Our Kremlin tour starts with what has now become the obligatory rain showers which mercifully clear back to just heavy cloud cover. Kremlin in Russian means fortress and there are many Kremlins all over Russia in any significant city. Of course this one is the granddaddy of them all and the forbidding walls enclose 800 years of collective history. We see the old palace that is now Putin’s workplace and could almost cross the road to touch it but for the nasty looking armed guard who I am sure has orders of shoot to kill!
I always imagined that the big red brick walls enclosed the political heart of Russia forgetting that for centuries that political heart was the Tsars and they created a beautiful royal wonderland of palaces and churches, many of the latter with exquisite interiors. Sadly most of the churches including St Basil’s Cathedral are no longer functioning places of worship. In the Soviet era especially under Stalin all religion was banned by the state and the churches were closed. The more significant ones were kept as “museums” such as they are today. Many didn’t fare so well and were razed to the ground, most notably the already mentioned Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which was bulldozed and the site became for a while, the world’s largest swimming pool.
As the afternoon progresses the clouds begin to peel back and yes it is blue skies and sunshine just as we are about to complete the tour in the armoury museum. A quick whizz through to see the famous Faberge eggs and the dazzling crown jewels and I am off and running! An orgy of photography follows.
When I am finally back at Red square the clouds are still at bay and despite the impending dinner reservation at the 23rd ranked restaurant in the world, White Rabbit, our decadent tasting menu must wait as I take the only decent outdoor photos of the trip so far. Happy days!
