Kaitlyn's visit
April 28th - May 20th
3 weeks in Moscow... the full story
Day 1: Sunday, April 29th
First glimpse of Red Square
We took a stroll from our apartment, by Christ the Saviour Cathedral to get her first glance of Red Square, outside the Kremlin walls, St. Basil's Cathedral, the GUM (pronounced "goom"), Alexander's Garden and the Statue of Vladimir (along with Becca our neighbour).
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| Christ the Saviour Cathedral |
The Kremlin (fortress)
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| Becca (our neighbour), Kaitlyn & Kerry |
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| One of the 19 towers of the Kremlin walls |
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| A good shot of the fortress walls (Kremlin walls) |
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| The building with the flag is the Grand Kremlin Palace where Kaitlyn is scheduled on a tour. |
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| The beautiful clock tower ...one of the exits for the Kremlin |
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| The beautiful St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square |
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| Cool Uncle Craig & Kaitlyn. She really seemed to like him... I think he reminded her of Richard, her Dad |
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| Inside the GUM mall trying the Russian ice cream (that doesn't really melt). I don't think Kaitlyn is a big fan and neither am I, but ya gotta try it! |
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| Red Square preparing for the May Day (like our labour day) holiday. The seating is in the Russian colours for the Victory Day parade on May 9th |
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| The State Historical Museum |
The horses statue by the Ohotny Riad Mall
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Prince Vladimir the Great - the 56 foot tall monument to Vladimir, the 10th century ruler of Kievan Rus who adopted Orthodox Christianity for his people (in 988). The monument is a bit controversial due to its size and also the political implications (because it means Russia is claiming a figure whom both Russia and Ukraine believe to be the founder of their states). Vladimir is believed to have had several wives and hundreds of concubines, yet these are the words of President Putin at the unveiling.
“He laid the moral foundation on which our lives are still based today. It was a strong moral bearing, solidarity and unity which helped our ancestors overcome difficulties and win victories for the glory of the fatherland, making it stronger and greater with each generation.
Today it is our duty to stand together against contemporary challenges and threats, using our spiritual legacy and our invaluable traditions of unity to go forward and continue our thousand-year history.”
(from www.the guardian.com) |
Day 2: Monday, April 30th
Free Walking Tour with "Moscow Free Tours" and a glimpse of the Bolshoi Theatre
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| Temple of St. George the Victorious on Pskov Hill during free walking tour |
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| This is the original residence of the first Tsar of Russia |
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| St. Basil's on Red Square |
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| On the top level of the GUM mall - our pit-stop on the free tour |
Tip: There's a free washroom inside the Chinese restaurant on the 4th floor of the GUM
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| The Kazan Cathedral in Red Square |
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| And finally (after the tour), her self-proclaimed "favorite place", The Bolshoi Theatre |
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| Spring is starting to bloom in Moscow |
Day 3: Tuesday, May 1st
Accidental political parade & Kremlin tour
Today is a holiday in Moscow, so it was a little crazy in the city centre. Lots of road closures and so we could not get back to Red Square. We tried because our guide yesterday said there would be a festival there, but either it was over or it never happened. I heard that disabled activists were violently arrested this morning where 130,000 trade union members protested in Red Square. We had to go the LONG way around. We couldn't even get in the mall near Red Square (I wanted to kill some time there and have lunch before her Kremlin tour) because all that area was also closed off. We ended up seeing a political parade of some sort and Kaitlyn grabbed a flag from someone handing them out. It turns out that was the Communist Party flag! Nothing was accessible, so we headed away from the Kremlin and just had a quick bite then back to the tower to meet her guide for the Kremlin tour.
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| Interesting fashion statement! lol |
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| The parade we ended up next to where Kaitlyn received her Communist Party flag. The mascot guy you see is Karl Marx (born May 5, 1818) |
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| Images of Lenin and Stalin were strongly represented |
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| Heading within the Kremlin grounds for a tour |
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| Still inside the Kremlin walls - the Tsar Bell with cathedrals in the background |
Day 4: Wednesday, May 2
Tour of the Novodevichy Cemetery:
Along with my Norwegian friends and their guests, Kaitlyn & I did a tour of the cemetery (my first time there). Located next to the southern wall of the 16th-century convent of the same name is Moscow's most famous cemetery. It was inaugurated in 1898, but its importance dates from the 1930's when medieval monasteries were scheduled for demolition. The remains of many famous Russians were disinterred and reburied at Novodevichy. Under soviet rule, burial in this cemetery was 2nd in prestige only to burial in the Kremlin wall necropolis. Of the soviet leaders, only Nikita Khrushchev was buried at Novodevichy rather than Red Square. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin wall is no longer used for burials and Novodevichy is only used for the most symbolically significant burials. In April, 2007 both the 1st President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin and world-renowned cellist Rostropovich were buried there.
Today, the cemetery holds the tombs of Russian authors, musicians, playwrights, poets, actors, political leaders, scientists, astronauts, and important military figures. Over 27,000 are buried here and there is not much space for anymore. A new national cemetery is under construction north of the city.
During Soviet rule, Catholicism was not allowed, so you rarely see a cross in this cemetery. The tombs are very unique and mostly seem to represent the profession or significant contribution of the deceased.
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| We didn't tour the convent, but this is a church within the Novodevichy convent |
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| And a map of the convent complex which, unfortunately, is all under construction right now. |
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| Inside the convent walls (I was looking for somewhere to get us lunch) |
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| Boris Yeltsin's monument. He was the first head of state to be buried in a church ceremony since Emperor Alexander III, 113 years prior. Jean Chretien (Former Canadian Prime Minister) attended the ceremony at Christ the Saviour Cathedral (right next door to where we live here in Moscow). The monument shown here is controversial because of it is unconventional, but is meant to represent the tri-colour flag that Yeltsin introduced. |
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| For those of you who cannot read Russian, his name is chiseled in the white marble. |
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| Aleksandr Ivanovich Lebed - charismatic Russian politician and decorated military hero who made headlines in 1991 when he refused to lead troops against then president Boris Yeltsin in the aborted coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. He also ran against Yeltsin for President in 1996. |
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| Two famous Russian stars - I think film stars |
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The Russian version of Clark Gable -
Vyacheslav Tikhonov; a Soviet and Russian actor |
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| A ballistics expert = bullet holes in his tomb |
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| An obstetrician - perhaps the only tomb with a new born baby in the bust?? |
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| Russian opera singer Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin |
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| Russian Cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev |
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| All along the walls are urns - some of them visible through glass. |
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| There are a couple tank memorials here |
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| Yuri Nikoulin, a famous comedian |
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| Galina Ulanova - a famous Russian ballerina |
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| Stalin's 2nd wife - Nadya Alliluyeva Stalina. So based on the majority of tombstones here, Russians place the most relevance on political and military leaders, artists of theatre and dance and those who contributed to space advancement. |
Day 5: Thursday, May 3 / Day 6: Friday, May 4
Shopping, shopping, shopping @ Dubrovka Market, Europeski Mall & Ohotny Riad Mall by Red Square
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| In Euro Mall... she enjoyed shopping in a "normal" mall after she tried Dubrovka market and wasn't a huge fan. |
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| Fur hat shopping/bargaining with Uncle Craig |
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| Happy camper! |
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| In an area called the "little Kremlin" at the market |
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| He wanted to fit in with the punk in a crop top! |
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| Shopping in the morning followed by ballet class, Russian-style in the afternoon = one exhausted chick |
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| The instructor Ekaterina Yurochkina from YaYaDance & Kaitlyn |
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| Our view on the walk home |
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| Punks on their phones... 😆 |
Day 8: Sunday, May 6
Avia Park Mall with Angie & Isabelle
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| Tallest cylinder aquarium in the world with a height of 23 meters and width of 6 meters and holds 370,000 litres. The mall itself (Avia Park Mall) is the largest in Europe. |
Day 9: Monday, May 7
Gorky Park walk & Swan Lake ballet @ Stanislavsky Theatre
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| Stalin & Lenin in Statue Park next to Gorky Park |
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| Ahhh, cute! |
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| Zurab Tsereteli's monument to Peter the Great (322 ft. high) with Christ the Saviour Cathedral in the background |
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| Heading out to Swan Lake ballet @ Stanislavsky Theatre |
Day 10: Tuesday, May 8
Chocolate Factory Tour & lunch with Craig
We headed out early (8:30 am) for our chocolate museum and factory tour with the gang. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photos within the chocolate factory itself. It was very loud in there with ancient machines, but we were handed lots and lots of samples.
A young Serf (a slave basically) boy named Stepan from a small village used to make sweets from fruits and berries for his landlady. As is normally the case with serfs, Stepan didn't have a last name, but because of his apricot jam and candy, he came to be known as Stepan Abrikosov (which his descendants officially took on as a last name). He eventually opened his own business in Moscow. With this successful business he bought his freedom for himself and his family. In 1804 his family moved permanently to Moscow to develop the business which survived the 1917 October Revolution and Civil War as well as WW2 and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The business includes the famous brand "Red October". I wouldn't necessarily recommend the tour. It was just "ok".
Babayevsky Chocolate Factory Moscow
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| The gang: top left Melody, Isabelle, Hannah, Angela, Pam, Tanya, Kaitlyn, me, Pam |
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| Chocolate figures |
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| Some old chocolate molds in the chocolate museum |
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| Chocolate divas |
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| I think she's excited to try chocolate!? |
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| A chocolate crown in Russia, of course |
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| Lunch w/ Uncle Craig (& I) at Barenechnaya on Old Arbat St. |
Salad called "herring under vegetables", but actually is salad under fur coat. She HAD to try it while in Russia and she managed to eat quite a bit of it. Can't say we loved it, but we did tried it.
Day 11: Wednesday, May 9
Victory Day parade & fireworks
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| Victory Day sign on our way to the parade |
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Since Kaitlyn & I were squished in with everyone we didn't get any pictures of the tanks, so I've borrowed them from the shots Craig took.
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| An impressive show of their weaponry ... may we (nor anyone else) never go to war against Russia |
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| Wow! That's a pretty tight and symmetrical formation! |
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| Pretty white, blue and red colours for the Russian flag. |
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| Isabelle, Hannah, Craig & Kaitlyn trying some herbal Hungarian liqueur called "Zwack" |
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| I don't think they liked it! Hannah's looking like "meh, no biggie, what's your problem"?😜 |
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| Good reaction shot from Dave! |
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| Fireworks viewing from the bridge after drinks and Shawn & Tanya's |
Day 12: Thursday, May 10
Tsaritsino Park
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| Spring is in beautiful bloom at Tsaritsino Park |
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| The Princess wants to go in her castle |
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| The architects of the estate |
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| Founded in 1776 by the order of Catherine the Great... Tsaritsino is a palace museum and park in the South of Moscow. This is the only truly "palacey" room in the palace that we could find. |
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| Strolling through the park after lunch |
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| Tip-toeing through the tulips |
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| Apparently those enormous beanbag chairs are not as comfortable as they look |
Day 13: Friday, May 11
Zaryadye Park, inside St. Basil's Cathedral & "A Legend of Love" ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre
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| Zaryadye Park in the centre of Moscow |
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| On the bridge out over the Moscow River with one of the 7-sisters buildings in the background |
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| Look how happy jump shots are!! 😍 |
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| Heading in St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square |
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| Inside St. Basil's |
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| Heading out to the Bolshoi Theatre for "A Legend of Love" ballet |
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| Awesome view from Ritz O2 Lounge rooftop patio |
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| $50 Cdn. bellini! Seriously!? That's crazy! |
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| Bolshoi Theatre to see ballet "A Legend of Love" |
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| Bolshoi Orchestra pit |
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| Putin's box above her head |
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| She liked this reception hall |
Day 14: Saturday, May 12
Backstage tour of the Bolshoi Theatre
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Good job Angie getting her to do a dance pose in front of the Bolshoi Theatre!
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| Having some fun in the ballroom! |
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| Putin's box at the Bolshoi |
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| Ceiling in theatre |
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| View from up in the nosebleed section. They were fortunate enough on this excursion to see a dress rehearsal and were allowed to sit and watch for as long as they wanted. They would have stayed longer to watch, but were hungry. |
Day 15: Sunday, May 13
Izmailova Market... again
She finished her shopping today... here's all the stuff she bought on this trip
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| We're not sure how it's all going to fit in her suitcase!! 😲 |
Day 16: Monday, May 14
The Kremlin Armoury, metro tour & Moscow river cruise
Since pictures are no longer allowed anywhere in the armoury, these are all internet photos. The crown on the left (in photo below) wasn't there when we visited.
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| Metro tour - zero pictures of Kaitlyn as I wasn't with her. I managed to get this tour for free as I replied to a marketing question through "Moscow Free Tours" (before you think it... only 1 of their tours are actually "free" normally) |
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| I like this artistic shot Kaitlyn took while on the metro tour. |
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| While on the Radisson Moscow River Boat cruise - the Russian equivalent of our Ministry of Defence (large beige building in background) |
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| Hotel Ukraine/Radisson |
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| Although it was a beautiful night, it did get a little chilly out there |
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| Our "family photo"... as everyone thinks she's our daughter |
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| Love for Uncle Craig |
Day 17: Tuesday, May 15
New "Avengers" movie + lunch @ Uruyok
No pictures for a whole day! A miracle! lol
Day 18: Wednesday, May 16
Zurab Tsereteli Museum visit & Red Square @ night
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| Pavarotti |
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| Being "cheeky" with President Putin |
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| They have art classes here... wonderful! |
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| Out of all the art, I would take this one home |
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| We convinced Uncle Craig to buy these for us! |
Day 19: Thursday, May 17
Cosmonaut museum day with Uncle Craig... Aunt Kerry took a "rest-day"
They ended up seeing Angie & the gang as well
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| Ballerina pose at the entry gates to nearby VDNHa Park |
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| Good attempt love! I particularly like your top hand pose... very elegant! |
Day 20: Friday, May 18
Grand Kremlin Palace tour
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| Where President Putin was inaugurated 10 days earlier |
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| After tour - sign for FIFA World Cup coming up in a couple of weeks |
Day 21: Saturday, May 19
The Royal Wedding @ the British Ambassador's Residence
Kaitlyn's official invite to the event
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| Thank you Angie for taking the family photo! |
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| The ceremony on the big screen... and the British Ambassador's wife, Fiona Bristow |
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| The happy couple |
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| The view of the screen wasn't great unfortunately as there were some very tall people/hats in front of us. |
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| After, when the service was nearly over and people cleared away from the screen. |
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| Out on the balcony |
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| Former royal prams... what do you think Jennifer & Richard? Does it suit her pushing a baby stroller? 😏 |
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| Elegantly looking the part as we prepared to return back home. |
The Royal Wedding was a perfect ending to a wonderful visit with Kaitlyn. Thank you SO much for coming! 💗
It was wonderful getting to know you as an adult and spending time with you as we showed you around the beautiful city of Moscow.
Another miracle...all her stuff fit without having to pay for another suitcase (well, almost... some toiletries and 2 pairs of shoes didn't make the cut)! Yay for vacuum-pack bags!
Day 22: Sunday, May 20
Departure day 😢
