Russians are fiercely proud of their country and their heroes of the past. How much this influences their thinking going forward I cannot say but most seem to want to expel the image of a threatening Russia.
Muscovites are incredibly fashion conscious and appear very sophisticated. Outside Moscow it's not at all like that but there are 67 million in the city, one tenth of the entire Russian population in fact!
The Metro is incredibly deep underground and the trains run on all lines every minute, yes every single minute, and 8 million people use the service each day - only Tokyo has a busier system. Stalin's war time bunker is located within the tunnels complex. Eight lanes of traffic flow in both directions on some city center roads. Cruising on the River Mockba appears less hectic!
Red Square stands alongside the Kremlin which is not the residence of Vladimir Putin (whose residence is a secret) but does contain offices of the state government. The Russian flag always flies over the Kremlin. It is a very large complex within fortified walls. Adjacent these wall in Red Square Lenin's embalmed body lies in a mausoleum.
The iconic (chocolate box cover) St. Basil's Cathedral, built by Ivan the Terrible, survived the 1812 fire and stands majestically at the end of the Square. GUM shopping centre is like a modern Mall in concept with imperial elegance inside and out. The Romanovs (as in Tsars) original residence lies just beyond St Basil's where a huge ugly communist hotel complex has been demolished and new landscaping will replace. The State Museum is at the other end.
Peter the Great statue stands on the banks of the Mockba as a tribute to him and his development of the mighty Russian fleet. The Alexander Gardens, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Bolshoi Theatre, changing of guards, mystical clock chimes ...... all make this an extraordinary and truly memorable experience.
The Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, outside Moscow, was a top secret Soviet Military Base where Yuri prepared for his 'first man in space' flight and Sergie Korolov, chief scientist for the Soviet space programme, was a sate secret. The complex is where all astro/cosmonauts prepare for their time in the International Space Station (ISS).
No comments:
Post a Comment