On Our Way to the Kremlin

We felt a bit better this morning––we got five hours of sleep last night versus about four hours the night before. We didn’t start out for the Kremlin until 9 a.m., which did turn out to be way too late because traffic was very slow. By the time we were inside the Kremlin, there was a need for rest rooms, which had very long lines, and this held up our tour. Our guide was again Lucy.

We made a stop on the way to the Kremlin to view the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, built in 1812 in commemoration of the victory over Napoleon’s army.

On Our Way to the Kremlin

This was the view with our backs to the cathedral––the Monument to Peter the Great.

On Our Way to the Kremlin

And a view of churches looking past the cathedral.

The Kremlin

In front of us was the Kremlin. I was beginning to know where we were in Moscow. It took us at least 20 minutes at a stoplight to be able to make a left turn to reach the Kremlin––it took this long for the left–turn arrow to come on.

There was a line to get into the gates of the Kremlin and we went through an X–ray before entering. The word “kremlin” means a fortification, but, for most of us, we think of the Moscow Kremlin as the seat of the Russian government, especially of the Soviet Russian government. However, the actual Moscow Kremlin is more than a government enclave––it has many beautiful cathedrals and palaces dating back to the tsars. Our tour of the Kremlin was short, considering how much there is to see in it. You really need to go the Kremlin on your own and take the time to see it all, which, of course, means that you spend a couple of days or more in Moscow on your own before you before you join an escorted tour.

I have put my photos of the Kremlin on a slide show. To view it, go directly to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/moscow–the–kremlin/

or go to Slide Shows, Eastern Europe, Russia, Moscow, Day 5A.

Free Time

After the Kremlin tour, we could go back to our ship, take an optional tour to the Treyakov Museum, or stay near the Kremlin to be picked up later, which we did have to pay extra for. There was not much time allowed to see too much more of the area. Two people went to the Armory and said it was great. Two people went inside St. Basil’s Cathedral. I walked from the Kremlin Gate through the Alexander Garden in front of the Kremlin Wall, then through Manege Square to the Red Square and straight to the Gum Department Store.

Photo: Alexander Garden.

Alexander Garden

People feeding the pigeons and other birds.

Alexander Garden

More of the garden. There were many places to sit here and many people took advantage of doing so.

Manege Square

Manege Square is quite big. It really is the whole area through the garden, the area outside the garden, and the entrance to Red Square. Photo: a fountain in the square.

Okhotny Ryad

On one side of the garden is Okhotny Ryad, an underground market. I was told that it had some eateries, such as a Subway. I didn’t have time to explore it.

Okhotny Ryad

There were a number of men dressed up in this type of costume. Of course, you needed to pay them to have your photo taken with them.

Okhotny Ryad

A close–up.

On My Way Through the Square

A young girl also dressed up.

On My Way Through the Square

The Monument to Georgy Zhukov, an officer in the Red Army who led the drive through Eastern Europe and to Berlin to defeat the Germans during World War II.

On My Way Through the Square

There were numerous souvenir booths in the square and also animal characters. I’m not sure what it was all about as this was a Wednesday, not a weekend when parents would be taking their children on an outing. Maybe the animal characters were for the tourists.

On My Way Through the Square

The animals were really cute.

On My Way Through the Square

More characters.

On My Way Through the Square

He is really cute!

On My Way Through the Square

An alligator trying to bite off the bunny’s head.

On My Way Through the Square

A sad–looking polar bear.

On My Way Through the Square

A thoughtful lion.

On My Way Through the Square

Spiderman.

On My Way Through the Square

And Sponge Bob Square Pants.

On My Way Through the Square

We saw this scream mask being sold in a number of places.

On My Way Through the Square

Beautiful kites were also being sold.

On My Way Through the Square

A person would stand in this circle, throw some coins over their shoulder, then other people would rush in to pick up the coins.

On My Way Through the Square

The chapel in front of the Triumphal Gate leading to Red Square.

At the Gum Department Store

The main reason I went back to the Gum Department Store was to use the ATM. I went through many of the rubles that I brought to Russia with me when I bought the caviar and vodka yesterday. I needed some more. I also was hungry and ate lunch at this cafe. They had sandwiches––I chose roast beef. Very good with thick slices of roast beef but a little salty. I also had a small pastry and cappuccino––with tip, $20. Russia is not cheap, but this was also a cafe for tourists. I also visited the upscale market at Gum’s to buy some gifts and ran into many people from my tour there. I really wanted to spend more time at Gum’s to walk around and to view the window displays. But time was short and I had to walk back to the Kremlin entrance to be picked up.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

I believe that we were driving on Tverskaya Street, the main street in Moscow. It was called Gorky Street under the Soviets (Gorky Street was made famous by all the Russian spy novels). If you look closely at the photo, you can see a normal Moscow traffic jam––a jam in both directions.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

Tverskaya Street.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

Tverskaya Street.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

Tverskaya Street.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

Sushi has arrived in Russia.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

An interesting reflection on a glass building.

On the Way Back to Our Ship

And another one. This concluded our tour of Moscow. Our ship would sail this afternoon on its way to St. Petersburg. If you go to Moscow, you really need to stay longer than most tours stay here. Tours usually only show you a city’s highlights, but Moscow has so many that you don’t want to miss. I didn’t come early to Moscow before the tour for two main reasons: first, I was warned by two young Russian woman that it would not be safe for me to walk around Moscow by myself. I did do this near the Kremlin without any problem. As I didn’t see even one suspicious person who could have been a pickpocket, I think that there must have been a number of plainclothes police there. The other reason is that the day tours that I looked up for Moscow were extremely expensive. Now that I have been in Moscow, I wonder how you would get around it on your own as so few of the signs are in English and taxis in Moscow have no set fee schedule. However, there is a hop–on hop–off bus that will pick you up at your hotel but it has only six stops. Hiring a private guide might be a good idea.