Moving On - From Moscow

First order of the day was to post off some more stuff home and reduce my travelling weight. My parcel (which in Moscow style was significantly more expensive to post than the last one) contained my General's cap which I had forgotten to photograph and post for all to see. It was sold to me by this girl, called Ilova Pavalova, or something similar, who assured me it was a real General's cap.

After leaving the Post Office and discovering the same supermarket "red Sails" (by accident) that my brother Howard was using whilst he was here in Moscow last year and apparently literally walking right past where he stayed, I wandered up to Tverskay Metro and found yet another nice looking church with blue onions.. I ten wandered down Tverskay street past the Moscow equivalent of Harrods. I didn't buy anything but I am told the caviar is very good.

At the end of Tverskay street was the Kremlin and Red Square, where I had been the last 2 days. It is the heart of Moscow. Today, my mission was to get inside the Kremlin.  For those, like me who don't know, the Kremlin is not one building, it is a place that holds many buildings and churches, but is walled off by a big red brick wall. So to enlighten us all, here is what wikipedia says.

The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: Моско́вский Кремль, tr. Moskovskiy Kreml, IPA: [mɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ]), sometimes referred to as simply the Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west. It is the best known of kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

The name Kremlin means "fortress inside a city",^[1] and is often used as a metonym to refer to the government of the Russian Federation in a similar sense to how the White House is used to refer to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Indeed, even the Russian President's official website is Kremlin.ru. It had previously been used to refer to the government of the Soviet Union (1922–1991) and its highest members (such as general secretaries, premiers, presidents, ministers, and commissars). "Kremlinology" refers to the study of Soviet and Russian politics.

Now we all know what the Kremlin is, I proceeded to the Ticket office to get my way in. I had two options for tickets, 

1 - The Armoury - 700 Rubles or

2 - Other stuff (including churches etc) 350 Rubles

Whilst I am not made keen on weapons and the like, I had heard the Armoury was worth it and it obviously commanded a heft price premium to see it. I opted for the Armoury. I had to wait a little while to get a ticket but that was OK, I sat in the nice park in the sun and did the Sudoku from the Age on my IPad.

Well as it turns out, The armoury ticket did include all the other stuff as when you get inside, I discovered I had to walk past everything else to get to the Armoury hall entrance. (nothing is clear with Russians, you just have to somehow work this stuff out). So a few snaps of the Churches and Palace (Yarralumla equivalent). I took a pan shot of the Palace which makes it look curved, but it isn't.

 This was nice looking building opposite Kremlin, I think may have Geological museum.

The Grand Driveway

The living Statue (they don't move much)

Palace without distortion

Palace Pan shot with distortion

When I got into the "Armoury" I realised it was a misnomer, the place was full of Bling, I have never seen so much gold, silver and precious stones in my life anywhere. It had everything, clothes, shoes, tapestries, embroidered horse saddles, royal carriages, icons, religious artefacts, book covers (all gold and encrusted with jewels), fine porcelain, everything, and yes, there was some swords, a few old rifles and some shiny armour, but not a lot compared with everything else. It was worth it. It was, 'the Crem de la Kremlin"

After the Kremlin, I headed  to the last two most famous landmarks in Moscow I hadn't seen yet, The Peter the Great Statue (reliably informed higher than Statue of Liberty, Fact checked) and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Tallest Orthodox church)

On leaving the Kremlin

 Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

View along the River, noting footbridge in the foreground that I could not workout how to get on to, I think you must have had to come through the Church or, got onto it from the other side of the river.

The "Peter The Great" Naval memorial Statue

Car Parking, Moscow Style

And finally, a view of a metro station from the outside.

Tomorrow, its off to Budapest in Hungary, So an early rise to get to the airport for a plane ride. As I was originally planning to get to Budapest via a train ride through Kiev and the Ukraine, I am having for dinner tonight Chicken Kiev (courtesy of Red Sails supermarket on the way home) and Russian Salad, as a token of wishful good relations  and future peace and harmony. And it tasted good.

Das Vadanya, Moscow, you expensive tart.