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With full equipment-down coat, hat, glove and so on, we finally went to downtown of Moscow. If I dress of this, anyone maybe call the police :p)
We went to downtown by subway from Izmailovsky Park, the closest station to the hotel. One of subway lines in Moscow is a loop line like Yamanote-line in Tokyo, and the others radiate toward suburb. So we took the subway in Moscow for the first time. However, I was gotten caught in the train door because the door was closed without any hesitation before all passengers finished to riding on or getting off. Futhermore, because closing speed of the door was not slow different from Japanese train, that hurt. Thanks of that, I had major trauma that I freaked out whenever I passed through the door of elevators and so on for some time after that. Although the subway in Moscow has third rail for the power collecttion, the speed was very fast in spite of third rail system, and power failures in the train was often caused.
We got off at Okhotny Ryad station. Then we took a short walk to the Red Square from the station. This is the Red Square well-known on TV CM of Nissin(the famouse instant noodle company in Japan). There is the Saint Basil's Cathedral well-known as onion head on the left-hand side toward the Kremlin(the upper-right picture). There is the national history museum on the right-hand side(the lower-right picture). And Lenin's mausoleum is around the center of the Red Squere(the lower-left picture), Although we intended to enter Lenin's mausoleum, we decided to visit Saint Basil's Cathedral first because we couldn't bring our baggages into the mausoleum. It was also because there was a left-luggage office on the opposite side of the Kremlin. Although I think the Cathedral has values, people who can't recognize the value of art can't quite understand.
We went to the left-luggage office from Saint Basil's Cathedral. After we had left all baggages, we went back to the Red Square and visited Lenin's mausoleum. Lenin's mausoleum is a place where the cryonically-preserved Vladimir Lenin is sleeping in a glass case. We couldn't bring any baggages when we entered the mausoleum and had to pass through a metal detector. Moreover we were not allowed to stop and would get a warning if we stopped and watched. So it was called tour but it finished in a few minutes. The impression is only "he is a middle-aged man I've seen in textbooks of history".
After leaving Lenin's mausoleum, we recieved only our cameras at the left-luggage office and went to the Kremlin. Naturally we had to pass through a metal detector even here. Though it didn't matter if we passed through the metal detector, I saw a security guard frisking us had a submachine gun under his arm((((;゜Д゜)))gakugaku buruburu.
When we looked at inside the Kremlin, we saw many "onion heads" even here. The most personally-interest thing is Tsar Cannon(the meaning is "emperor of cannon). Though the cannon was located as the upper-left picture, the cannon was locked on to the presidential palace(the upper-right picture). Is it Russian joke? or for self-destruction in emergency? It's a riddle.
When we strolled after leaving the Kremlin, the change of guard was performed at the Tomb of Tnknown Soldier. They straightened their arms and legs out and walked swinging their arms and legs. Though they might be serious, it seemed like that they were kidding on the contrary. At any rate, it seemed to be cold for them to stand for a long time. Though their standing space had a ceiling like a telephone booth without door, it would do nothing for cold.
When we strolled agein, we saw some people removed snow from the roof of National history museum, and we also saw trolleybuses. After we spent time by visiting Gum department store and so on, we visited Kremlin armory. This armory was not available for visiting in any time, and the visiting hour was limited. Not only arms but olso carriage, jewels and so on were shown. It's not matter, but the riding comfort looked so bad because the carriage had no suspension.
When we finished visiting the armory, we decided to go back to hotel because it was good time to back. Mr. K and I went to the embassy with Mr. T because Mr. T had to visit there and he said it was scary that he went alone. On the way to hotel from the embassy, we went to Yaroslavl station where we would take the train in the next day. The dinner was a light meal in the hotel. Though we wanted to eat any Russian meals, we had no choice else because we didn't know where restaurants were and felt fear that we went out in the night.
Incidentally, Mr. T stayed for dinner in the embassy and ate Russian meals. Oh my god!
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