Red Square

  Moscow, Central Russia, Russian Federation
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

St. Basil's Cathedral

When the sun came up over Red Square it brought the vivid colors to life, and this place seemed almost cheerful.  That was not what I would have expected when I thought about the parades of tanks and soldiers that marched through here for decades.  If I had known that Red Square was named for its beauty, not for its red color or Communism, I wouldn't have been caught off-guard by its charm.

St. Basil's Cathedral

At the south end of the square, St. Basil's Cathedral showed off its festive colors and exuberant design.  From afar, the turrets that topped the intensely decorated towers looked like they belonged to a candy fantasyland.  When I walked into the building, I was disappointed to see the cramped spaces and primitive décor.  Of all the major monuments in Europe, St. Basil's did not provide a view from the top.  The highest level in the building, accessible to the public at least, was only a couple stories up.

GUM Department Store

To the east, the state run GUM department store flanked the square and seemed to take on a French imperial air.  On the outside the stone cladding was carved with intricate and delicate details, at the interior luxury boutiques lined up along an arcade covered by an elegant glass skylight.  All sorts of high end European clothing, jewelry and foods were found here, and as we walked through the gourmet food store we marveled over the sumptuous French, Italian, German candies and chocolates.  But when we searched for Russian-made souvenirs to bring home there were none to be found.    

Lenin's Tomb

The Kremlin wall ran along the west side of the square.  The wall served as the fortress when it was a medieval town, though it was now the most prestigious Russian burial site.  Famous Russian leaders including Stalin, Brezhnev, Chernenko, and Andropov were buried here. In front of the wall Russia's most famous leader laid under a glass case - at the center of the square a red granite structure with "LENIN" simply spelled in bold Cyrillic lettering stood.  We got in line to have our bags inspected before entering the tomb, and it turned out to be a short wait because many people in front of us carried cameras that were forbidden inside.  We walked down into the tomb in complete darkness and silence, and along the path the Russian security guards impatiently snapped their fingers to nudge onlookers forward.  When we came up to Lenin, his face glowed in a beam of yellow light.  There were rumors that his body was replaced by a wax figure and by looking up close I couldn't tell if it was true.   His bloated and rubbery face still would have been affected by the preservatives he was embalmed with since 1924.  As I studied Lenin like a pickled lab specimen, the three unruly Chinese tourists in front of me turned solemn. They formed a line squarely in front of  Lenin's body, and neatly bowed in unison.

Red Square stood at the heart of Moscow like a beacon.  When I saw it in person I finally understood how painful it felt for this beautiful place to endure through Russia's tragic history.  The Kremlin seemed to overshadow the Red Square with the ghosts of Stalin and the people he killed. Inside the Kremlin Ivan the Terrible is buried in the Russia's holiest church, Archangel Cathedral.  St. Basil's Cathedral is considered a landmark of Moscow, and as a reward to the architect Ivan the Terrible ordered him blinded so he could never design another building that could be more magnificent.  I think he succeeded not only with this architect but all the other architects in the city as well.  Outside Red Square Moscow's dull and monolithic structures stood proud and tall but none could compare with the few buildings inside.