The essence of Moscow-The Red Square.
History has it that,The Red Square was an area meant to serve as a trade hub of Moscow which was actually set up by burning down several buildings around this site.Now it is the tourist hub in Moscow.As I entered the square through the Nikolskaya Tower,I couldn’t help but gape at the vastness of the square.Apparently,a East German lad flew a plane from East Germany and managed to land it in Red Square only to impress his Russian girlfriend.One can pretty much cover the entire area of Red Square and its vicinity on foot.We visited Moscow in October 2015 and a temperature of around 10 degree along with crisp clean air,made our day at Red Square a soothing one full of historical encounters and anecdotes.
The Major Sites
As one enters the Red Square through the gates besides the National Museum,the first predominant structure would be the Kazan Cathedral.The bell chimes from the cathedral adds to the atmospheric feel of the place and yet has a calming effect.Straight ahead from here is the St Basils Cathedral which stands out in the entire square with it onion domes.Entry to this cathedral is ticketed and we had to buy the tickets from vending machines outside the entry gates.We had a tough time doing so because the instructions and keys on the ticket machines were all in Russian only.Nevertheless with a bit of help from some locals,we entered the cathedral.Having been built in the 18th Century,its quite an old structure but definitely very well maintained.
The Spaskaya Tower next to St Basils Cathedral demarcates the Red Square from the Kremlin.Yes the Kremlin is just besides the Red Square but its practically impossible for anyone to cover both the Rede Square and the Kremlin in a single day,unless one would prefer through just walk through both without a relaxing minute or sight.I wouldnt recommend anyone to do both in a day.I shall cover the Kremlin in a separate write up.
Once we were done with the St Basils Cathedral ,we made our way to Lenins Mausoluem.This is a small building which houses the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin,the esteemed leader of the revolution.The body is preserved ,embalmed and visitors are allowed to see the same only on selected days.It seems the operating days and timings keep changing so its adviseable to look up the internet just a few days before the visit, for a confirmation of the same.Its a free attraction, but ,with the limited opening hours ,one has to queue to enter.The queues offcourse,are fast moving.We had arrived just in time on a tuesday afternoon at 12.30 hours and were able to enter before it closed down at 13.00 hours.
Where to shop
The GUM is a large shopping mall in the Red Square which was original a trading passage and now a state departmental store,houses more than 200 premium brands from over the world.It is a shoppers delight for those oh-so-savvy travellers looking for upmarket brands.Neither I had the fantasy for those ,
nor the money.So for me,it acted as another tourist attraction what with iits majestic exteriors and plush interiors.A walk through the beautifully maintained mall was a pleasing experience and we picked up a few Russian dolls from one of the souvenir shops inside the mall.
A close next to GUM,and a more reasonable shopping destination near the Red Square is the Okhotny Ryad which is an underground shopping mall just outside the entry gates to the Red Square.Besides,one can also pick up lots of cheap souviniers,Russian dolls,fridge magnets etc from the streetside shops near the gates and right besides the National Musuem,outside Red Square,Moscow.
What to eat
There are several upmarket restaurents inside the GUM.We had nice coffee in one of the posh coffeee shops.The Okhotny Ryad also has a large food court with variety of steaks and Russian food besides brands like KFC and Pizza Hut.
There are a host of cafes,restaurents and pizzerias in Manege Square just across the Red Square.Our lunch was at a cozy restaurent named Barbeque Cafe where we had a lovely Fish Steak along with some pasta.
Before we retired to our plush hotel room at nearby Hotel Metropole,we ended the day at Red Square,with freshly smoked chicken and pork and some hazelnuts for my kid which he savoured.Dont forget to savour “Bliny”,a a Russian pancake with filling to choose from a wide variety of options.These are made freshly and served hot at small eateries just outside the gates of Red Square.These eateries come alive specially during the evenings and also have common public seating arrangements.
We also saw some nice art installation near the National Museum which were done with fruits and flowers.From afar they looked like beautiful paintings.Many of Moscows best hotels are located near and around the Red Square and I would definitely recommend staying in one of those if possible.This way one can take walks late at night and early in the mornings to get a different feel of the place.
With such lovely memories of the Red Square and Moscow,I definitely intend to plan a trip around the 2018 FIFA
World Cup.Will you do the same?
Highways,Horizons and Me 