Right after depositing our luggage at the hotel, we set off on a walking tour of the city. Our first stop was Red Square and the adjacent Kremlin.
r The Kremlin is actually a term for an old Russian self-contained fortress that can also be found in other Russian cities. Since 1992, the Moscow Kremlin has been the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the Kremlin is generally used as a synonym for the entire Russian leadership. Red Square is called 'Krasnaja Ploschadch' in Russian. Originally, the adjective 'krasnaja' was translated as 'beautiful'. So the current Red Square was the Beautiful Square. In the 14th century, however, the meaning of the word gradually changed from 'beautiful' to 'red', and so the Beautiful Square became the Red Square. The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed Ivan the Terrible ordered its construction, which began in 1552. The eight domes - arranged in a circle around the main chapel - are seen as a symbol of the eighth day, the day on which Jesus rose from the dead. They also symbolize the eight decisive battles that Ivan the Terrible led to conquer the city of Kazan. On the occasion of this victory, he had the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed built. According to legend, the architect was blinded after the construction so that he could not create such a beautiful building again... Shopping street and the GUM department store The GUM department store on Red Square in Moscow was surrounded by a touch of luxury even during Soviet times, much to the chagrin of communist hardliners. They wanted to tear it down. But Viktoria Brezhneva, the wife of the then Soviet Party leader, is said to have saved the legendary department store. The Bolshoi Theater with a book market ๐ The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow During Stalin's time, it was completely destroyed and then largely rebuilt true to the original from 1995 to 2000. A view from the cathedral towards the Kremlin Of course, a subway tour was also part of our program ๐ Very few people understand English, but somehow we always managed ๐ Here in a simple self-service restaurant called "Stolovaya" where you can eat well and cheaply.
