Sights in Moscow
The first place we were taken to see in Moscow was
Red Square, which was truly awesome.
In the picture here, you see the white building complex on the left
is the G.U.M. department store (pronounced GOOM).
It's not actually one store, but a collection of individual vendors.
At one time the merchants set up stall on Red Square but then the
G.U.M. buildings were created.
Straight accross from G.U.M. is Lenin's tomb with reviewing stands
on either side of it.
Sadly, we did not get to see Lenin.
Behind him is The Kremlin
which is not a building but a 'fortress'.
These days the huge red brick wall with its 20+ towers
contains the former palace, the Armory which is a tsarist
treasure museum, and a host of cathedrals.
More on that in a bit.
At the far end of the square in the picture, you see the
16th century St. Basil's Cathedral.
With its 9 unique domes (cupolas) it must be the most photographed
cathedral on earth.
The picture to the right here shows a closer view of St. Basil's.
The statues in front of it are dedicated to war heroes from pre-Romanov
days.
Because each of the domes is different and each is at differing heights
from the others, there are photographs taken from all sides and angles.
The inside consists of small rooms under each dome.
The room in the tall central dome goes right up to the top of the
dome; it's spectacular to look up in it because of course it's
highly decorated inside as well as out.
The following picture shows St. Basil's from the opposite side,
looking back towards Red Square and the Kremlin.
The big clock tower is one of the many towers in the Kremlin wall.
The lower yellow building behind the tower contains the Armory
(as I said, more on that in a bit).
Also inside the Kremlin are spectacular
cathedrals with seemingly hundreds of dazzling gold cupolas.
To the right is yet another view of St. Basil's, this time taken more from
the side and from an elevated position so you can see some of the
glorious gold cupolas.
When you see a gold cupola in Russia, rest assured that it
truly is - not solid of course, but
gold plated.
Here are a couple of aerial views to show some of the cupolas.
Now, finally, here's the scoop on the Armory.
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There were coronation dresses of silks and brocades decorated with jewels
and gold and silver embroidery.
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There were elaborate robes and gowns of Peter the Great.
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There were priests robes and vestments every bit as elaborate as the coronation clothing. Diamonds were everywhere.
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Huge big bibles were studded with monstrous big precious jewels of all kinds.
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Mink trimmed hats and crowns were heavy with jewels and gold.
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Entire thrones were studded with precious gems and pearls.
Even the ceremonial horse harnesses were studded with gems.
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Golden scepters and orbs gleamed with jewels.
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There were solid gold urns, goblets, bowls, and plates.
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The amount of gold used as decorations for the fancy carriages was astounding. On one particularly spectacular carriage, gold had been shaped into the form of grapes, vines, and leaves that were draped around the carriage doors. Magnificent gold eagles and statues of George (in gold) slaying the dragon (also in gold) were all around the base. The spokes of the wheels were also decorated with gold.
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I was thrilled when we got to the display of the Faberge eggs. They were masterful! There was an egg that contained a tiny gold model of the Trans Siberian Express train. Another contained a miniature gold yacht.
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We were worn out and totally dazzled by the time the tour was over.
We also got taken sightseeing in other areas of Moscow outside
of Red Square and the Kremlin.
One of the most spectacular buildings we saw the the Cathedral
of Christ the Savior.
This building is actually a reconstruction, just finished this year,
of a building built in 1812 to commemorate the defeat of Napolean.
It was stunning both inside and out.
The inside had massive chandeliers and marble absolutely
everywhere it seemed.
The men in the bell tower were playing the bells as we were leaving.
It was a wonderful experience.
Around the Kremlin were many many lovely old 19th century
buildings such as the Bolshoi Theatre in the picture on the right here.
Our stay in Moscow was a visit to a world all its own.