Arriving in Moscow in the afternoon, Conor and I knew that we wouldn’t have enough time to explore Red Square before our evening at the ballet at the Bolshoi, so even though it took all of our willpower, we walked the city and strategically avoided the Square.
The following day, however we made it our first stop. When we rounded the corner and got our first view, we just stood there – floored.
It was like Christmas morning when we were kids; we just looked at each other with these huge stupid grins on our faces before speeding into the Square. It was a great moment and by looking around, we could tell that many others were having similar experiences.
Photo courtesy of Conor O’Brien
Conor, being a photographer, couldn’t wait to get a shot (or 20) of St. Basil’s and Lenin’s Mausoleum.
There were brides taking wedding photos everywhere!
I was surprised by the great architecture surrounding the square; RYM Shopping Center is a striking monolith of a building and the Local History Museum, with its towering brick façade, seems to seep into the walls of the Kremlin.
After our fill of photos, we jumped in line to enter Lenin’s Mausoleum. A short walk down a tombstone lined path (all in Russian so we had no idea who the tombs were for) we entered the Mausoleum door, descended a staircase and were plunged into darkness.
The narrow hallways of black marble were completely disorienting but guards at every corner made clear the direction to continue walking. Once in the room that actually housed Lenin’s body it was a quick walk around his open casket and then back up the stairs into the blinding daylight. No cameras allowed. No loitering. No exceptions.
Honestly, it was a rather uneventful event and I wasn’t terribly impressed. Behind the Mausoleum were tombstones for other high profile Russian figures, including Stalin whose busted tombstone was simply one in a line of many (which he surely would have hated).
I had envisioned the interior of St Basil’s to be as grand, sweeping and airy as its exterior, but in fact it’s the opposite.
The Cathedral is actually made up of nine separate churches (more like small chapels in my opinion) that segment the interior. As a result, there isn’t a grand hall or central gathering place but rather a twisted maze of hallways, alters and staircases.
While it was interesting and the old wall reliefs were beautifully intricate, there wasn’t the overwhelming opulence that I had expected.
We went back in the evening to see everything lit up.
I think in hindsight that Red Square, Lenin and St. Basil’s were so built up in my head that I was somewhat disappointed by their actual grandeur (or lack thereof). Still, I felt elated to be standing in the area that has become the Icon of Russia.
Photo courtesy of Conor O’Brien
