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Published: November 29th 2010
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Last day in Moscow. Enjoyed the Maxima Panorama. Good breakfast buffet. Lots of selections. They had a quiche-like egg dish, sausages, cheeses, a choice of cereals, porridge, muesli, rolls and a choice of juices, tea and coffee. The breakfast room was kind of wild, including boar’s heads on the walls!
I checked out of the hotel and had them hold my small bag (small, but heavy) in their luggage room. Then headed out on the Metro. The guide books say the Metro lines are very deep because they planned them as bomb shelters. I already noted the long escalator rides to the trains, but decided to keep a lookout for other signs of the Soviet era on the subway. Sure enough, when I looked closely I saw that there were still huge blast doors on the way down to the tunnels. Not just gates or dividers, but big bank-vault like blast doors similar to the kind seen at SAC headquarters. Also, at one station where I stopped, the decoration of the pillar tops below the archways was a fancy metal scrollwork with a Hammer and Sickle motif. I had planned to take the Metro right up to the Kremlin again
Breakfast Room Decoration
I thought the ham was a little tough... and go straight in. However, I went out a different Metro exit and ended up taking an unplanned tour of the theater district. Gave me a chance to see the Bolshoi Ballet theater though!
When I finally made it to the Kremlin, I purchased tickets for the Armoury (yes, that’s the way they spell it) and the Cathedral Square area. I was told that I had to go right to the Armoury, as admittance there is set by timed sessions and mine had already started. I found my way in and stashed my coat in the cloakroom. They’re real big on cloakrooms over here. Cold, so lots of coats I guess. It’s all free, however, and very well organized. At the Hermitage they had something like a dozen counters staffed and taking coats!
The collections at the Armoury were spectacular. Of course it being an Armoury, they had lots of weapons and armor. Some of the suits of armor had been worn by early czars or other famous warriors. (think Ivan the Terrible or Boris Gudenov types) Much of the armor, swords and early firearms on display had been gifts to the Russian court from various European courts
or rulers. There was also a fine collection of Eastern and Mongol arms and armor. One giant room was filled with display cases of gold and silver goblets, bowls, plates and tea services, most of which, again, had been gifts to the Russian crown.
One case displayed a large number of Fabrege eggs, traditionally exchanged by Nicholas II and Alexandra’s Imperial Court at Orthodox Easter time. The eggs, made of gold and covered with rich enamels, jewels and pearls, also contained surprises inside. Some had elaborate music boxes or timepieces built in. One even had a small gold replica of the Trans Siberian train inside!
Another area of the Armoury held crowns, orbs and scepters used by the Russian czars. One of the most important pieces was the Crown of Monomakh. It looks like a gold cap made up of several pieces, studded with gems and topped by a cross. It is trimmed with a brim of sable and looks like the hats worn by central asian Khans. Very stylish! Legend says that the crown was given to a Russian prince by his grandfather, the Byzantine Emperor, symbolizing Russian claims to the heritage of the Byzantine Empire (like
Outside of the Kremlin
No pictures taken inside the Armoury, they charge alot more for that! the Holy Roman Empire claims in the west).
Further along was a section of Russian thrones, including the double throne of the young Peter “the Great” and his brother Ivan. Also the 800 diamond encrusted throne of Czar Alexy Mikhailovich. Clothing included jewel studded robes of Russian Orthodox Patriarchs and the coronation robe of Peter (T.G.) and coronation dress of Catherine (also T.G.). The last rooms contained carriages, sleighs, sedan chairs and other ornate means of royal transportation.
After reclaiming my coat, I set out for Cathedral Square in the Kremlin. While we tend to think of Moscow’s Kremlin to be “The Kremlin”, actually kremlin means citadel and many towns in Russia have a Kremlin in the center. Something like an Acropolis in Greece, where we think of “the Acropolis” of Athens, while actually many towns have one. Anyway, Moscow’s Kremlin is undoubtedly the best known and most historical. The fortress was the seat of government and power in Russia for hundreds of years, before Peter (T.G.) moved the capital to St. Petersburg. And it was again the center of power after the revolution and the Soviet state was established. Before Peter, not only royal power, but also
the power of the Orthodox church centered here. A group of Cathedrals were built within the Kremlin walls, around a central square.
The Cathedral of the Assumption was the traditional location for crowning the Czars. It was also the inauguration and later burial place of the Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael (a good guy, I’m told) holds the tombs of all of the Russian rulers from Ivan I until Peter (T.G.). The Cathedral of the Annunciation is sort of a royal chapel where the czar’s family were christened or married. There are several other Cathedrals and churches around the square, as well as the Ivan (T.G.) Bell Tower, the Czar Bell and the Czar Cannon. (let’s just say if they put “Czar” in front of it, you know it’s going to be huge!)
Outside the Kremlin and through the Alexander Gardens, I found an underground mall. I strolled and window shopped a bit, then had some pizza in the food court. I wandered on up to Lubyanka Square to take a look at the Lubyanka. The building is a red brick and granite structure that was seized from an insurance company
History Museum and Gate to Red Square
The gate was rebuilt after the Soviet Union ended. They had torn it out to get bigger tanks and missle launchers into the square for parades. by the Bolshevik Secret Police back in 1918. It was the home to Soviet Secret Police under founder Felix Dzerzhinsky and is to this day the headquarters of the Federal Security Service. It was the symbol of Soviet power over it’s own people for decades and stories of it’s underground interrogation rooms where people were tortured or just “disappeared” were legendary. A statue of Dzerzhinsky stood outside until it was pulled down by protestors in 1991.
I wandered around the Kitai-Gorad area window shopping for awhile and then stopped into a café for perhaps the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had! Like drinking molten dark chocolate with a cup of water on the side (I think the water was for thinning the chocolate to taste… silly Russians. Chocolate has no business being thinned).
Back to the hotel to pick up my bag and then on to Yaraslavsky Station. At the station I got my roller bag out of hock, stocked up on water, bread and money for the trip. The platform from which the train would be leaving was eventually announced on the big station board. Soon…. all aboard!
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Metro
"but big bank-vault like blast doors similar to the kind seen at SAC headquarters" You are very observant. These hidden door is difficult to see.