Moscow - Day I (II)

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After the Kremlin we walked to Red Square. Here is a picture taken shortly before you get to the entrance.

I remember seeing Red Square on TV as a kid in the midst of the Cold War, so it was an interesting feeling to walk around. The view of the Kremlin wall from the square was particularly impressive, as was Lenin’s tomb, though we weren’t able to see Lenin himself since the viewing hours ended shortly before our arrival.

 

 

  

At one end of the square is the St. Basil’s Cathedral, which was built during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16^th century and has a very recognizable look to it. I liked the colors and the architecture and don’t think that I had ever really seen anything like it before.

 

We toured the inside of the cathedral as well, and there were a number of interesting rooms with painted walls. Unlike the other cathedrals that we’d visited, though, there wasn’t a large central area for prayer (or at least I didn’t see one). And highlighting Russia’s transformation to capitalism, you could even take pictures provided that you paid a supplementary fee.

The square is also bordered by a giant department store called Gum (pronounced Goom). We went inside and it turned out to be a popular place for newlyweds to take post-wedding pictures.

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After a late lunch not far from Red Square, we walked around a bit and saw some more cathedrals, the Bolshoi Theater and the former KGB headquarters.

We had wanted to see an opera or ballet at the Bolshoi, but the main theater is currently being renovated, so we’ll have to wait until the next visit.