Moscow River Trip

Radisson Slavyanskaya Hotel and Business Centre, Moscow

Located adjacent to the Europe Plaza, the Radisson Slavyanskaya Hotel and Business Centre, Moscow features 427 plush, comfortable rooms with thoughtful amenities, including Free high-speed, wireless Internet access. Guests enjoy delicious international dining options, an on-site fitness centre and flexible meeting facilities, spanning more than 4,400 square feet.

"Kievskiy Vokzal" (Kievskiy Rail Station)

Very pretty by itself, Kievskiy Vokzal was reconstructed a couple of years ago. A starting point for most Moscow river boat trips, it's got great exterior

and "Evropeiskiy" shopping mall right next to it. River cruise or no river cruise, but you should really spend there some time. No better place for Moscow shopping!

"Frunzenskaya naberezhnaya" ("Frunzenskaya Quay")

Joint Staff headquarters. They used to call you "potential adversary".

Continuing with Moscow river boat trips. Not much to say about "Frunzenskaya Quay" except it's a home to several Soviet-style buildings, the biggest one being the Joint Staff. Boy it's huge! In addition, there're several "swimming restaurants" that'll serve you a great meal!

The Kremlin

The Kremlin is the historical, spiritual and political heart of Moscow and the city's most famous landmark and tourist attraction. It's an intriguing ensemble of buildings with an architectural variety that reveals a long and fascinating history. The Kremlin is home to Russia's political power, seat of the ancient Russian Orthodox Church and the historical heart of the country. Here we can virtually explore the intriguing home of Soviet power, the majestic residence of the Russian Tsars, and the world of all those nail-bitingly tense Cold

War thrillers and block-buster spy films!

Legend has it that while hunting in the forest a group of boyars (Russian nobles) saw an enormous two-headed bird swoop down on a boar, carry it away and deposit it on the top of the hill that was to become the Kremlin. That night the boyars dreamt of a city of tents, spires and golden domes and resolved the next morning to build a settlement on the hill.

History sees it a little differently and attributes the founding of the Kremlin to Prince Yury Dolgoruky, who built the first wooden fort on the hill in 1147 AD, although historians believe that the site may have been inhabited as long ago as 500 BC. The word "kremlin" means simply "fortification" or "citadel" in Russian, and is thought to derive from either the Ancient Greek words kremn or kremnos, meaning a steep hill above a ravine, or the

Slavonic term kremnik, meaning thick coniferous forest, that being the likely material from which the original fort was constructed.

As the fortress was enlarged and developed, the city of Moscow rapidly sprung up around it. During the 14th century, when Moscow became the center of a Grand Principality, the fortress was for the first time perceived as a separate citadel and a principle part of the city and in

1331 was given the title "Kremlin”. Kremlin became the heart of

Moscow City. All major streets meet here, other streets run in concentric circles around the Kremlin. It is the navel of this large city.

The 15th century saw the unification of the Russian feudal principalities under the authority of the Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow and to celebrate he ordered the reconstruction of the Kremlin on a grand scale. Architects, builders and craftsmen were drafted in from Pskov, Novgorod and Vladimir and the Italian architects Alberti Fioravante,

Marco Bono and Pietro Antonio Solari began work on the Kremlin's ramparts and cathedrals. The new Cathedral of the Assumption was the first to be reconstructed, followed by the Cathedral of the Annunciation and the Church of the Deposition of the

Robe in the 1480s and finally the Cathedral of the Archangel in the early 16th century.

The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, built between 1505 and 1508, completed the Cathedral Square ensemble and new Kremlin walls and towers were constructed simultaneously from

1485 onwards. Successive rulers left their mark on the Kremlin and its architectural ensemble grew more and more varied throughout the centuries. The 15th century saw the addition of the Faceted Palace, the oldest secular building in the Kremlin complex. The

16th century ruler Ivan the Terrible further embellished the Kremlin's cathedrals and ramparts and constructed the enormous Tsar Canon and the Old English Embassy, for the purpose of accommodating English merchants and facilitating duty-free trade. At the start of the 17th century Mikhail Romanov assumed power and rebuilt and restored much of the fortress, adding the Terem Palace and the Patriarch's Palace and in 1655 Tsar Alexei's reign saw the casting of the impressive Tsar Bell.

Although Peter the Great preferred St. Petersburg as his capital, he commissioned the construction of the Kremlin Arsenal in the 1730s for the storage of weapons and military equipment. Catherine the Great added the Senate building later that century and in the

1840s Nicholas I commissioned the Russo-Byzantine-style Armory and the Great Kremlin

Palace. With the Bolshevik storming of the Kremlin during the 1917 Revolution the fortress was closed to the public for the next 50 years and the only architectural additions made by the Soviet regime were the 1934 Presidium and the modernistic State Kremlin Palace (previously the Palace of Congresses) in 1961.

Today approximately two-thirds of the Kremlin is off-limits to visitors, including the

Arsenal, the Presidium, the Terem, Faceted and Great Kremlin Palaces and most of the buildings in the northern half of the fortress. All of that territory is occupied by various President’s offices, his residence and the Kremlin Guards. Tourists do, however, have access to all the cathedrals, the unmissable and priceless collections of the Armory, the Patriarch's Palace and the State Kremlin Palace, which hosts regular concerts and gala performances.

Saint Basil's Cathedral

Saint Basil's Cathedral is the most recognizable symbol of Russia. Its colorful onion domes are instantly recognizable around the world as emblems of Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church. The church is actually the Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God, known as "Theotokos" or "Bogoroditsa" in the Orthodox Church. But most know it as Saint Basil's Cathedral, named after the man who roamed the streets of Moscow trying to win converts during the reign of Ivan the Terrible (Tzar Ivan IV or Ivan Grozny). In spite of the brutal Russian winters and unforgiving summers, he many times conducted his crusade naked.

It’s the domes that make this, and other Russian Orthodox architecture unique.

Saint Basil's has a total of ten towers sporting domes. The largest is at the center of the cathedral known as the Church of the Feast of the Pokhrov. There are four more, each topping a church located on an cardinal point, north, south, east, and west. Then an additional four at the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest points. Each of these eight churches represent an important historical event in Russian history. Then there is one that does not stand on a rose point. It was built in 1555 and is located over the grave of Saint Basil. It became part of the Cathedral in 1588. The cathedral may have been designed by Russian architects Posnik and Barma. But the early records are confusing, and they may be a single person.

There is also a legend that the cathedral was designed by an Italian architect who was blinded so he could never create a more beautiful building. The root of this legend may lie in the fact that between 1475 and 1510 Italian architects were employed to restore the

Kremlin and two of its churches. In some ways, it is amazing that the cathedral has survived as long as it has. Two of the world's most ruthless leaders -- Napoleon and Stalin - - tried to destroy it. Napoleon tried to burn it down with little success. Stalin wanted to have it razed so his military parades would have more room. Another Moscow legend has it that the demolition was stopped by an architect who threatened to slit his own throat on the cathedral steps in protest.

The Central House of Artists

The Ministerial council of the USSR agreed in September 1956 to construct two buildings for display of art. One would be for overflow from the Tretyakov Gallery and the other would be an exhibition building for the Union of artists of the USSR. Ultimately the decision was made to combine the two projects into one building. The project was announced and design plans were confirmed in March 1964, but the ground did not break until 1965 and the Central House for Artists did not open until November 1979.

The Central House of Artists is a unique complex in which over 300 exhibitions are held annually, as well as concerts by Russian and foreign performers, international festivals and special film screenings.

This 1960s era box-shaped building is home to the Central House of Artists and a branch of the Tretyakov Gallery. The entrance facing the Garden Ring leads to three floors of exhibit halls where members of the artists' union and others display their works. The exhibitions change frequently, and many works are for sale. In addition to the galleries, the entrance fee allows access to shops selling souvenirs, books and artist supplies, as well as a simple buffet on the street level. On the side of the building away from the riverfront is the entrance to the New Tretyakov Gallery that is devoted to Russian art produced after the 1917 Revolution.

"Gorkiy park" ("Park Kultury")

The place was full with all kinds of rides. Now many of them are removed.

Recently, I've revisited Gorky Park in Moscow. Many things changed since the last time I've been there, so I think its well worth to publish an update.

In case you are not familiar - this is not that Russian band that used to play in the US during Perestroika times. By the way, their soloist, Alexander Marshall, is still quite popular in Russia these days.

Gorky Park is basically a Moscow Disneyland, a place that was created by the authorities to provide recreation for the masses, and it has been doing it pretty well. Perestroika and the fall of communism have hit the park pretty hard, but recently it's been recovering and each year people like it more and more.

This place is really Russian "Disneyland". Don't be surprised when you see a space shuttle - it's called "Buran", and was the first of a kind in Russia.

Unfortunately, it was also the last one. When Perestroika began, the Soviet space program was severely cut, and "Buran" returned to hangar to be utilized later.

Russian space shuttle.

Peter the Great Monument

He is great for sure!

Many say it destroys the looks of the city. Well, it's really big for sure! Stunning when you see it for the first time. Can't say I'm a big fan of it, but then again - I ain't a fan of

Peter the Great, either, but that's a long story. In short - definitely take a couple of pictures!

The Peter the Great Statue in Moscow was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab

Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which was started by Peter I of Russia. It is the eighth tallest statue in the world. The designer Zurab Tsereteli is known as a friend and favorite of Moscow's former Mayor, Yury Luzhkov, and the artist has received many municipal art commissions in recent years, such as the Cathedral of Christ the

Savior, the Manage Square ensemble and the War Memorial Complex on Poklonnaya Gora.

The 98-meter-high monument to Peter the Great designed by Zurab Tsereteli was erected at the confluence of the Moskva River and the Obvodnoy Channel in 1997.

In November 2008, it was voted the tenth ugliest building in the world by Virtual

Tourist. In 2010, it was included in a list of the world's ugliest statues by Foreign Policy magazine.

Lonely Planet commented: "Questions of taste aside, Muscovites were skeptical about the whole idea: why pay tribute to Peter the Great, who loathed Moscow and moved the capital to St Petersburg?"

In October 2010, Moscow authorities offered to relocate the statue to Saint Petersburg, but this offer was refused. Authorities in Arkhangelsk and Petrozavodsk have offered to accept the monument.

"Red October" chocolate factory

Red October chocolate factory.

Sounds soooo communist, right? Don't mind the name - these guys make the tastiest Russian chocolate I've ever eaten! Nothing compares to "Alenka" chocolate bar - it's that little girl in a headscarf on the banner. Tell me about addiction!

On the hunt for Red October? Then get your taste buds to Moscow and the iconic red brick

Red October Chocolate Factory, where top quality confectionery packaged in jewel-like wrappers have been giving Russianssugar rushes for nearly 150 years.

The East Is… Brown?

Russia’s iconic Red October chocolate factory has been a fixture of downtown Moscow for generations. Surviving – even thriving – through war, revolution and heavy-handed Soviet city planning, the factory’s red brick walls and steaming chimneys span the century between old Czarist Russia and the new, post-communist Russian Federation.

As mighty oaks grow from tiny acorns, today’s Red October (in Russian, “Krasny Oktyabr”) chocolate factory started small. It all began back in 1851 when German immigrant Teodore Ferdinandvon Einem (above, lower right) arrived in Moscow. After opening a small confectionery shop in Moscow’s Teatralnaya Square and noting his products met with Muscovites’ approval, von Einem partnered with fellow German Julius Heuss who suggested a production facility on the Sofiyskaya Embankment of the Moscow River.