Moscow Things to Do Tips by dlandt

This is one of the churches in the Kremlin, and the only one that I found to be different from the others. What you find in here are brass sarcophagi containing the earthly remains of political and religious figures of old. Shorn of the crowds, this would be a very spritual place, perfect for reflection. With the crowds it remains interesting, but loses its sprituality even when the monks come to chant.

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Address: 5
Directions: Building 5

The Orthodox decorate their churches even more than Catholics. The idea behind this is that they are creating heaven on earth. So, they try to make it look like heaven. They alter the light, they draw pictures of the angels and saints (Archangel Michael here) and use lots of shiny metal, lots of holy sounding acoustics, things like that. They pack the church from head to toe in all their valuables and art. The results can be, as you see here, somewhat spectacular, with almost every square inch and obscure corner painted or decorated. I do have to say, that once you've seen one or two of these, they tend to all look alike.

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Address: Any church
Directions: Any church

Directly across the street from Gorkiy Park and on the far side of Krymskiy Bridge is Park Statue. Difficult to find because its not wel known, this is one of the hidden gems 0f Moscow, a real must see. Park Statue is where they dragged all the communist era monuments and statues that they no longer had a need for after the collapse of the USSR. They were too valuable to throw away, and not vluable enough to keep on display. This park was one of the best things I ran across in Moscow and its only $1.50 or so. The place today is half park and half art museum (Art Museo), with presentations on how statues are created as well as non-communist era art that is also interesting to see. There is also a nice beer garden that also serves super looking crepes. This is off the beaten path. Even the Muscovites don't go there often. They're missing out, don't you. See my travelogue for more pictures.

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Address: Over the Krymskiya Bridge
Directions: Across from Gorkiy Park

A River Cruise is an easy and leisurely way to see a whole slice of Moscow while sipping on a beer. For about $3 you can take this hour and a half trip up the river and also come back for the same fare. They don't really have round trip tickets. They are covered so there is little to fear from the weather.
When your feet are tired, think RIVERBOAT!

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Address: Any quaywall on the river
Directions: Along the river, there are multiple stops, and multiple companies to pick from.

This is probably the most famous building in Moscow. Its as impressive inside as it is out. The story goes that Ivan the Terrible had the men who designed it blinded so they couldn't build anything so beautiful ever again.

You can enter the basilica, after, of course, a long wait and a hefty fee. Once inside, don't fret, all roads lead to the gift shop as well. This may be to be expected as this is one of the few really really touristy places in Moscow, but I foudn it kind of ruined the experience. Honestly, the basilica is the most beautiful on the outside. To me, the inside differed very little from any other church in Moscow.

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Address: Red Square
Directions: Red Square

This is also in the Kremlin's public area. This is a four room exhibit of medieval heraldry. This one was from a secular order, which you can see by the fact that the cross isn't as prevalent. The crusading orders let the cross dominate their uniforms, so that it would be the last thing a Muslim would see before he died. I think the hope was that they give someone one last, dying chance to repent before they killed them.

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Address: 7
Directions: Kremlin, Building 7
Website: http://www.kreml.ru/

This obelisk is dedicated to the men who defeated the Germans during WWII. Its a popular place for picnics with kiosks and the like. There are also a few sculptures and a museum.

For some reason or other, when I looked at the dedications here, I remembered the story of the standards. When Napoleon invaded Russia, and eventually went down to defeat, the commanders of the Russian army took the flags and standards of the French army and paraded past the Czar, throwing them at his feet. After WWII, the Red Army did the same thing, only they threw the flags at the feet of Josef Stalin.

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Directions: Park Pobedii

This is part of a larger work (So large, in fact, that I couldn't photograph the whole thing without losign the detail) dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. Seen are sculpted people on their way to the gas chambers with all their possessions (toys etc.) strewn behind them. See my travelogues for more pictures. There is nothing here that specifically says "Jews", no stars of David or things like that. so I think it takes into account the whole breadth of those who went into the concentration camps, gypsies, Germans, homosexuals and others. Having been bombarded with holocaust memorials for most of my life, I found this one to be a lot better and more thought-provoking than most.

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Address: Park Pobedii
Directions: Park Pobedii

When my friend showed his bride, this was the last place we went. Well cared for and charming, this seemed to be a popular place to see and be seen. Chess games, photograph sessions, and just casual socializing seemed to be the norm.

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Directions: Park Pobedii