Incredible Moscow - Another World

I would be lying if I said that Moscow is the destination I've dreamed of for too long, out of all the places I've been to so far. And that's because, since childhood, I dreamed of reaching Petra, in the footsteps of the Nabataean civilization.

And after I came back from Jordan, my dreams are heading toward Borobudur Temple. But with all that, I could say that Moscow was the tourist destination that impressed me in a special way, from everything I've seen so far.

I arrived in Moscow on a rainy summer afternoon, with temperatures well below average, somewhere between 14-16 degrees Celsius, in mid-July, but that didn't stop me from working up the courage to explore one of the largest and most mysterious cities of the world.

To visit Moscow in a few days is impossible, and although I have seen a lot of things that are more impressive, I can say that I have not seen Moscow properly, this huge city, which houses 20 million inhabitants, is controversial, full of history, where most of the streets bear the names of cosmonauts and the churches with onion bulb-shaped Spiers remind of the old Russia as Ivan Bibilin imagined it on paper for the eyes of the viewer.

First, on the way to the hotel, I went on a tour of the city by coach, stopping for a few minutes in front of the Lomonosov State University, the largest university in Russia and which, I thought, looked a bit like the House of the Free Press, obviously, on a different scale.

Besides, in Moscow everything is grandiose, everything is on a different scale, so it's not surprising to see streets with 18 lanes, 9 lanes in one direction, or to see only blocks of flats, not houses.

But perhaps the most famous jewel of this incredible Moscow is the Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed, a wonder of Russian architecture, which, according to a subjective opinion, is only surpassed by the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg.

The cathedral was erected in the place called "Sparrow Hill", in Red Square in 1554, as a sign of gratitude for the victory of the Russians against the Tatars of the Kazan Khanate. At first, the church was built of wood, white in color, and without the specific onion-shaped domes, which were added later, also during the time of Ivan the Terrible.

Tall, colorful, with nine turrets in the shape of onion bulbs, time envelops it in a legend. It is said that after the construction of the church (originally having 8 towers), the tsar ordered that the craftsmen be blinded so as not to build a replica of it. The ninth tower, built later, is dedicated to St. Vasile Blajinul, to whom the tsar had great piety and whose tomb is in the church. Today, services are held in all nine altars of the church.

But from here we head towards the entrance to the Kremlin, crossing the Red Square, or better said, Красная площадь, Krasnaia ploșcead, in translation "Beautiful Square", as explained by our local guide, Alexander. The Red Square is not as big as it seems in the photos on the Internet, it's probably an optical illusion, personally, I expected it to be larger, and more open. It is certain that it is almost always full of tourists.

And if you are ever in Russia, in a church icon shop, and you notice someone buying an icon of the Mother of God from Kazan, you must know that a wedding will take place, because this icon is the most precious gift of weddings offered especially to brides. In honor of this icon, many churches were built and one of them is

Kazanskaya Cathedral - Our Lady of Brides. Built by Pojarski, a particularly faithful prince, initially of wood, then, in 1638, of brick, the church was demolished during Stalin's time. It is said that he later intended to erect another building in its place, but this was not possible because every time bizarre things happened.

Thus, until 1990, in place of the cathedral, there were two buildings without doors and windows, just to cover the empty space left by the demolition of the church on the edge of Red Square. After the fall of communism, the church was rebuilt according to the plans of the last architect who renovated it before the demolition. Inside it is one of the three copies of the miracle-working icon, the original being lost.

And here, on the sidelines, I turned my attention, along with most tourists, to a superb carpet of flowers in front of the GUM store (Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin), the largest department store in Moscow, today a modern mall that hosts the most famous brands in the world. The building dates from 1893 and illustrates a successful combination between Russian medieval architecture and the style of the 19th century rendered by the steel and glass roof.

And we are slowly approaching the entrance to the Kremlin, but I prefer to dedicate a separate review to the Kremlin, - I hope, as soon as possible - and this, because this citadel of the old city deserves special attention. Until then, we can visit other touristic sights of the city, and not on foot, but on a trip by metro.

By the way, it's hard to believe, but in Moscow, anyone can manage to get to different points of the city very easily, with a tourist map and the subway. And a trip by metro in Moscow is more pleasant than one with a luxury car, because, in addition to the fact that the metro in Moscow runs at a great depth, the architectural variation of the stations makes them unique in the world.

But the great architectural treasures of Moscow can still be found on the surface, and Moscow, like all of Russia, a land blessed by God, never ceases to bring praise to the Creator by worshiping him over the centuries with the most beautiful creations shaped by human hands.

The uniqueness of the churches, the grandeur, and the wealth, simply leave you speechless. Towers in various colors, having different meanings, symmetrical or asymmetrical (that only symmetry is the enemy of beauty), do not let you pass without immortalizing the human genius for eternity.

But another brand of Moscow and all of Russia, the Balsoi Theatre, deserves all the praise; initially, it was built in 1776, but it was destroyed after a second fire, which is why it was built in its current form after 1853. Left derelict after the collapse of the Bolshevik empire, in 2005 renovation works were started on it, being open to the public in 2011.

Far from exhausting the sights of a city that does not live on tourism, let me recommend the best area for shopping, especially souvenirs: Arbat Street, always lively, where you can easily find something for everyone's taste.