Moscow!!!

The Moscow Metro is kind of interesting. The stations started off being hugely ornate, then went through the austere years under The Soviets. The were used as bomb shelters like everywhere, are quite deep in places (50-70 metres underground), many are beautifully ornate and reflect the theme of places above with names like revolution square, patriotic war ( WWII), Cosmo (Space), University and so on. Noisy and very busy places, with > 8 million passengers per day!

One station had many mosaics high above in the ceiling depicting moments in history. This one the return of a cosmonaut. 

The bronze statuary were often rubbed by passengers for luck as they passed by to their trains.  Looks like Lenin can still bring it judging by the shiny knee and hand grenade. ..

Entrance to the Metro.

Big moment getting into Red Square (Red by the way signifies satisfied or happy in Russian), and Ruth certainly was as she got to this place after all these years of wondering. Note the big hotel building with the the asymmetrical front facade. It seems that Stalin signed off two conflicting plans for the building and the architect responsible for the building didn't want to risk Siberia by suggesting to Stalin had to choose, so decided to incorporate both designs in the one building.  Stalin saw the joke on completion and the extended exile was avoided. .  The whole of Red Square area is huge and flanked by the monstrous wall of the Kremlin, GUM department store, St Basil's cathedral, memorials and other buildings is in aggregate rather impressive.

Hotel Asymmetrical

Entrance

O km Mark from where the distances to all other cities are measured.

Kremlin wall

Side entrance to GUM department store

Lenin and other memorials

St Basil's

I forget. ..

Outside Red Square and in behind the Kremlin are memorials to the unknown soldiers of the great patriotic war (which we call WWII), Alexander's garden, memorial to the thrashing Russkies gave Napoleon. The monument to the founding of the maritime forces is astonishing in its size.  Statuary here is huge on grand avenues with big views from all over the city.

Unknown soldier eternal flame

Great battles

Nyet Napolean!

Flowers in Alexander's garden. 

Ice cream anyone? 

Pushkin's library

Vladimir who introduced Christianity to Russia (as distinct from 'Vlad the impaler'...)

First petrol station to open in Russia - still going!

Maritime monument. 

A bit of size perspective for the Maritime monument !!! Red October chocolate factory on the far shore behind the boat.

Beautiful gardens and parks everywhere. 

One of the Olympic stadiums

Financial district from afar and up close; built once the Soviet era ended to get ready to deal with western capitalism.