Europe - 1998 -- Moscow, Russia - Helsinki, Finland

It is now time to board the train to Moscow. The train will depart from St Petersburg station. Travelers have the option of 2-bunk or 4-bunk compartments. Passage is sold by the bunk, and both men and women could share any of the compartments based on how the tickets are sold. Bev and Marguerite ended up with a 2-bunk compartment. However, there was barely room between the beds to place their luggage.

Marguerite did not sleep very well on the train. This was contributed to a couple of reasons. The first was because the ventilation system was broken on the train, and the room was uncomfortable. The second reason is because of what Bev calls the “Perils of Traveling in Russia.” When Bev suggested going to Russia, and Marguerite needed to get her shots from Kaiser; they sent her a booklet on traveling in Russia. Instead of being helpful; Bev thought the book was very negative. One of the things the book warned against was riding on the Russian railroad.  It did not help that the door lock was loose.

The next morning the sun arose before arrival in Moscow, and they could see the countryside from train. The train arrived in Moscow at 7:30 AM. Moscow, the Capital of Russia, is the centre of cultural, spiritual and economic life of the country. The 850 years of Moscow’s historic record provide a wide choice of sights.

Because the tour group had arrived so early, their hotel rooms were not ready, so the tour guide gave them the first tour of the city. The first stop was Red Square. At the entrance they were preparing a stage for a presentation to be given later in the day. The area is known as Moscow’s famous parade ground. 
           Stretching along one side of the Kremlin walls, Red Square has become an integral part of the architectural ensemble. Until late in the 15th century, the buildings of the posad (trading quarter) came almost up to the wall. When the great fire of 1493 laid bare a vast area between the Kremlin and the city torg (mart), it was left vacant and turned into a market centre.
          On the south, the square was delimited by a steep slope on the top of which stood a Trinity Church with a small graveyard. After the Cathedral of the Intercession-on-the-Moat was built in the mid-16th century, in the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the part of the square adjacent to it became firmly established in its role as the hub of Moscow.
          In the second half of the 17th century, after the Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed and a number of stone shops had been built and the tall hipped roofs were added to the Spasskaya Tower and the other Kremlin towers, the trading square acquired a solemn, grand appearance. It was then that the people began to call it Krasnaya, which in those days meant beautiful and now means red.

From this picture one can see the Kremlin wall on the left; History Museum in center; and GUM Department Store on the right G U M, the Universal State Store, runs along the eastern side of Red Square. It replaced the original stone shops and merchant arcades (1888-1893). A three-story building of glass-covered passages and linking bridges. Western boutiques are now predominate. 

Building at the other end of the square include the History Museum, Ressurection Gate with the Chapel of the Iberian Icon of Our Lady (built in 1994) and the Church of Our Lady of Kazan (built in 1993).

Along side the Kremlin wall is the black-and-red marble resting place of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union. Along side the Kremlin wall is the black-and-red marble resting place of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union.

Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed is one of the world’s most recognized buildings. On the south side of Red Square, the particoloured cupolas of the Cathedral of the Intercession, better known as the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, a wonderful creation of Old Russian architecture, rise high picturesquely. It was built as a monument to the major turning point in Russian history, the defeat of Kazan Khanate (1552-1554).

          After each major victory, a small wooden church was erected near the Trinity Church which already stood here, in honour of the saint on whose feat day the victory was won. Thus, by the end of the war, there were eight churches on this site. After the final victory, Ivan the Terrible, on the advise of Metropolitan Makary, ordered stone churches to be built in place of the wooden ones. Instead of building eight separate churches, the architect(s) Barma & Posnik built eight pillarlike churches on a single foundation, placed symmetrically round the ninth, central pillar crowned with a tentlike roof, which is the tallest and architecturally the most complex. Until the addition to the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, it was the tallest structure in Moscow. It survived Stalin’s directive to knock it down. 

Next to the Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed stands the monument to Kozma Minin and Dimitri Pozharsky, the heroes of the national struggle for liberation against the Swedish and Polish invaders in 1610-1612. This was the first sculptured monument in Moscow. 
Near the cathedral on the Vzlobye (crest) of the hill a platform known as the Lobnoye Mesto (meaning a “place that can be seen from all around”) was built in 1534. From this platform, the czar and top clergymen spoke to the people on grand occasions.

The first thing that draws our attention when we look at the Kremlin and which immediately arouses our admiration is its walls and towers. Their construction was supervised by the Italian master builders who were specially invited for the purpose. There are 18 towers in the Kremlin wall. The first tower was built in 1485 and the last in 1680. The czar’s used to use the last to watch events taking place in Red Square. 
The Tainitskaya Tower (Tower of Secrets) was first built. The tower contained a secret well and a secret underground passage to the river bank. The tallest tower is the Troitskaya Tower which is 80 metres high, including the star. The three corner towers are round in shape. The Vodovzvodmaya (Water) Tower had a machine for drawing up water, supplying the Kremlin palaces and upper gardens with water from the Moskva River. The Uglovaya Arsenalnaya (Corner Arsenal) Tower stands next to the Kremlin Passage. The Nikolskaya (St. Nicholas’) Tower was built in 1491 and stands near the History Museum. It is decorated with white-stone carving. 
The green netted building behind the Wall is the Palace which is currently undergoing reconstruction.

The tour continued with visits to other locations around the city. The guide took the group by a building that had been formerly used by the KGB. The courtyard in front of this building had had a statue of Stalin. It was removed when the Communist Party was defeated. The guide then explained that Stalin commissioned seven skyscrapers to be built in 1948 within the city of Moscow. The largest is used for the Moscow University. Two are used as office buildings - one being the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The other two are used as apartments. “The White House,” premises of the Government of the Russian Federation

Like St Petersburg, Moscow’s Triumphal Arch (1827-34) was located in Victory Square. The group was then taken to another memorial on Poklonnaya Hill which was created to honor the victors in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). The lady standing in the picture with Bev is the single lady from Australia. She was on holiday and this was the third tour group that she had joined to see Russia and other parts of Europe.

The tour bus then drove to the top of Vorobyovy Hills to give everyone a view of Moscow. Moscow State University is located here. Along side the sidewalk near the viewing point, street vendors had set up their booths. They spoke very fluent English and accepted US dollars. They had sets of ‘nesting dolls’ for sale – many included American sports teams. Because Denver Broncos had recently won the Super Bowl they had a set of nestling dolls with John Elway’s being the largest. 

The Novodevichy Convent, which was also known as the Convent of the Smolensk Icon of Our Lady, was founded by Grand Prince Vasili III in 1524 to commemorate the return of the city of Smolensk to Russia. The convent was built as a fortress in the bend of the Moskva River and became an important component of the capital’s southern defense belt.  
In the 16th & 17th centuries the convent enjoyed a privileged position: it was here that women from the royal family and top-ranking boyar families took the veil. Princess Sofia Alexeyevna, the sister of Peter the Great, was confined here for 15 years following an abortive attempt to deprive her brother of the throne. (Pictured is the family from Tennessee)

It is dominated by the huge five-domed Cathedral of the Smolensk Icon of Our Lady which was modeled on the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Kremlin. The convent’s bell tower was erected in 1689-90, and consists of six octagonal stepped tiers crowned with a gilt cupola.  
Peter the Great was not particularly fond of cloisters. On his orders, an orphanage for foundlings was set up at the convent and later on distinguished veteran soldiers were given food and shelter here. In 1812, shortly before Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, he ordered the convent to be blown up. It was saved by Sister Sarra.  As soon as the convent was founded, a cemetery was opened on its grounds, which subsequently became a traditional burial place for the church dignitaries and feudal lords; and later, the intelligentsia and merchants.
In 1898, the so-called New Cemetery was established behind the south wall. It was surrounded by a wall, and became the most venerated cemetery in Moscow. Here lie the bodies of outstanding writers and poets (Chekhov), artists, famous actors, scientists and public figures (Gromyki). Khrushchev chose to be buried here instead of on the Kremlin grounds. (Pictured are the two couples from Portugal.)

The iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Smolensk Icon of Our Lady dates back to the 17th century. In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (plural: iconostases) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church. The iconostasis evolved from the Byzantine templon, a process complete by the fifteenth century. The iconostasis, though often tall, rarely touches the ceiling. Acoustically, this permits the words of the clergy to be heard clearly by the faithful.

A number of guidelines govern which icons are on which parts of the iconostasis, although there is some room for variation. In its fullest Slavic development it comprised five tiers of icons:

•  The bottom tier is sometimes called Sovereign. On the right side of the Beautiful Gates (from the nave facing forward) is an icon of Christ which symbolizes his Second Coming and on the left side is an icon of the Virgin Mary, symbolizing Christ's incarnation, and entrance into this world. Therefore, all things take place between Christ's first and second coming. Other icons on this tier beside those on the doors themselves usually include depictions of the patron saint or feast day to which the church is dedicated,
•  In the center of the Deisis is a large icon of Christ Enthroned. To the left and right are icons of John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary in attitudes of supplication. They are often flanked by icons of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, then Sts. Peter and Paul, and then any other important Church Fathers that may be desired for inclusion as space allows.
• The Feasts tier contains icons of the twelve Great Feasts of the church year. Above this, the top two tiers are also interchangeable with each other:
• The Old Testament Prophets and Patriarchs—the latter including the twelve sons of Jacob—often to either side of an icon of Our Lady of the Sign; and
• The Twelve Apostles, often to either side of and icon depicting either Christ at the Second Coming or the Holy Trinity.

Traveling to the hotel, the tour bus passed by the Bolshoi Theatre, the Pashkov House in Borovitskaya Square, and Moscow University.

Intourist Hotel located right in the centre, in most commercial quarter of Moscow, near the Kremlin, a few steps away the Red Square. Headquarters for McDonalds was located next door to the hotel.

Because she had not slept well the night before on the train, and the weather in Moscow being warmer than expected, Marguerite decided to stay in the room for the afternoon and not visit the art gallery. The weather was warm enough that Bev was able to wear the sundresses she had brought with her. The guide indicated that “we had stolen their good weather” – meaning it was unusually warm. 

After leaving the restaurant at lunch time, the group found the tour van had axle problems and was not usable. They spent about a half hour in the garden area of the restaurant, before the tour guide decided to use an alternate plan. They walked for several blocks and then entered the infamous “Moscow Subway.” Stepping onto the escalator to descend to the subway, was like stepping onto a forward moving treadmill. By the time your legs quit shaking, it was time to “quickly” get off. Needless to say, that when they later exited the Tretyakov Gallery, they were relieved to see the tour van. The first lines of the subway were opened in 1930s.

The now world-famous State Tretyakov Gallery began with two pictures by obscure Russian painters in 1856 by Pavel Tretyakov, the 24-year old son of the owner of a linen factory. Thereafter, the Russian Maecenas continued to collect works by his gifted compatriots throughout his life. In 1892, he turned the entire collection over to the City of Moscow. At that time the collection comprised of 3,500 works.  The Tretyakov Gallery was a living history of Russian Art. The best painters rallied around the collector, and helped him to enrich his gallery. 
A feature of Orthodox Christianity is the veneration of the icon, which has left a superb artistic legacy. The aim of the icon is to evoke spiritual communion between observer and the subject. Often the icons of saints are framed with scenes from their lives.

Dinner was in the diningroom of the hotel that evening. It was interesting, because there were no other guests except the tour group. Marguerite took a group photo -- couples in front on both sides were from Portugal; right side—family of 3 from Memphis; lady from Australia; Bev; tour guide. The entertainment was three musicians playing American hit songs on an accordion, guitar and cello.

 The hotel was located within walking distance of Red Square, so the next morning, Bev joined the group to make a visit to Lenin’s Mausoleum. On certain days of the week, Red Square is closed in the mornings and people are allowed to visit the tomb where Lenin’s body is on display. No one is allowed to carry any personal items and cameras are definitely not allowed. The group entered Red Square on the side of the History Museum. In front of the museum is a statue in memory of the Generals that served during the wars.

They arrived before the gates were scheduled to open. Next to the entrance was the World War II Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Memorial. While waiting for their turn to visit the Mausoleum, they had a chance to watch the changing of the guard. It was very similar to what Bev had seen in Washington, DC; however, the soldiers walked with the high step/kick. Unfortunately, because they were visiting Lenin’s Tomb, they did not have their cameras available. (This picture was taken on a later visit to the Kremlin.) 

Everyone entered the Mausoleum single file. Individuals then parade solemnly through the tomb and then follow the pathway through the graveyard. The gardens behind contain graves of Josef Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev. No words are spoken until everyone is back outside the gardens.

The group returned back to the hotel when they met those that did not go to the Mausoleum. They returned to Red Square where Marguerite was able to see the Tomb, and then to the main entrance. From the Memorial to the main entrance (through the Troitskaya (Trinity) Tower) are gardens with various sculptures of Russian fairytales and water fountains.

Tour of the Kremlin, a dream of everyone visiting Moscow. The most ancient part of Moscow is a captivating journey into the past preserved in 15th to 19th century historical and architectural monuments. The Kremlin is also the site of the former Soviet government. 
After entering the Kremlin, the first building is the State Armory. This is the oldest Russian museum. It contains priceless monuments of Russian and foreign applied art that were witnesses of major events in the history of the Russian state and Russian culture. Reference to the Armory goes back to 1547. 
The next building is the newest building. This was commissioned to be built by Khrushchev in 1965 and house the quarters of the Russian government.  This was quite a thrill for Bev to be standing in front of this building; she was just becoming a young adult when Khrushchev was in office. 

The oldest part of the Kremlin is the Square of the Cathedrals, also referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The next building is the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great. This rises above the architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square and the whole of the Kremlin. The 81-metre bell tower with a gilt dome represents a magnificent example of 16th-century architecture.  The Tower, like the convent, was ordered to be destroyed by Napoleon. However, it withstood the blast and only the contiguous belfries were destroyed. 
Beside the Bell Tower stands the Czar Bell weighing over 200 tons. There is no other metal bell of this size in the world. During the fire of 1737, the bell still lay in its casting pile. Because of the uneven cooking, the red-hot bronze of the bell cracked and a chunk weighing 11.5 tons broke off. After that, the Czar Bell remained in the earth for almost 100 years. It was not until 1836 that the architect raised it and put it on the granite pedestal. 
The Czar Cannon is another fine example of the craftsmanship of Russian foundrymen. Cast in 1586, it is the older than the Czar Bell. The cannon weighs 40 tons, is over 5 metres long and has a calibre of 890 mm. The gun carriage and the cannonballs lying nearby are decorative, for the cannon itself was designed to fire not cannonballs but grapeshot. It was built for the feeble-minded son of Ivan the Terrible, but was never fired. 
Cathedral of the Dormition stands on the site of Moscow’s first stone cathedral built by Ivan Kalita in the 14th century. The largest edifice of its time in Russia, the Cathedral was built in 1475-79 by an Italian architect after the model of the 12th century Cathedral of the Dormition in the ancient Russian city of Vladimir. For four centuries the Cathedral remained the main cathedral of Russia. It was here that czars and emperors were crowned, important ceremonies held and Moscow metropolitans and patriarchs consecrated and, upon their demise, buried (their tombs lie along the walls). (Pictured on the right below)

The Palace of Facets, the ceremonial throne room of the palace of the czars built at the end of the 15th century, is one of the few remaining parts of the oldest stone civic buildings in Moscow. It was built in 1487-1491 by Russian craftsmen under the supervision of Italian architects. The main facade of the building overlooking Cathedral Square is faced in cut stone slabs, from which the name derives. (Pictured on the left above) 
Behind the Palace of Facets is the Grand Kremlin Palace. This is where the prince’s palatial estate used to be in the days of old. Ivan III built the first stone palace here. Under Ivan the Terrible, fire broke out twice in the palace and each time new structures were added in the process of restoration. (Pictured below)  After Peter the Great set up residency on the Neva River, it was not until the 1740s that architect Rastrelli was commissioned by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to renovate the czar’s palace. The construction of the present Grand Palace was started in 1839 and lasted 11 years. Czar Nicholas I intended to emphasize the idea of greatness of the Russian autocracy by the immense size of the building. 

The Cathedral of the Annunciation unites in one artistic whole the works of 14th-16th century Russian masters. The white-stone foundation and crypt of the cathedral are the surviving parts of the older Church of the Annunciation built in the late 14th century. The Cathedral in the days of old connected with the royal chambers by a passage and served as the private chapel of the royal family. (On the left above)

The five-domed Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, the second largest cathedral in the Kremlin, was built in 1505-1508 on the site of an ancient cathedral of the same name. The rich decoration in the cathedral and the splendor of the architectural shapes, are characteristic of the Italian Renaissance. For more than 300 years the Cathedral was the burial place of the Moscow grand princes and czars. The white-stone tomb slabs bear the epitaphs engraved in intricate Slavonic characters with the names and dates of the deceased.

After leaving the Kremlin, the tour bus picked them up at the gates and took them to a restaurant for lunch. The restaurant, like the hotel, did not have any other customers than the tour group.  It appeared that the areas used outside of the hotel for tour meals were set up and decorated just for that purpose.  There were no menus, and everyone was given the same meal.  Outside the restaurant was a statue of Leon Trotsky. He was Bolshevik leader who served as Lenin’s chief lieutenant. He was elected as the chairman of the Petrograd soviet in October, 1917.

After lunch, the group was given an afternoon for leisure or to take individual tours. Bev and Marguerite choose to have iced tea on the patio and watch the various comings and goings of the individuals around the hotel. Marguerite was fascinated with two of the ladies. They appeared to be quite friendly with the gentlemen around the area; leaving with some of them. Later that evening these two ladies, along with two others, were sitting in the lobby dressed in ‘evening wear.’ It was not difficult to determine what they had been doing that afternoon. 

The evening meal was provided in the hotel restaurant (again, having the tour group the only patrons) and a father and daughter provided the entertainment. Then they transferred to the Moscow train station where they boarded for a 10:17 PM train to Helsinki. Keeping in mind that the sleeping compartments were assigned by individual, the male tour guide was assigned to a compartment with an elderly Russian woman. It seems that her daughter had made their reservations separately, and the daughter was assigned to another compartment. It worked out, because there was a male assigned to the daughter’s compartment and he agreed to exchange and stay in the compartment with the tour guide. 

Upon arrival on the train, everyone was given a box of food items to be used for their breakfast. There were cups provided, and one could get hot water in the area around the bathrooms. Bev and Marguerite slept well that night (the door locked securely and the air conditioning was working). They awoke the next morning to have their breakfast before arriving at the border customs check. The customs officers boarded the train and checked the paperwork with the tour guide. The female officer was friendly and allowed her picture to be taken.