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This is my very first trip to Moscow. Well, if you do not count the transit at the Moscow Domodedovo Airport which i have done several times on my way to Stockholm. Needless to say i was eager with anticipation and unsure what I was going to expect. I have to admit that i do not know much about the Russian history except the fascinating movies i watched about Catherine the Great and the recent rather disturbing Netflix series The Last Czar. This means I need to do quite a bit of reading up but that’s alright as i have always been interested in history. Here is my Moscow in a day. My attempt of the similar feat like my Rome in a day.
My stay at the Hotel Baltshug Kempinski
The hotel Baltshug Kempinski Moscow is a delightful hotel which is surprisingly near to the red square.
The Kremlin
This is the State Kremlin Palace where it was originally meant to be for the Communist Party Meeting but i was told that nowadays it was also used for concerts where Tina Turner, Cher and even U2 performed here before.
Next few pictures are the several churches inside the palace which I will refrain from going too in-depth so that i do not make a fool of myself due to my very limited knowledge of the Russian history.
This is the Cathedral where the coronation of Ivan the Terrible took place.
The Russians are largely orthodox Christians which is separate from the Roman Catholics and protestants. You can see many beautiful churches across Moscow with the unique Dome shaped designs. Some of the royal family were buried in the church including the House of Romanov and the Rurik Dynasty. Appears to have some similarities with the ottoman Turks architectures. Not sure if there is any influence from that period. Even the costumes and their traditional helmets has a Turkish feel to it.
The Armour Fund Museum
Next pictures were taken from the Armour fund which was original the royal armory. Now it housed some of the old treasures from the royal family. It has some of the most amazing collection of royal treasures such as the coronation throne, the crown, coronation gown and many more.
This museum has probably one of the best kept royal carriages anywhere in the world. I managed to take a picture before i stepped into this section just before the secuity stopped me.
Unbelievably they still have the gown that Catherine the great wore during her coronation in 1762. To proof that this is really the gown and my guide is not bullshitting me, i did a search on the internet for the pictures of her coronation.
And yes! It appears to be the same gown though it is a little discoloured or faded but the pattern and design is similar.
Look at the waist size! Oh my god, that cannot be real?
The next few pictures are one of the most famous Russian’s treasures, the Faberge or the easter eggs that was created by a famous jeweller for the Russian Royalties. He created as many as 67 but only 57 survived and some are in private collections but you can see a few of them here in this museum. A detailed account of the Faberge is in this link.
The Red Square
The shopping area around the Red Square is rather upmarket and can easily pass of as any of the western European cities.
Moscow at night
What do I think of Moscow?
Generally this has been a really good trip and i got more than what i had expected. Russian indeed has alot to offer to tourist but for some strange reasons it seems to be under marketed. There is not much promotion one can see from the media in Asia regarding tourism to Russian. There is so much potential that the Russian tourist authority should develop this further. Russian has so much in terms of historical monuments and artifacts from the museum.
Many of the historical artifacts are still very well preserved and kept in the museum rather than looted by the western powers like many past empires. They even have the coronation gown from Catherine the great and many other gown. How amazing is that? Surprisingly they only display a small portion of it due to the lack of space which i find rather unbelievable. They could have better develop this part and showcase this glorious period of the Russian history.
This trip is really an eye opener and very under-rated. The Russians should do more for their tourism sector. I would definitely want to go back again after I have read up more about the Russian history so that i can absorbed it all on my next trip. Hopefully next trip will not be winter time:).
