Before We Left

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5 -
Train Day

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Getting Home

Read Signs
in Russian

Day One -
Getting Acquainted with the Metro

"Every day over 9 MILLION passengers ride the Metro, Moscow’s vast underground subway system. In a single day, an average
of 9,915 trains operate between 5am – 1am, making the New York subway system seem like a miniature child’s toy."
Reference

We had done our homework. We made a
list of our most important sights to visit and tried to match them with the metro stops.
It wasn't a matter of reading, but of recognizing the routes and stops.
 

But nothing prepares you for the reality ... the shear number of people .. the escalators that went down and down
at very severe angles ... the words ... the organized chaos!
With that being said, it was actually very easy to buy tokens and find our lines. We stayed within the major tourist areas which helped a lot, and reviewed our routes every morning before leaving our hotel.

                                                   Red Square

"Red Square isn’t red, nor is that its name. While the Kremlin walls near it have been painted red (originally they were white),
the area we know as “Red Square” is neither red nor square for that matter.
Красная площадь would have normally been translated as “Beautiful Plaza” from the Russian language as it was used in the 17th Century (when its name changed from Trinity Plaza to Beautiful Plaza) and the word for red today derives from the word for “beautiful.”
The square is rectangular and the Kremlin is formed in a triangle. The word we use for “Square” is more properly translated as “plaza.”
Reference
 

St. Basil's Cathedral

St. Basil's Cathedral was given the nickname "St. Basil's" after the "holy fool" Basil the Blessed (1468-1552). He was very popular with the masses and even Ivan the Terrible.

The design was envisioned and carried out by the architect Postnik Yakovlev. The stories say that after completion, Ivan blinded Postnik to prevent him from constructing a more beautiful building for anyone else. 

There are nine individual chapels, each with its own individually decorated "onion dome". These domes represent the nine victories over Kazan. "St. Basil's Cathedral was primarily built by 'Ivan the Terrible', to commemorate the capture of the Tartar stronghold of Kazan, in 1552, which occurred on the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin. The cathedral, thus, was officially named as 'Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat'."
Reference

Kremlin Gate from Inside
Red Square

Red Square is HUGE! It is everything that
one dreams of. Lenin's Tomb is on one side, and the Eternal Flame. We were able to see the changing of the guards. That march is amazing - straight leg our to waist high with the arm coming up to the chest. So different from our march. The rest of the square is lined with small churches, the entrance to the museum (easy to overlook) and various ministry buildings complete the plaza.

~ top ~

Day Two -
The Kremlin, Diamond Fund / Armory, & Cathedral Square

Inside the Kremlin, we visited the Diamond Fund Exhibit located in the Armory. No pictures were allowed,
but OMG what a tour! The jewelry of the 18th to 19th century Royals - their "regalia" including, 900 uncut diamonds (the largest is called Free Russia at 241.81 carats), 30,000 carats of rough diamonds, a 26.46 pound gold nugget (one of the one hundred slightly smaller on display). And then there were the crowns, tiaras, brooches (1,500 diamonds beyond the sapphires and other gems), braided ropes of pearls and gems, hairpins, earrings, medals ... unreal!
 

Inside the Kremlin is Cathedral Square with at least five cathedrals. The Annunciation Cathedral (both left and right pictures).

The interior was spectacular (again no pictures allowed) - as was the exterior. The domes of gold were indescribable when the light broke through the clouds. Simply etheric.

As usual, K&K brought more than a little attention with either delighted smiles or confused looks.  :)

On the right, the Assumption Cathedral built in the 1400's. Tsars and Emperors were crowned here.

The yellow building/museum was under renovation - inside and out. During the renovations, Russia wrapped the entire building in a material that exactly replicates what the building will look like when done. Essentially, this photo is of a very big painted sheet!

In May of 1737, a huge fire broke out in Moscow. It spread to the Kremlin and started to engulf the scaffolding around the bell.
As the people were putting out the fire, the cold water fell on the bell which was still cooling off.
The bell cracked - an 11.5 ton piece of the bell fell away.

It was astonishing to see the whole thing! After a long day seeing so much opulence and history, we all took a short walk in the Kremlin gardens where we could see the onion domes of St. Basil's in the distance.

 Gems and gold encrusted bible covers, royal staffs, boxes in traditional cross shapes ... if you could dream it up and add the most magnificent jewels to decorate it, you could not come close to the opulence and beauty of this museum's collections and halls.

Bob liked the piece to the left. It was supported by four dogs (see above).

To the right is a nautilus shell decked out in silver work and supported by a dolphin.

 We also saw numerous examples of mica being used in everything from windows on carriages to "stained glass" inserts.

K&K and Bob and Amy do not "shop", and rarely take photos of shopping malls - especially the high-priced ones. We got this photo off the net.

It was a great walk-around, but had the commercial feel that we can find in any big American city. Still, it was worth the 15 minute experience!

Read the history here.

The Peter the Great Statue was created to celebrate 300 years of the Russian Navy. Built in 1997, it features Peter I and is said to be the eighth tallest statue in the world. It is in the Moscow (Moskva) River. Yury Luzhkov, former Mayor, was instrumental in the rebuilding. In November 2008, Virtual Tourist voted it to be the tenth ugliest building in the world.

To end the day we toured the Tolstoy House. A fascinating place, but we didn't take any pictures.

Just to name a few...
ping-pong, roller coasters, a space shuttle mock-up, beer, bicycles, ramps, skateboards, roller blades, beer, paddle boats, bingo, concerts, soccer, beer, arts and crafts, rides, children's forts of all kinds and shapes, restaurants,
oh yea, did we mention beer?

But our favorite part of the entire park, was seeing the Yorkie in Gorky!

Check Gorky Park out online

Our first stop was to take a
hydrofoil to Peterhof.
OMG!

The ride was impressive. The palace and grounds were unbelievable!

Kini & Kimi met up with some of the courtesans at court. Instant friends!

Bob, on the other hand, found the climate a bit chilly. Amy loved the cool air and thought that
Bob was a burr wimp.  :)

After we returned to the city, we visited the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - it was by far our most favorite and long lasting memory of St. Pete's. The outside is incredible - but the inside? Indescribable. Every millimeter, every crack, every surface is covered in mosaic tiles. Domes a hundred feet up - arches that span stories, detail in color and gold-guilt woven into religious storied panels that just inspire man to think of Saints and Gods.
 

The square is immense. In the middle is the Red granite Alexander I Column dedicated to his rein from 1801-1825.

(read more here)

The Hermitage itself is a museum like no other. It houses spectacular treasures from every part of the world.

There were vases made of malachite, lapis, and other precious stones that towered over you - with their matching table tops and inlaid/gold  pieces.

This is sculpture of a boy and a dolphin intertwined. A spectacular piece and one of our favorites in the museum.

These photos try to show the ever so slight dips between the different minerals used.

We stumbled upon this exhibit during its time in St. Pete. Had no idea it was placed in a tree-lined park a few blocks from the Heritage. The concepts, the designs, the festive atmosphere was heart-warming.  

K&K made a big splash hanging out with our American bear. (BTW - it had a significant line for the photo opp!)

(learn more here)

Half the fun was to guess the bear's country - what was important to them and what would world viewers understand? Where you correct when you looked t the plaque?

With riot of colors and the same shapes, our lasting impression was of bear tummies and bear, bear butts!

This is the metro station near the Peter and Paul Fortress. Too Cool!!

 
The Bell Tower

It was a guided tour - in Russian, of course - It was fascinating to listen to the lilt of the language.

The view from almost the top.

There are a lot of bells and they are huge. The "works" of the tower is impressive as well. It reminded us of the old music boxes with a metal drum that plays the music.

On the outside of the fortress in a small beach-like area that the locals use to swim and sunbath.