downturn and wondered if this was the result.

At the end of Nikolskaya Street was a building that probably many people would not even think twice about seeing. My interest in politics however yearned for me to see it and off I trooped a few minutes further to the end of the street.

Here stood an infamous building that sent a small shiver down my spine on seeing it

Old KGB Building

This was where the KGB of the Cold War era was based. Its infamous spies fanned out from here and its central operation was based here.

I decided I would stay on this side of the road as it was still clearly heavily fortified with road barriers. It is today a Police station but I still had the fear of a tap on the shoulder and a swarthy looking special agent asking me why I was taking a photo of that building …. had I been reading too many spy books??!

I kept to the opposite side of the road and when finished turned to go back down Nikolskaya Street to where I needed to be. Did I look back a couple of times to see if I was being followed – yep, the suspicious trait in me forced me to!

Ok, third attempt to get to my major attraction without being side tracked and I approached the end of the street ready to turn towards it.

But what was this …… on my right stood this creatively pastel coloured building that I assumed was a church. A quick lookup and indeed it was – actually a Cathedral.

Cathedral of our Lady of Kazan 

This glorious terracotta, light green and white shaded building stood out prestigiously. Its arches gracefully rising in terraces to a gold towered dome. The ground floor contained a wrap-around wide arched terrace.

Its roof line, as it ascended, was like a pineapple skin, jagged but multi-coloured.

The original church was built here by a local Prince to commemorate the divine intervention by the iconic Virgin Lady of Kazan to help him win a decisive battle. He erected the church in her honour. During its centuries-old life it was the most important church in Moscow

It burned down 6 years later, was rebuilt by Czar Michael, had many alterations over the centuries …. and then one unforgivable final alteration.

In 1932 Stalin ordered all churches around Red Square to be demolished. Whilst successful appeals saved the world famous St Basil’s cathedral, this one did not survive.

So why is it standing here – well, after the fall of Communism and its hatred of religion, the City Council decided to rebuild it in its original form. It was completed in 1993 and today stands in all its glory, tricking the unsuspecting visitor to thinking it is a few hundred years old !

Did I finally get to where I was heading, whilst getting side tracked at so may other interesting spots? ……. Well, yes., and what a sharp intake of breath moment it was as I turned the corner into …..

Red Square

This was one of those WOW moments on my travels. I got it at Petra Jordan (click here for that blog), at Singapore, Gardens by the bay and The Pyramids at Giza, Egypt. It’s that sense of true excitement at seeing something you have wanted to see all your life. You have seen pics of it in books, seen it on TV and now you are witnessing it for yourself for the first time. It does make your heart thump and you feel slightly light headed …… or is that just me ? !

It was so much better than I was expecting.

I entered at the Kazan Cathedral end so I got to see the whole length in one go. In fact you can’t quite see the end, because, (previously unknown to me), the square dips down from St Basil’s Cathedral towards the river. It is paved with large granite -like flagstones, rather that bricks or tarmac, and in the rain that had just finished they shone  with the grey sky’s reflection of light.

They were dismantling what seemed to have been a huge stage and lighting area from a parade or concert, (never did find out which).  At that point the public didn’t have access to the whole square (for safety reasons) but by the next day it was all completely cleared away.

Ahead of me was the famous Nikolskaya with its red star atop the tower spire. If ever there was a symbol of old Communist Russia this was it! The tower dates from 1492 and it actually looks like a taller version of the Kazan Cathedral bell tower next to me. Strange what you notice!

To my right was the State Historical museum. This was on the list of potential visits if I had time but lower down than the 7 things that were ahead in importance on my list for me. Its brick red colour stood out and its size and design made it an imposing structure located at one end of the square.

Next to that were the twin towers of the old gateway to the area. They look decorative and impressive but In 1931, the gates and chapel were demolished. They were restored in 1995 and if I had not told you so, you would never know. It looks as if it has stood here since its design from the 1500s !

I could see the block that is Lenin’s Tomb – more on that in a moment and yet another bigger tower further along the square.

It’s difficult to explain the enormity of this square. You see the carefully maintained high walls of the Kremlin with their reddish brick, towers standing dominantly.  The walls are punctuated with layered decorated towers with white embellishments and decreasing layers as they rise. Anyone thinking of storming these crenelated walls in past centuries must have done so with trepidation, thinking if they could ever get through them. They are massive, imposing and seem to go on for ages.

I did the complete circuit of Red Square to get the impression of its size, especially as I could not see the end of the other side due to its dip and it takes around 20 mins to do a circuit.

At this point I started wondering if it was called “Red Square” because of the predominantly red coloured bricks of the surrounding walls, towers and old buildings Apparently that is not the case. I even thought, did they name it so because Red was the symbolic colour of the Communist Movement. But no, that is not the case either.

Its very original name was “Market Square”, then “Burnt Square” and finally “Trinity Square” – after Trinity Cathedral. This Cathedral stood at its southern end during the rule of Ivan III.

However the city folk started calling it “Beautiful Square” from the 17th Century after Trinity Cathedral was burnt down in an invasion. The Russian word “beautiful” and the word “red” are very similar when written and pronounced. The word Red became a kind of take-over, popular adaptation of beautiful and it has stuck ever since.

Lenin’s Tomb

Since my days at University studying Economics, Languages and Politics I had wanted to see this.

I had read up on his life and politics during those hedonistic Uni days and was well versed in his writings. I even got a copy of the Communist Manifesto (by Marx) and the red book of the Soviets to read in my studies.

This and Lenin’s works had a profound affect on Russia (and indeed the world) over the decades. His fame was world-wide and up there with other famous and infamous political characters around the world through history

To now go to his tomb was a realisation I had always wanted to do.

May I add here I am not a revolutionary Leninist -it’s just I understood his role (for good or bad) in this country. How it lead to revolution, overthrowing of an oppressive Czar and replacement by a somewhat equally repression regime. That was not his full intention however.

Entrance to the Tomb is free, but you have to queue on a first come first served basis. At peak times I have heard this queue is very long and takes over an hour to wait so I was cautious on the time needed to visit here. I arrived as early as I could and joined the queue on the side of Red Square with about 50 people already ahead of me.

The queue actually has a good viewpoint, being able to people watch as hordes pass by and admire the architecture nearby.

We passed along the walkway to the side of the walls and then through a large entrance area. This then led to an area behind small walls that are not visible from the square. This was an unexpected surprise as it lead us past the graves of past Old Soviet presidents in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.

Here used to be the moat around the walls but is now filled in. Today, dignitaries and ex-presidents such as Andropov, Stalin, and Brezhnev have graves here with large tombstones with head statues of them atop each one. Quite simple but also very dignified and obviously well maintained.

You enter the tomb in solemn, single file and a line of guards eyes you as you pass by. Bags, cameras etc are not allowed in and on my visit a group of young cadets in full military regalia were on guard. No-one smiles, all is solemn, silent and regulated.

We were then lead along a corridor and into a darkened room. You then walk the length of one side with the embalmed body of Lenin lying in state in a large stone tomb. You walk across the foot of the raised tomb area in silence (no talking allowed) and then down the other side. All this time you are about 6 metres from the actual body.

Spotlights shine down onto his exposed head and shoulders but he is actually raised up so you are looking at him almost at head height rather than downwards. This means that you don’t get a great view of him, the room has quite subdued lighting and the guards insist you do not stop, but keep moving in single file whilst looking at him.

The walkthrough takes about 30 seconds and then you are out of the room!  A 30 mins wait for a 30 second viewing and I felt a little cheated. However remember that this visit is free. The shortness of time actually seeing him is due to the thousands that want to see him daily. Apparently 2.5 million people per year file through this Mausoleum.

There’s nothing stopping you from coming back the next day for another viewing if you wish.

Stepping back out into the sunlight and you are next to two big Museums. Both are impressively large on the outside and dominate the surrounding areas in the heavy but intricate design in red brick.

State Historical Museum

It’s a neo-Russian building of 1881, displaying prehistoric relics and Romanov dynasty art. There are historical items from the former Soviet influenced countries (i.e. Hungary) and lots more based on Russian history.

I was here for 3 days and there is so much to see that this museum didn’t make the shortlist. It will have to wait for another visit. However from the outside it looked impressive. If you want to see in advance what’s here click this link to the museum 

Next door to the State Historical Museum is another massive building, imposing from the outside .

Museum of the patriotic War of 1812

This Museum deals with the 1812 attack by Napoleon on Russia that ultimately failed. It is full of war instruments, uniforms and regalia, documents and war memorabilia of that campaign. I decided to give it a pass in favour of what I felt more deserving visits nearby. Note to self – must see this place on my return one day !

If you do want to check it out for a visit click here for entry times, tickets etc

Revolution Square and Bolshoi Theatre Moscow

This square sits ahead and to one side of the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812

I have to admit I struggled at first to understand what this area was about. It seemed to have lots of outdoor tables and chairs, presumably for the nearby bars and restaurants but not many people were using them. There were various big market-type stalls selling,… well everything. There were conservatory style temporary tents, grassed raised areas, a big carousel, other small entertainment craft and  …. well ….. anything.

I guess it is some sort of open air entertainment, dining, commercial area but for me it was such a mish-mash of stuff jumbled up and often close to each other that I actually avoided it.

I walked across the road from it into the actual paved and tree lined mini-park that was much less claustrophobic and much calmer. In the centre here was one of the few remaining statues of Karl Marx on public display.

This roughly hewn statue just had to be visited. I was here in Russia, where Marx espoused his political doctrine and became one of the most famous political philosophy writers in the world. I could not not miss seeing his statue live!

It is a large creation but solitary in the square with the nearby traffic noise clearly audible. The statue sits across the road from the famous 5 star Metropol Hotel and faces the world famous Bolshoi Theatre. He thus confronts two examples of cultural and commercial elitism that no doubt in his day he would have rallied against!.

The Bolshoi theatre (click here for link), can trace its origins under Empress Catherine II to 1776, when it started as a private theatre to a local Prince. However the building you see today dates from 1856. The almost Palladian façade, is decorated by a massive eight columned portico surmounted by a pediment on which stands a sculpture of Apollo in a chariot drawn by three horses.

Tickets can be bought online for performance but beware, they are not cheap and need to be booked long in advance.

There is a tour of the building but at around £22 just to see inside I decided to skip that and was content with seeing its symmetrical exterior.

Fun fact – the word Bolshoi actually means “big” or “Grand” in Russian.

A walk from the Bolshoi past the Lower parliament building and the Four Seasons Hotel (nip in here for a coffee in its grand surroundings if you can afford its 5 star ultra prices), will bring you to a rectangular plaza.

Curiously opposite the Four Seasons Hotel (possibly the best Hotel in Moscow) are three of the West’s lower-end additions to the city. Here in an underground small shopping Mall is MacDonalds, Burger King and KFC.

Stock up here if you need your hit of burgers fries and breaded chicken before moving on towards the Kremlin Walls nearby.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

There is a permanent guard here to this memorial area. This solemn Monument is the resting place of a soldier who died in December 1941, 41 Km away from Moscow. This distance marks  the closest the Nazis were able to get their army to the capital.

The dark red stone monument is decorated with a bronze sculpture of a laurel branch and a soldier’s helmet laid on a banner. In front of the monument, there is a five-pointed star set in a square of dark stone with the eternal flame flickering there. Next to it is an inscription in Russian saying “Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal”

The changing of the guard is quite a solemn performance  The guards goose-step slowly, elegantly and ceremoniously and I was lucky to be there just as it was enacted. Quite a memory, as it was moving and very regal.

Grotto and Obelisk

There is a small imitation grotto set into the walls of the kremlin here and you can even walk a path that leads to its summit. Strange place to have one but here it is,

I found the nearby obelisk much more interesting.

Originally an obelisk was placed here to commemorate 300 years of The Romanovs (Czars) rule over Russia. After the Communist overthrown Lenin ordered it to be recarved with names of influential revolutionaries. Recently, after the fall of Communism it was restored to honour the Romanovs with a new obelisk placed here

Alexander Gardens, Moscow

This is an oasis of greenery in the heart of Moscow. A small tree, hedge and grass filled park with decorative fountains, a canal and water sculptures.

It did feel somewhat over the top and out of place in the very military feel of the kremlin walls and towers but were a real creative design. Water gushed from the fountains covering statues of raging horses and the spray in the wind caught many a photographer out as they tried to get close ups of the scenes.

The Manege

This cream and yellow painted building runs along the length of one side of the gardens. Today its building of dozens of Doric columned walls with arched windows hosts an exhibition space.

It was designed as a riding Academy and even used for concerts – Berlioz performed here and has been an art gallery. It burnt down in 2004 but has now been fully restored to its original specifications.

GUM department store

I ventured back a couple of minutes towards the square just to visit my next place quickly.

I had read how this store, on virtually the length of one side of the square, had a varied history.

It was previously known as a store for the exclusive use of the political hierarchy during Communist times – not for the people as such. Stuff was available here that the masses could not either afford or have access to.

Now it is a store open to everyone. It is however, more of a concessionary store. The interior still retains its past ornate glory with unique bridged walkways and beautiful stone interior facades. The overhead curved roof allows light to flood in and the wall lamps gave it a unique charm.

However, there are dozens of exclusive and high end stores along the two floored walkways that it could be anywhere in the world. I much preferred the local Russian stores displaying somewhat different goods to the norm.

Loved the fountains and the fact that they have retained its charm and old architecture but it did feel quite anonymous in its stores. There are several high end eateries here and the coffee shops were very grand and inviting though.

St. Basil’s Cathedral Moscow 

This is possibly the most famous symbol for Moscow and probably for the whole of Russia. Show this to most people and they would recognise this Cathedral and where it is situated.

So we know it as St Basil’s Cathedral. Basil is English for Vasily and Russians often refer to it as The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the “Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat”. Quite a mouthful, so Iet’s just call it St Basil’s !

It sits at one end of Red Square near the river and, without being disrespectful, I still see it as something more akin to a Disney fairy-tale building. That is probably unfair as it was not built in that vein but as a unique place of religious reverence. In fact it is said that it is the only Cathedral of this style in the world

The large onion domes on each tower carry different stylised designs of colours and patterns.

The Cathedral is built on the foundations of the original Trinity Church which burnt down in 1583. It was continuously added to over the centuries.

The cathedral has a different aspect depending on which side you view it from and you really need to walk around it entirety to get a good perspective of its design. Click here for Cathedral website for visiting times and ticket info.

The interior is a labyrinth of narrow vaulted corridors which lead into various semi halls and prayer areas. It is deceiving from the outside as inside it feels more akin to a set of small rooms interconnected by semi tunnel-like corridors. There is no big open space where hundreds can congregate as you expect to see in any other church.

It really did feel like there were several small churches inside one large building and in fact there are officially nine individual chapels inside it.

Typically the interior walls are highly painted with iconography similar to any Russian Orthodox church and are often somewhat gloomy as rarely are there windows in the walls letting in sunlight. The effect is that it feels more like a subterranean space.

The fact that the Cathedral was added to and reformed multiple times from 1600-1800, shows what these renovations have left use with. A myriad of corridors and separate rooms with an occasional window to see through onto red Square.

The church was taken over during the communist Revolution and religious practice banned until the 1990’s. It is still actually property of the Russian Sate, Since 1997 however regular church services have rebegun.

The Cathedral is still seen as a museum. You pay to enter via the a small ticket office in the grounds.

Wandering round the interior will bring you to certain rooms that are laid out more like a Museum with important religious artefacts on display behind glass cases. There is even a souvenir shop in one of the rooms.

This concluded my visits for today and despite not actually covering a large area I had seen so many historical buildings and sights. I had finally accomplished my dream of seeing Red Square but was equally amazed at the quantity and quality of thing to take in around this area.

I had definitely not expected to experience the majesty and finery of the area and and in some ways was surprised at the beauty. I somehow expected something more bland, austere but regal. If this was day one then what have the rest of the days got in store for me. From here I walked back to the Metro station from which I emerged into Moscow proper, content in the day’s accomplishments.

Moscow Day 2

Today was going to be a long walk around several sites in the city centre and take in some of the most famous places here too.

I caught the Metro back to the same stop from where I entered Moscow proper yesterday – at least I knew where I was going this time.

Exiting here I walked across Red Square (they had removed all of yesterdays barriers and staging) so I got a much better view of the area.

My goal next was to walk the entire length of the Kremlin walls from St Basil’s Cathedral , past several massive towers and down to the River, actually called Moscow River. Then I would walk  the entire length of the walls facing the river, passing more fortified turrets and towers. At the end of this walk I would cross the wide carriageway and head to my next place.

These walls are so impressive. Their bright red brickwork stand out against the green turfed areas in front. Despite the noise from the somewhat heavy and fast traffic on the next door wide road, it was a delightful walk.

Peeping just over the tops of the walls is the roofline of several grand building inside the walls. Domes of churches (yet to be visited) were also visible, tempting me in by giving me a few advance sights of what I was to see in a few hours time.

The gardens in front of the walls were at times just very well tended turf, but at wider areas, huge trees and bushes were present. This gave them an almost country landscape and at times you could forget that you were in the centre of a huge metropolis and envisage castle walls in a green forest opening.

Towers of different sizes, ages, styles and embellishments dotted the walls, all fantastically maintained and preserved. The battlements were more pronounced in some areas but the sight of the top storeys of various majestic buildings signalled that these were more than just a curtain defensive wall. They are also the boundary of something very important inside.

I was about to enter into this through a fortified gateway and my excitement rose in anticipation.

Kremlin Complex

I had pre-ordered tickets for the buildings inside the Kremlin complex and I would advise anyone to do the same. You can order and pay online and print off your tickets in advance to secure a timed entry into Kremlin area. Click here for Kremlin Museums website.

Your ticket can be for the Armoury building, the Treasury building or the Cathedral complex. You can, as I did, opt to buy all three as a bundle for cheaper and you can also buy this as a one day or two day pass.

The tickets are strictly limited to a certain number per day and as I would be there during a probable peak period I did not want to miss out on this – I pre-booked and paid for my ticket over a month in advance.

When I arrived for my timed entrance at 10am there was already a queue ahead of me for this timed entrance of around 30 people.

We did have to queue outside at the entrance at the Borovitskaya Tower and the end of the Alexander Gardens and the queue moved slowly as everyone was checked, passing through a detector and many even body frisked further. No photography was allowed so you will not see any interior pics here I’m afraid, only the outside of the buildings.

My first stop on the visit was to the Armoury Building and then the Treasury Museum located next door in the same building

Kremlin Armoury Building 

The displays here were magnificent. No end of huge glass cabinets displaying all types pf armour suits, military equipment, swords, guns etc, etc. The rooms were huge with tall decorated ceilings and luxuriously carpeted in many areas. It was one of the most opulent Museums I’d been in .

It is situated in a cream and yellow building with its green copper coloured roof, constructed in 1851. The majority of the collection (despite being called Armoury) houses more than just armour. It also composes of ancient state regalia, ceremonial royal clothes, coronation dresses and vestments of Russian Orthodox Church hierarchs.

The Museum holds more than four thousand items of art from Russia, Europe and Eastern countries of the 4th – early 20th century.

It has the most extensive collection in Russia of gold and silverware made by Russian craftsmen. There is West European artistic silver, ceremonial arms and armour, carriages and horse’s ceremonial harnesses. The carriages alone are in the dozens, some huge and boldly carved and decorated and some more child sized and simple in design.

The Treasury is equally impressive. Here precious items that had been preserved for centuries in the Czars’ treasury and the patriarch’s vestry are again displayed in enormous showcases. Some of the exhibits were made in the Kremlin workshops, others were accepted as ambassadorial gifts.

Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow

The Grand Kremlin Palace was formerly the Tsar’s Moscow residence. and still holds over 700 rooms – big or what !

The cream and yellow faced building and green roof (similar to the Armoury building), appears to be three stories from the outside, but is actually two. The upper floor has two sets of windows. from its windows the views would be over the crenelated walls and towards the Moscow River (if you could go inside to see it). At street level you can still just see over the walls and the riverside buildings.

The west building of the Palace held state reception halls and the imperial family’s private chambers.

Its five massive reception halls are used today for state and diplomatic receptions, official ceremonies and international treaty signings.

Currently, it is the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation, though it is rarely used for this purpose.

Whilst it looks very inviting and opulent from the outside visitors are not allowed in. I can only imagine its interior beauty. So here are a couple of pics of the outside instead.

Cathedral Square

This area within the Kremlin walls just past the Kremlin Grand Palace, is called Cathedral Square due to the presence of not one but three Cathedrals facing it.

Here sits the Cathedral of the Dormition, Cathedral of the Archangel, and Cathedral of the Annunciation. There just happens to also be two churches, a religious Palace, a ceremonial Hall, a museum and an enormous bell tower building. At 81 metres, the bell tower is the tallest building in the Kremlin complex.

Remember that to visit this square you have to pay for a ticket again in advance, costing around £5. You pass through a check point to get into the square so there is no chance of evading payment!

This area will take a while to walk around. It is compact as the buildings are relatively close to each other but getting inside and out of each can be time consuming. The crowds can be oppressive and even once inside the fit can be tight from all the tourists visiting. I had to wait until the crowds subsided, usually by waiting for two big tour groups of usually Chinese tourists to leave at once, so I could at least see the wall decorations and regalia.

I’m not going to go into depth on each Cathedral , church etc as this would be exhaustive. I have never visited so many religious buildings in such a short space of time ! Each has its merits and each is internally decorated slightly differently with larger or small open spaces. Try them each to find out.

Below is a small description of each and a few pics for you to see their different styles.

Annunciation Cathedral

Home church of the Moscow Great Princes and Czars, built for royal ceremonies and as a treasury. it connects directly to the main building of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

It was the personal chapel of the Czars and they got married and baptized their children there.

Dating from 1489, it was slightly reconfigured over the decades but still remains fairly intact to the original. Amazingly it survived looting in 1612, a fire in 1737 and desecration by the occupying French in 1812 who used it as a stable. The Communists closed it after the 1917 Revolution, and then used it as a Museum. It finally reopened for services in 1992.

The next Cathedral you pass by – literally as it is 30 metres away from the first one – is

The Cathedral of the Archangel

It was consecrated in 1508 on the site of a previous 14th century Cathedral. This was the main burial site of the Russian Czars until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg and there are 54 burial chambers here.

It follows the same history as the other Cathedrals in that in was damaged by fire, looting and closure by the Communists. It similarly reopened in 1992 for services.

It follows the same history as the other Cathedrals in that it was damaged by fire, looting and closure by the Communists. It similarly reopened in 1002 for services.

Church of the Deposition of the Robe

Ok, strange name I know. The name comes from a festival, dating from the 5th century AD, celebrating when the robe of the Virgin Mary was taken from Palestine to Constantinople. Here it protected the city from being conquered by the invading Rus people.

Originally, the church served as the private chapel of the Patriarch of Moscow, but during the mid-17th century it was taken over by the Russian royal family.

It houses a small collection in a museum setting today.

Dormition Cathedral

It was constructed between 1475–79 at the behest of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan II. Its name comes from a festival that honours the falling asleep, “dormition”, of the Virgin Mary in a strictly Orthodox religious service.

Its style is somewhat more simple than the other cathedrals/churches

The walls of the Cathedral are cream bricks as apposed to the white limestone of the other religious buildings here. The plainer high walls culminate vertically in either 3 or four arches depending on which side you are viewing.

Also, uniquely, its entrance is decorated with coloured frescos and a multi-arch doorway

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

It was built in 1508 on Cathedral Square for the three Russian Orthodox cathedrals, namely the Assumption (closest to the tower), the Archangel and the Annunciation, which do not have their own belfries. The tower replaces a former belfry that stood here from 1329.

A church was built adjacent to it but it was never occupied as such and so became part of the bell tower. Being at the time 60 metres tall it was used as a defensive look-out tower for the city.

In 1600 it was heightened to its present 81 metres and was the tallest building in Moscow  until 1883. The tower and the later additional bell tower added in 1543  now contain 22 bells in its peel and the largest bell at 65.5 tons is only rung on certain religious festivals.

Dotted around the Square are various interesting artefacts with a little history attached to them

Tsar Bell

Known as Czar bell it is the biggest bell in history. 6 m high and 200 tons in weight. It was housed in Ivan the great bell tower in 16th century but fell to the ground and broke in a fire in mid 17th century. It had never been rung or used before its fall and now rests next to the bell tower.

The fun part is you can look into the bell and touch the broken off part, damaged in its fall. However trying to get a photo without someone in it doing a selfie or pose is virtually impossible. I waited over 10 mins for an opportunity but it never came

Tsar’s Pushka Cannon

This is a medieval style artillery piece of silly proportions, more of a spectacle then an effective instrument of war. Cast in bronze in 1586, the Tsar Cannon is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest of its kind in the world.

Around the Kremlin area

Further away from the square itself are several other noteworthy buildings

The Russian Senate building is here but you cannot get close to it. You can take pics from afar only.

Nearby is also the conference/concert hall centre of The State Kremlin Palace. This modern building somewhat jars against the ancient buildings. Given that it was built during the Communist era when objection was not permitted, it is understandable how this style of building ever got here.

The pretty Bolshoy Kremlovskiy Square with their formal, flowered gardens, fountains and walkways are situated against the Kremlin outer walls. They used to be the Czar’s private gardens but now the trees, shrubs and benches offer rest and shade to passing tourists.

The Patriarch’s Palace and a further small church of the Apostles make up the final side of the square.

After leaving the kremlin complex, I crossed the road and walked along the noisy four lane fast moving highway. I passed by various small and large buildings in rather grand setting of large gardens. Curiously one area had a low rise set of buildings that almost looked like something from a decrepit village of the 1920s . Presumably this building was ripe for development as it stuck out badly among the larger edifices.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour Moscow

Ahead I could now see the golden domes of what I was heading for. That should not have been surprising given that it is the third tallest Orthodox Church in the world! Eventually arriving to the side of its raised setting, I had to walk up a wide set of stone steps. These lead from beside the bridge going over the river, to an open area facing the Cathedral. It was now that I realised that I had not approached it from its best angle.

If you can make a right turn before this bridge and go into the gardens next door. You will see the statue of Alexander II and can approach it from the steps here for a much better introduction to it

The Cathedral you see here is not old and just like the ancient looking Kazan Cathedral on Red Square was rebuilt. This one was opened in 2000, after 8 years of construction.

Some interesting facts about this Cathedral. –

It stands on the foundations of another Cathedral built here by Czar Nicolas I.

Long story short, in 1812 Napoleon retreated from his campaign on Russia and moved out of Moscow. The then Czar ordered a church to be built here in honour of the sacrifices made by the Russian people in the Napoleonic attack.

It took until 1883 to finish the project and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was written with the building’s completion in mind, having  its world premiere in a tent outside the unfinished church in August 1882.

Stalin hated religion and after the Russian Revolution of 1917 ordered the wonderful Cathedral to be demolished in 1931. It was dynamited and the building of the new Palace of the Soviets commenced on its site.

WW2 stopped building works of the Palace and after the war they never recommenced. In 1958  Nikita Khrushchev, turned the flooded foundations into the world’s biggest open air swimming pool.

In 1990 the church regained the site and proposed a new Cathedral here and it was completed in 2000. Quite a history indeed, and looking at it today you would still think it was a cathedral from 1812 in its design.

For some reason the Cathedral was closed on my visit so I never got to go inside.

Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts Moscow 

From the Cathedral, walk a few hundred metres along the main road and you arrive at my next destination.

Having been called by several other names in the past the Museum was finally renamed to honour Pushkin, the Russian poet in 1937, on the 100th anniversary of his death.

I spent around 3 hours here, captivated mainly by the world famous pieces of artwork,

The Museum is big, it has 700,000 pieces of artwork, sculpture, archaeological work and photographs from around the world.

It’s conveniently sectioned up so you can see just the paintings or the Egyptian pieces as you wish but give yourself a few hours to get around this place.

It has a amazing collection of French impressionist paintings – Gaugin, Cezanne, Renoir, Monet and Matisse. To top this are paintings by Van Gogh, Pissarro, Kandinsky, Picasso, Degas and many, many more. The Japanese collection is large and the Mediaeval section quite varied and international.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love art and I was again in ecstasy at seeing these individual pieces of world famous art. I took many, many more pics than I show here but these will just give you a taste of what is on show.

The permanent collection did contain many pieces of modern art but the Museum has constant visiting exhibitions. There are tours available, bookable in advance but I chose to wander the rooms myself, feeling quite confident in understanding much of the works.

On-site is a good café, the prices are more high end but it serves a variety of hot dishes and snacks as well as the normal drinks. You do not need to buy a museum entrance ticket just to go into the Café.

The sculpture and pottery sections did contain some huge pieces.

There were statues and creations that were more the size of items you would expect to  find on an enormous plinth in a big park. The carved marbles and stones displays were gigantic and were placed in the main atrium or in large rooms with high ceilings relative to their size.

The small carvings were inspiring and such a varied display. As I said, I was lost for hours just taking it all in with glee.

At less than £5 for an entrance ticket (visiting exhibitions are extra), this was one of the best purchases I made while visiting Russia.

This visit now concluded my day’s sightseeing and as it was approaching the end of the afternoon I decided to take a short walk back to the nearest Metro station. I had already decided to dine at the hotel as I was exhausted and the restaurant there looked good.

Day 3 in Moscow

This was to be my last day here before I took the Sapsan high speed train to St Petersburg.

I wanted this day to be a little slower, as I had already accomplished much in the previous two days and had done a huge amount of walking too.

I realised that there were things on my secondary list of sights to see that I wanted to get to, if I had time, but I realised they would just stay on that list.

Moscow is huge and so historical and cultural that I decided I would need another week to really see all I wanted . Yep, I am one of those people that does detail and need to see everything. I am never content with just seeing a few places in a city.

So off I trot to my first visit of the day, heading from the Metro station opposite my hotel to Tretyakovskaya Metro station about 15 mins away.

Leaving the station you are met with a square surrounded by grand old buildings of apartments.  Funnily enough if you are craving your fix of Western food there is a MacDonald’s opposite (strange to see MacDonald’s written in Russian).  You would guess it is as even the first 3 letters are MAK in Russian lettering! Nearby by is Burger King and further along s a Starbucks – I avoided them all.

The road running across is full of eateries, many with outdoor sections. If you need a bite to eat after the Gallery here would be a great street to look up a few places. There are many in Roman alphabet with fun names eg Bottoms Up, Burger Heroes, MyMY , Underdog and Meatless. All looked fine and up market, in what felt like an upmarket area of the city.

State Tretyakov Gallery Moscow

There are so many art galleries and museums in Moscow that it would take a month to get round them all. I had to be economical with my time and my research before arrival suggested that the two I had chosen were probably in the top five most important museums for variety and historical reference.

I had certainly enjoyed The Pushkin Museum (it’s huge), and so was hoping my choice here was to be the same.

It is lauded as the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world so it had a lot to live up to its reputation.

The main entrance appeared really small on arrival and almost like a Venetian palace entrance. The sculptured picture frames in a residential square oppose gave me an indication I was near it as I approached !

A little history on this place first however to get a bit of perspective. (click here for opening and exhibit info).

The Gallery’s name comes from a Russian merchant Tretyakov who amassed a vast collection of purely Russian art from 1856 with the intention of eventually bequeathing it to the Russian State. His donation of nearly 2000 pieces of painting, sculpture and drawings was eventually received in 1892 by the Moscow City Authorities and put on permanent display.

It was housed in one of his mansions but the building underwent several extensions as the collection grew even bigger.

It was taken over by the Russian State in 1918 and given its present name and over the next few decades extended further several times, even taking over another next door mansion and the nearby church.

During WW2 the authorities feared Moscow being overrun by the Nazis. Thus the entire collection was dismantled and shipped on 17 train waggons out of Moscow to a far away, safe location. Yet more extensions in the 1980s and 90s and we have was is today the spreading amoeba of different buildings that makeup the amazing art gallery.

On my visit they were building yet another extension that will pretty much double the size of the Gallery.

The Gallery displays artwork from the 14th-20th century, housed chronologically.

Give your self a couple of hours here as the interiors are capacious despite the small looking entrance area. It has a total of 180,000 works (not all are on display however). The works are predominantly Russian but have visiting temporary exhibitions.

Seeing an all Russian collections was interesting. There is a definite theme that often ran through the collections – I had never seen so many painted winter scenes in one gallery in the world for example. Check out in advance what sections you want to visit as the collection is extensive and varied.

I saw all but opted to skip the more religious works, which do not captivate me as much.

There is one painting that takes up a huge wall and is housed in it own room as it is so large. Don’t miss it as you get a slightly different perspective of the painting depending on which side of the room you view it from,

I’ve included some of my favourites here – they may not be to your taste but they give an idea of the range and style of painting here.

Gorky Park

Ok, so this may not be on everyone’s list but I just had to see it. The reason? I had seen the film “Gorky Park” by Dennis Potter and knew it was based on the book of the same name.

I knew the movie was filmed in Sweden and Finland instead of Russia, so I was not expecting to recognise anything.

There was also the Russian band of the same name who aired on MTV (showing my age here!) in the 1980s so I just had to see why this place has become famous in these names and films.

The unfortunate thing here is that just before  I arrived the heavens opened up and there was an almighty downpour of rain. Luckily I had my umbrella with me as I had read the day’s weather forecast and was prepared. I caught the tail end of the downpour.

The rain did put the kibosh on my seeing the park more as it was not pleasant walking around in the now smatterings of the rain so I did my best to get a view on the place.

The formal entrance gateway is huge and domineering, almost like an entrance to an old exhibition area. I did like its well kept embossed decorations and the 1955 date next to an entryway gave away its inauguration date.

It’s huge. located beside the river and had more acres of parkland than I probably would be happy to walk around, even in good weather.

I saw the top of the park near the small lake and sunbathing area (no sunbathers today obviously), the ornamental gardens and the statues dotted around the area.

It is clearly a well tendered and cared for park with lots of trees, shrubs greenery and walkways. It is a great place to get away from the buildings of the city and enjoy the outdoors. Not today though, and at many points I was the only person in the park.

How was Moscow for me?

So did I enjoy Moscow …. an emphatic yes is the answer to that question.

For some reason I was expecting a more austere, bland city of massive old buildings – I grew up in the Cold War (showing my age here), so my perception was no doubt tainted from that.

What I found was a fabulously maintained historical city of old palace buildings, Cathedrals, inspiring fortified walls and ancient decorative edifices. The Metro was a delight and I even learned a few words of Russian and how to read some of the Russian alphabet.

There is so much to see here that I will have to return again to see what I missed.

What didn’t surprise me ? I heard that Russians don’t readily smile, especially the older generations. I found this to be true but looking at their harsh history maybe that is a understandable. Service from older folk was often blunt, efficient and straightforward but unsmiling.

The younger generations do smile and those I chatted to had a much more Western manner in this respect.

Oh, and one thing I still haven’t worked out. These small convoys of 5-6 mega SUVs or Range Rovers with blacked out windows moving fast through the city that I frequently saw. Are they gangsters, politicians, oligarchs or pop stars?  There were just too many to miss – maybe Putin whizzed by me one day and I never knew!!!

June 2017