September 10
Although
you can wander around Red Square and visit such structures as St.
Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Mausoleum free of charge, as well, of
course, as the Gum Department Store, you have to buy tickets to go
inside the Kremlin.
|
entrance gate |
|
Troitskaya (Trinity) Tower |
The
Kremlin is the seat of Government of the
Russian Federation and is a very popular tourist destination with
people from all over the world. After some searching to find the
ticket office and confusion about the appropriate ticket sales line
to stand in we managed to buy individual tickets and made our way to
the entrance gate through the Troitskaya (Trinity) Tower, the tallest
of the Kremlin's many towers.
_________________________________________________________
INSIDE THE KREMLIN
|
Chinese tourist group just inside the entrance gate |
Almost
immediately upon entering the gate we were surrounded by a large tour
group of Chinese people. From then on Chinese tour groups became
particularly noticeable in popular tourist areas in both Moscow and
St. Petersburg. I had long been reading of the growing bilateral political
and economic ties between Russia and China and their formal
associations in organizations such as BRICS and SCO (Shanghai
Cooperation Organization). Experiencing the reality of these Chinese
tour groups added a new personal and direct understanding of the
growing importance of these great powers' influence on global trade
and international political, economic and military relations.
|
Savior's Tower (left) and St. Basil's Cathedral |
|
no-go zone and the Senate in the background |
|
gentle crowd controller? (no gun) |
Tourists
are only permitted in a limited area inside the Kremlin. The large
open area between the cathedrals and the Senate and the Arsenal is
off limits and patrolled by police. If you stray off the sidewalk you
are immediately admonished to stay in the designated tourist zone.
The reason, of course, is that the Senate is the seat of the Russian
Government where the President has his offices and must be protected.
___________________________________________________________
CATHEDRAL SQUARE
|
Ivan the Great Bell Tower |
|
Cathedral of the Annunciation |
Cathedral
Square is the epicenter of the tourist zone. Most of the famous
cathedrals are located around it—Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Cathedral of the Dormition, Cathedral of the Annunciation, Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, Church of the Twelve Apostles, Church of the Deposition of the Virgin's Robe,
as well as such curiosities as the huge Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon . .
. and more Chinese tourists.
|
Cathedral of the Archangel Michael |
|
Church of the Deposition of the Virgin's Robe |
|
Dormition interior |
|
Cathedral of the Dormition Coronation venue of all the Tsars |
|
the Tsar Canon |
|
the Tsar Bell |
|
Madama Butterfly |
|
colorful Chinese tourists |
__________________________________________________
THE ALEXANDER GARDEN
|
red green and yellow |
|
Moscow Manege |
Along the western wall of the Kremlin lies the beautifully landscaped Alexander Garden. The contrast between the red and yellow brick of the Kremlin wall and the green of the grass and the leaves of the white birch trees is particularly striking. The Moscow Manege, a former indoor riding academy and military training facility is located on the western edge of the garden with a spectacular fountain of water geysers and horse sculptures reminiscent of the history of the building.
|
horse fountain |
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