The Kremlin and Downtown Moscow

Friday, May 19, 2017

After our late night, getting up this morning was not an easy thing, but we were breakfasted and on board the bus for a rush hour ride to the Kremlin.  Once there and through the security check, we joined the throngs entering through the Trinity Gate.  Dating from the 12^th century and now the seat of the national government, the Kremlin (fortress) was the original settlement in Moscow.  

The Kremlin was the home of the Tsars until the 18^th century, when Peter the Great, who loved the sea, moved the capital to St. Petersburg.  When Finland seceded from the Russian territories in 1918, St. Petersburg was deemed to be too close to the border and the capital was moved back to Moscow. Until the time of Khrushchev, government officials lived and worked within the Kremlin walls; he gave Politburo members apartments in the city and now only the president has a residence among the offices, churches, gardens, and monuments in the Kremlin.  President Putin chooses not to live there, however, and commutes via helicopter from his home in the suburbs. 

Among the monuments are over 800 canons seized from Napoleon in the War of 1812, the world’s largest bell (200 tons, with an 11-ton fragment displayed alongside it), and one of the world’s largest canons – the Tsar’s Bell and Tsar’s Canon respectively.  

Nearby is the Cathedral Square, ringed with churches that are now museums, except for important Holy Days, when services are held.  The Assumption Church is the largest, and the site of the coronations of Russia’s Tsars and Empresses.  We also visited the Archangel Michael Cathedral, where most of the royals were buried, until the time of Peter the Great. The Cathedral Square sits in the shadow of the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, which for many years was – by mandate – the tallest structure in Moscow.

The tulips are in full and glorious bloom in the lovely gardens of the Kremlin and we reveled in their profusion, especially as it has seemed that spring has arrived with the flip of a switch on this trip.  Muscovites were out in the parks and gardens, enjoying this lovely warm day and the growth that’s bursting forth everywhere.  In the Kremlin gardens, we found a mature oak tree that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin planted as a sapling upon his return to earth after the world’s first manned space flight.

As we left the Kremlin, we took off to spend the afternoon on our own.  We snacked and rested for a while in the Alexander Gardens, and enjoyed watching children play on the paths that weave through the tulip beds.  Then, we were off, roughly following a walking tour in one of our guide books.  We walked by the stately building holding the Bolshoi Theater,  the State Security Agency (better known by its former designation, the KGB) and along pedestrian shopping streets.  We have been particularly struck by the profusion of high-end stores, cars, hotels, and restaurants in the city.  Catering to the oligarchs and wealthy foreigners is obviously a going concern. 

Ultimately, we returned one more time to Red Square before walking along the Kremlin Wall on the river side of the fortress before meeting our bus for the rush hour drive back to the port.

Given the difficulties we've had finding enough bandwidth to upload our posts daily, we're happy that some of you have stayed with us.  This is our last post, and will be uploaded from home.  Thanks for traveling with this herky-jerky narrative, and we'll see you next time!

Sergiev Posad

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Today, we opted for a trip into the countryside beyond the Moscow suburbs to visit Russia’s spiritual home, the monastery of Sergie Posad.  Founded in the 14^th century by St. Sergei, a monk who became Russia’s patron saint, the active monastery has been a pilgrimage site for the nation since shortly after Sergei’s death.  Tsars and other members of Russian royalty walked to the monastery from Moscow (It took our bus an hour and a half to make the trip!), spending nights on the road in a series of specially-constructed palaces along the way!  

In addition to living a life of humility and service, Sergei was credited with miraculous cures and support crucial to the military success of a local prince in battle against the Tatars.  At one point, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and promised that the monastery would never be destroyed, despite the fact that monastery compounds regularly served as fortresses during times of conflict.  During one siege, when there was no water available within the walls, a spring miraculously sprung up.  In the more recent Soviet times, when many churches and religious institutions were demolished, St. Sergei was closed, but not destroyed.  

One of the draws for modern pilgrims who visit the monastery is the saving water that still flows there; they come to wash their faces and hands with it, drink it, and take it away in plastic bottles and jugs.  

Perhaps the most important spot in the compound is the tomb of St. Sergei, whose uncorrupted body was exhumed years after his death.  The tomb is now encased in silver in a corner of the Trinity Cathedral, the oldest stone church in the Moscow region.  The frescoed interior is the work of medieval Russia’s greatest artist, Andrei Rublyov and his students, and is the site of continuous memorial services, with pilgrims lining up to light candles, kiss the tomb, pray and chant.  

We also visited the large interior space of a church that had originally served as a refectory.  While there, we learned quite a bit about some of the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, thanks to Olga, our local guide.  She drew our attention to the elaborately carved gold-leafed wood frames of the iconostasis and, as she discussed the traditional placement of icons in five rows, she said that the names of orthodox churches are not written on the structures.  Instead, they are depicted in the icon placed on the bottom row, second to the right of the central door of the iconostasis. In pointing out the carved choir screens in front of the iconostasis, Olga reminded us that all music in orthodox services is a cappella, as the belief is that the human voice is God's most perfect instrument.  Olga also explained the meaning of the lowest crosspiece on orthodox crosses and crucifixes; it is a reference to the two thieves crucified on either side of Christ.  A slanted crosspiece indicates that one thief wound up in heaven, the other in hell; if the crosspiece is horizontal, it’s meant to bring to mind the choices the living still have to make.

Despite the many tour groups and individual pilgrims visiting the monastery, the compound is a serene and beautiful place, especially on this gloriously sunny and warm day.  The grass is green and the well-tended flower beds in bloom.  The monastery buildings, whether stark white or ornately decorated in a variety of styles, somehow form a harmonious whole.  Occasional small plots hold the graves of monks (and one Tsar, Boris Godunov), and we passed by a small gathering led in prayer by a monk at the flower-bedecked grave of a greatly revered and recently deceased monk.  Throughout the day, some of the 300 monks and 800 seminarians and religious students walked among tourists.  

Of course, at this site of traditional religious importance, contemporary pilgrims were there, too, easily identifiable as they frequently stopped to bow, make the Sign of the Cross, touch their heads to the walls, light candles, and kiss icons.  Olga brought home to us the significance of the monastery and St. Sergei when she told us that, two years ago, during the commemorations of Sergei’s 700^th birthday, tour guides were requested not to bring groups to Sergeiv Prosad for a period of two months; the town could not even accommodate the expected crowds of religious visitors.

We had lunch in a refectory that is part of the monastery’s hospitality facilities, then had free time to wander on our own and find more vantage points from which to enjoy (and photograph, of course!) the stunning monastery complex.  Given the white walls, green-roofed towers, colorfully decorated exteriors, golden domes, star-studded blue domes, soaring bell tower, flowers and well-kept walkways, finding pleasing views was not a problem!

We headed back to Moscow, arriving back at the ship during the late afternoon for a little R and R before dinner and departing for a late-night visit to the center city.

Moscow by night was lovely on this cool evening.  Red Square, with the domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, the towers of the Kremlin, and the long façade of the GUM department store was like a postcard, as were the views of the city and bridges from water level as we cruised on a boat tour along the canal and river.  We also returned to Sparrow Hill to take in the panorama of the city from above.  This time, the tourists on the wide expanse of the overlook were joined by parked motorcycles and their riders playing music, drinking, and partying.

It was about 1:00 am by the time we returned to the ship; Moscow has traffic jams even in the wee hours!