MAIN ATTRACTIONS
Red Square
Look at a road map of Russia and you'll see that all highways truly lead to Moscow. Red Square is where all the roads converge. As the center of this 900-year-old city, this square has seen the evolution of Russia, including the rise and fall of communism.
St. Basil's Cathedral
This is an iconic signature piece of Russian architecture. Built by Ivan the Terrible in 1561, it has withstood the test of time and narrowly escaped communist plans of demolition. Each tower is its own church, dedicated to a particular Saint.
Lenin's Tomb
Russians look at Vladimir Lenin as the one who put Russia on the map. There are still dozens of statues to Lenin throughout Russia. Even though the faults of communism have been exposed and Russia has embraced a new government, they continue to pay respect to their past leader who, in their minds, was one of their greatest. Lenin died in 1924 and his body has been on permanent display in a mausoleum on Red Square ever since. During communism, Russian citizens would stand in lines for hours to see him. Good thing he has a glass case around him because if he didn't and someone sneezed, there probably wouldn't be any Lenin left.Note from Margo: I knew Lenin's actual body was there. I don't know when I heard about it, but I've known for a long time and always thought it was maybe a bit strange. Okay, as weird as it is when you think about Lenin's ACTUAL body being on disply, it is a billion times more weird/ creepy when you see it (or at least it was for me)... and I won't lie I had to laugh a little that he is still hanging around, hence my slightly unsure expression in the picture below.
Cathedral of Christ the Savior
This church was completed in the 1860's in gratitude to God for saving Russia from Napoleon's armies. In the 1930's, Stalin ordered that the church be demolished to make room for a Soviet Palace, which was never built. The church was rebuilt to it's original specifications in 2001. It's a good example of Soviet disregard for religion/cultural history and their pompous thinking that they were all powerful. I love that Russia's Christian roots survived well through decades of communism. This church is gigantic: 344 feet tall! In comparison, the Salt Lake Temple is 222 feet tall and the Washington DC Temple is 288 feet tall. 
"The Children- Victims of Adult Vices"
This probably wouldn't make the list if you Googled "top 10 sights in Moscow," but Margo and I stumbled upon it in a city park and thought that it is actually very powerful. This is a series of statues by Mikhail Shemyakin. Thirteen figures portraying various adult and societal vices are closing in on a young boy and girl playing. It reminds us of the true innocence of children and how without proper teaching and guidance, children can become tainted and corrupted by the evils of this world. The sculptor said this monument is a call "to fight for the salvation of today and future generations." The thirteen depicted vices are drug addiction, prostitution, theft, alcoholism, ignorance, irresponsible science, indifference, propaganda, sadism, for those without memory, exploitation of child labor, poverty, and war. 
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is awesome. Each station has unique architecture, trains come every 1-2 minutes, and you pay a flat rate to travel as far as you want. It's also very deep, hence the ginormous escalators. 
Bolshoi Theater
The famous performing arts venue for Russia. The largest of the theaters has the unique name "big" theater. Unfortunately, it was closed for remodeling.
And.... a few more pictures just for fun:
 |
| Another cool church |
 |
| Monument to Peter the Great |
 |
| Pinocchio! |
 |
| That's a lot of locks |
 |
| A funny world peace monument |
 |
| 20 rubles per use |
 |
| Our hostel was great |
2 comments:
Looks awesome! I've been reading your posts in G-reader, so haven't been able to comment.
Lovin' it! :)
Finally-more to share! Thanks for the history lesson and the cute faces of the "tour of Russia" guides.
Post a Comment