From Russia with Love

Moscow (Red Square)


We have plenty of hours before out train to Kazan in the evening. We left our luggage at the train station, there is a place where you can deposit your luggage so we did. Then we went back to downtown and made some pictures at the Red Square.


Shamil's Uncle was extra kind to narrate to me the whole history of every edifice in the Red Square. They are all very interesting, however, I couldn't remember them all with important details. So here I am sharing the story with the help of our common friend google ",)

"The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. (He did in fact go on to build another cathedral in Vladimir despite his ocular impediment!) The cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible's successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan. Victory came on the feast day of the Intercession of the Virgin, so the Tsar chose to name his new church the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, after the moat that ran beside the Kremlin. The church was given the nickname "St. Basil's" after the "holy fool" Basil the Blessed (1468-1552), who was hugely popular at that time with the Muscovites masses and even with Ivan the Terrible himself. St. Basil's was built on the site of the earlier Trinity Cathedral, which at one point gave its name to the neighboring square." (an excerpt)

 click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/churches/st-basils-cathedral.html

 "Moscow's famous Red Square earned its name not from the red walls of the Kremlin, nor from the traditional symbol of Communism, but from the Russian word for "red", which many centuries ago also meant "beautiful". The square's vast cobbled expanse is flanked by some of Moscow's most famous tourist attractions." (an excerpt)

click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/red-square.html

"The ornate Neo-Russian facade of GUM, Moscow's "State Department Store", takes up almost the entire eastern side of Red Square. Built between 1890 and 1893 by Alexander Pomerantsev, the building features an interesting combination of elements of Russian medieval ecclesiastical architecture and an elegant steel framework and glass roof, reminiscent of the great turn of the century train stations of Paris and London. This modern 3-story arcade is the largest shop in Moscow and was built to replace the old hall of the Upper Trading Rows, which existed earlier on the same site but burnt down in 1825. The original hall contained some 1,200 separate shops and stalls and was one of Moscow's liveliest markets." (an excerpt)

click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/gum.html

Inside GUM. That's Uncle Shamil's back :).

Inside GUM. my first Russian meal. oh, not the very first though. I was eating at a Russian restaurant before from time to time. We didn't each much. We were fed well in the plane so we were still kinda full ",).

Some car display inside the GUM.

"The State Historical Museum, standing majestically at the western end of Red Square, is housed in a magnificent dark redbrick building covered in ornate turrets, pinnacles and decorative saw-tooth cornices. The museum was built between 1875 and 1881 by the architect V. Sherwood and the museum was finally opened in 1894 by Tsar Alexander III. The building's interior is lavishly decorated and features murals, carvings and an impressive ceiling painting depicting a family tree of all the Russian monarchs from Vladimir and Olga of Kiev to Alexander III." (an excerpt)

click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/historical-museum.html

At the entrance foor of State Historical Museum

"The original Kazan Cathedral was built in 1636 in honor of the Kazanskaya Icon and to commemorate Tsar Mikhail Romanov's victory over the Poles and Lithuanians in 1612. The Kazanskaya Icon is one of the city's most precious icons and was discovered by a 9-year-old girl, to whom legend has it the Virgin Mary appeared three times in dreams to tell her of the miracle-working icon's location. During the Time of Troubles Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharin carried the icon from Yaroslavl on a liberation march to Moscow, which was occupied by Polish troops. After a 5-day siege of the Kitai Gorod area of the city, the Poles were defeated and Russia spared, just as it had been promised by Saint Sergei Radonezhsky in a dream to the Greek Archbishop Arseny, who was sheltering in the Kremlin during the battle." (an excerpt) 

click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/kazan-cathedral.html

It is an exact replica of the Virgin Monastery of  Kazan where the historic Icon is. I have been there too, I'll have a post of it later.

"The Lobnoye Mesto, a circular stone platform on Red Square not far from St. Basil's Cathedral, was built in the early 16th century and used primarily as a platform from which the Tsar's edicts were read out, special church sermons were given and the sentences of convicted criminals were aired. The platform's name derives from its location, on a steep slope or "uzlobie" in Russian. In Orthodox Moscow this place symbolized the hill of Golgotha in Jerusalem, on which Christ was crucified. In translation from the ancient Hebrew Golgotha means "lob", head or forehead, hence the connection." (an excerpt)

click here for more important details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/lobnoye-mesto.html

A closer look at the Lobnoye Mesto

That's me and Uncle Shamil (yes, they have the same name ",) and at our back is the:

"The original Resurrection Gate, situated in the northwest corner of the square, was built during the 16th century but was torn down in 1931 on Stalin's orders, to ease tank access to the parades on Red Square and as part of the regime's atheistic offensive against the Orthodox Church and all its trappings of worship. The current gate, with the small Iverskaya (or Iberian) Chapel positioned just in front of it, is a replica built in the 1990s to the design of Oleg Zhurin. The original chapel was one of the holiest places in Moscow and contained the Icon of the Mother of God of Iver, a legendary miracle-working icon that was said to have originated in Byzantium at the time of the iconoclasts in the 8th century." (an excerpt)

click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/resurrection-gate.html

The Russian emblem at the top of the Resurrection Gate.

Kuranti - which leads the New Year's countdown and peole waiting to pop their champagnes at the heart of Red Square.

"Lenin's Mausoleum has to be one of Moscow's most curious tourist attractions. Locals tend to regard it either as an awkward reminder of the country's communist past or a cherished relic of the good old days, but for visitors to the city it is not only one of Moscow's finest examples of Soviet architecture but it holds an endless fascination.Vladimir Ilyich Lenin has been described as not only the greatest revolutionary leader and statesman in history, but also the greatest revolutionary thinker since Karl Marx." (an excerpt)

Can you see us on the reflection? Zoom and check the left part heheh, there we are mini us.

click here for more interesting details: http://www.moscow-taxi.com/sightseeing/red-square/mausoleum.html

The Zero km point from Moscow.

Stepping on the Zero km point.

Some characters in costume. You can have pictures with them but you have to pay, also if you make picture of them. So I tried to catch them from afar ",).

Moscow Police at the red Square.

Souvenir stand outside Red Square. 

Musicians playing at Moscow subway. These are not beggars nor disabled. They are simply musicians who share they talents and have it as a part time job, sort of. I noticed that they like it actually, they like playing, the people like to hear them with interest not curiosity. I was observing some faces and they really seem to enjoy the art of music. I've seen the same in Kazan and I will post later.

This is so far my first Moscow experience. In the evening before 10, we headed back to the train station. I still felt little dizzy from the flight and also I felt little stresses of the city pace. It is so different in China. I have never felt how fast people work and move in the cities. China, however a big country still gives a very laid-back pace. I was observing people in the subway. They are so serious. I cannot feel any connection to anyone. It seems that everybody is physically present but minds are all in different world. I also noticed that what I have read about Russia and Russians that they seldom smile is true. Hahaha really in the subway, I slowly stopped smiling or else I might be confused as stupid or crazy maybe hahaha. Really funny, I had more fully experiences which I will discuss in my later posts.

We arrived at the train station few minutes before our train leaves. We have ample time. I didn't notice it was 10 in the evening already. It was still bright like 4 in the afternoon. I got so surprised and excited as well. It was my foirst time to see that very long bright day. I know about longer days and longer nights but I never imagined a longer day upto to in the evening ",).

Next will be train experience from Moscow to Kazan.