Russia Road Ways. Moscow. Two on the Loose. Two in a Group. Dan with down travels anywhere.

Leave the bus sometimes.

St.Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow, Russia

Fit the trip to the place. Leave the bus. Our Europe Road Ways trips, my son and I, changed to a tour this time, instead of wander-driving. Our custom as been independent road trips, without reservations, and that is not reasonably possible here.

Independent ventures.

Our best days, however, were on our own. We arrived on an early flight, were met at the airport as planned and waited to get to our room. Time passed, and finally we checked in our bags and headed out with our little tour book and maps. We walked numerous blocks up to Red Square, and from there to new renovations as the guidebook pointed out, and then the bridges across the Moscow River.

Mar

Moscow Kremlin Museum - The NonTransportable Treasure

When documentation is forbidden, take notes. No photographs are permitted here.

It is crowded, and photographers block views of others, we agree.

The roots of modern international relations are here, however, such as the exchanges of vast gifts between tsars and rulers in the middle east, that there should be a way to accomodate the researching tourist.

Moscow is the foundation for St. Petersburg, and modern cultural affinities of centuries of ambassador exchanges.

Mar

Stalin in Moscow. The USSR. Framework Timeline.

Stalin's grave, at left, Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Moscow

Highlights Lowlights Life of Joseph Stalin.

A framework timeline.

1878 -- Joseph Vissarionovich Dzjugashvili (later 'Stalin') was born in Gori, Georgia, see map. Serendipity: More in Georgia. Vladimir Putin's natural mother, Vera Putina by news claim, resides in Metekhi, Georgia, near Tbilisi. See same map and story so far on Vera Putina.

Mar

Lenin in Moscow. The Soviet Government. Framework Timeline.

Vladimir Lenin, Moscow poster *

Life of Lenin. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov.

* Am going back to check precise location. It could be St. Petersburg. I do not see it in Images either way.

For a framework timeline, begin before the birth of Lenin:

1848 -- Marx-Engels Communist Manifesto

1870 -- Birth of Lenin in Simbursk (later named Ulyanovsk in Lenin's honor) see map.

Mar

February Revolution 1917 not remembered. Eternal flame at Kremlin? Where.

In 1957, after the death of Stalin, and 50 years after the February Revolution where Tsar Nicholas II abdicated for himself and his son, Alexei, paving the way for ultimate Bolshevik victory, the eternal flame kindled another that was brought here to Moscow. See the events of that Revolution, and a timeline, see https://russiaroadwaysstpetersburg.blogspot.com/2017/03/field-of-mars-st-petersburg-february-revolution-1917-abdication-of-nicholas-ii.html.

Jul

Contemporary Russia. Russia off-tour.

Red Square: Walk it on your own.

Leave the tour to explore how to fathom an unfamiliar history, language, alphabet, ethnic mix. It is difficult. There are limited opportunities on an mainstream visit to do that,bounded as groups are with clearly fixed sites to see, and limited time at the scheduled places. Skip duplicate sites anyway, like yet another gilt palace, or yet another historic monastery, in order to breathe on your own.

Then research what you saw, or think you saw, at home.

Jan

Ordinary lives. Glimpses in Russia. No chance to stop.

The drive from the airport to Moscow lays out a divergence common to most countries: the affluent, in their fine cars jammed up on the motorway; and beyond, the hint of tradition, the copses of birch trees that are in folksong and sight so often. Recall as you lean back -- "In the meadow stood a little birch tree," see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNl4kOp9mMk

Try a cafe not on the formal recommended list. This offered fine food at a casual price, and convenient.

Jan

Role of personal armor in early Russia; Russian weaponry

Russia's display suits of armor are not part of any culture of jousts, clanking battles. Learn instead that that those suits of armor were mostly gifts from outside where knighthood flourished, but were not really used much in Russian culture and conflict at the time. Russia had no need of all that tinware. Rus had learned the value of light weight for horsemanship, speed, agility and mobility, the terrible swift sword, the lethal trap to set.

Armor display, Winter Palace, St.

Jan

Links

Kremlin Wall, Moscow, Russia. In step.

Jan

More Russia Context Timelines Continued Elsewhere. A Redirect.

Cure for slow load? More long-form history topics are now at different site:

<a href=:http://www.russiacontext.blogspot.com">Russia Context</a>.

Russia Context Timelines. Open another door and explore. Here, Znamensky Monastery, Moscow

Subsequent Russia Context timelines, and other cultural topics are shown as they are completed at <a href="http://www.russiacontext.blogspot.com">Russia Context Timelines</a>.

Why a second site? Load time and length.