Mind your step

 

April 2013

A corner of the restaurant, 2013

After dinner at a luxury hotel in Moscow, a member of my group was unlucky and had an accident.  I heard about this the next day.

 

Just outside the restaurant, there were three steps covered with a creamy carpet.  A bit further on, there were another three marble steps.  Perhaps she did not see them, or perhaps, she was talking to her friends and not looking where she was going, or perhaps, she tripped and fell down these steps.

 

She was in pain and could not sleep at night, so the guide took her to hospital while we were sightseeing at Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square.  When we finished the sightseeing and waiting for our guide, they appeared and we found out what had happened to her. 

 

A model of Moscow, 2013

She had cracked a bone in her arm, near the elbow.  Her arm was in plaster, and she had a medical report for her insurance claim.  She also needed an x-ray, but she could not wait any longer, so she had to go back to hospital next day. 

 

She looked as if she had lost one and a half teeth in the accident, but I did not dare to ask.  I thought she did not want anyone to see it and I had better mind my step.

While I was waiting, I went to a supermarket to bought these kind of snacks. 
They were sweet, Moscow, 2013.

 

Onion domes

April 2013

 

Before I was in Russia I imagined there were lots of big onion domes of different colours everywhere.  In fact, I saw several beautiful churches with the onion domes.  The churches I liked most were Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in Saint Petersburg.  I wanted to climb up to each of the multi-coloured domes and look at the details to see how they were built and painted. 

 

Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, 2013

The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Saint Petersburg, 2013



The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Saint Petersburg, 2013

Both of these churches are quite similar, they are red-brick building.  The latter is reddish-brown, so it is darker.  There are many ornaments, floral patterns and coloured bricks, they are finely decorated on the surface of the building.  I admired the architects who produce on such elaborate designs. 



Saint Basil's Cathedral & the Kremlin, Moscow, 2013

 



Red Square, Moscow, 2013

The most famous church with onion domes, Saint Basil's Cathedral, is bigger than the others and stands beside the Kremlin and on Red Square, so people can find it easily.  While the large open area of Red Square which gives it a relaxed atmosphere.  I very much liked the shape of the building; the towers were all of different heights.  It was superb.

 

I do not know why but when I saw this church I immediately thought of Aladdin.  I looked up expecting to see a flying carpet and hopefully find the Aladdin's lamp, which he might have left on the floor.  Actually I was stupid enough to mix up the religions; Aladdin is set in Persia (now Iran) and they believe in Islam, Russians are Orthodox Christianity.  But I stubbornly kept on looking for a flying object in the sky.  Of course, I finally found one, a plane.

The Kremlin

April 2013

 




Churches, the biggest cannon & cannon balls in the Kremlin,
2013
 

The Kremlin is the ancient sit of government in Russia and a popular tourist attraction.  Inside there are lots of historical things, such as churches, cannons and cannon balls, a broken church bell, etc.  They are remarkable, but what I remember most is the rules and regulations. 




A broken church bell, 2013




A metal inside the bell, 2013

When my group stood in front of the entrance gate, the guard sternly asked where our guide was.  Once he knew that our guide was not around, he asked the same question again and again, saying something we did not understand, and pointing to the long queue.  He held up his hand and indicated at another group to go in first.  When our guide got back, they talked together and the guard softened his tone a little.  I did not understand why he was so angry.  He just asked us to step aside and wait for our guide.  Then, we had to wait in another long queue for the security check. 

 

The next thing was you were not allowed to stand in the road that ran through the Kremlin.  A man was standing at the edge of the pavement, taking pictures.  A soldier stared at him, and got ready to whistle, if he step in the road.  As soon as he did, the soldier whistled loudly and pointed at him.  If you did not hear his whistle and get back on the pavement, he would whistled again until you did.




The road run through in the Kremlin, 2013

 

This road is lined on one side by historical buildings.  On the other side by plain blocks of old building that are not open to public.  From time to time a squad of soldiers marched and military vehicles drove passed.  Since it is part of their office, they made us play by their rules and we had to obey them.