As she promised the street had several good choices. Most of the restaurants had menus posted outside so we could see if the had an English version. We choose a Japanese restaurant, I know how original! Unfortunately, we did not see any restaurants that served authentic Russian food. The food was amazing!! Great sushi and soup! Although, it is weird not having ice with your drink...you just get the bottle and a glass. Regardless our stomachs were very happy!
We had about 5 hours left before we had to catch the train. Plenty of time to check out some most sees in Moscow!
We checked out St. Basil Cathedral. Which is truly beautiful and unique. The Czar Ivan the Terrible had it built in 1552 to mark the capture of Kazan from mongol forces. It was finished in 1560.
St. Basil is located in Red Square.
Red Square has had an assorted history. It started out as a shanty town beneath the Kremlin walls. It housed peddlers, criminals, and drunks. At the end of the 1400s it was cleared and used mostly for public executions. The squares name actually has nothing to do with communism. The word derives 'krasnyi' which at one time meant beautiful. In contemporary Russia it means red. The name became official in the 17 th century where it was also known as 'fire square' which reflected the number of times medieval Moscow burned. Until the end of the 17th century there were many battles.During the 20th century it was used for military parades and demonstrations. Today it is used for rock concerts,fashion shows, and parades. A parade took place the day before we arrived.
You can get a feel for red square in this picture. It is very large, hard to capture in a picture!
The Kremlin became the seat of Russian government after the 1917 Revolution. There is evidence of human habitation dating back to 500BC at the Kremlin. Different rulers throughout time have added to it as time passed and now it is quite large. We did not go inside but walked around the outside.
The state historical museum.
And of course we had to visit GUM(acryomn for state universal store).Pronounced "goom" Russia's most famous shopping mall! Now it has boutiques and small restaurants and cafes. Prior to the 1920s it was called the upper trading rows and there were 1,200 shops! An area for trade and a place to buy your goods. In 1928 Stalin closed the area and used it as headquarters for officials working on the first Five Year Plan. It was reopened in 1953 and was the site for the famous Soviet queues. (first come first serve for goods) The lines could extend throughout Red Square. Many goods were hard to get during Soviet times and long lines formed. In the 1990s it became privatized and now has many top-end retailers.
After a full day of walking around we headed back to the hotel to wait for our driver. He took us to the train station and helped us board the train. We settled into our sleeper compartment, which consisted of two small beds against the wall and a tiny table. It was not a bad arrangement and so much better than a plane! You could stretch out and relax! We settled in for our fourteen hour ride!!!! Thankfully, most of it was overnight!
