U is for Uspensky Sobor

It hardly seem possible that the end of A to Z for 2015 is just a few more days away.  My Russian adventure continues today with 'U' for Uspensky Sobor, the Cathedral of the Assumption, also called Dormition Cathedral.  It is one of the churches in the Kremlin in Moscow.  It is also the oldest church in the Kremlin, having been consecrated in 1479.  There are many views of the church here, in addition to those I am posting.

Side view of Church with marching band playing :

Interior photos were not allowed though we were given very detailed brochures during our tour.

Tolkien Bonus:  U is for Underhill, Mr. Underhill.  This was the name that Frodo Baggins used on his trip to Rivendell.  He was a Hobbit of Bag End who was raised by his cousin Bilbo Baggins after the death of his parents.  He was the Ring-bearer in the War of the Ring.

R is for Red Square and Rural Life

Moscow's Red Square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  When many of us think of it we think of marching troops and armaments.  It is certainly not like that today.  Today it is a bustling tourist mecca.

I have already blogged about St. Basil's and GUM Department Store, along with the site of Lenin's mausoleum.  Here are a few more views of the area, starting with my first view before entering the square.

The large red building in the middle is the State Historical Museum.  To the right is the wall and a tower of the Kremlin.

The statue of Marshall Zhukov

The Kremlin Tower as seen from Red Square

Kazan Orthodox Cathedral

Standing and looking toward the State Historical Museum and Resurrection Gate (right)

Top of the Resurrection Gate and Iberian Chapel

Kremlin wall on left, museum, then GUM on right as seen from front of St. Basil's

Up to now, most of what I have posted has shown the beauty of Russia.  The following pictures were taken from the van as we drove from Tver to Novgorod.  Yes, folks are living in these homes.  Russia has basically no middle class, so this is the type of housing outside the large cities that you would see.

An apartment building in Novgorod, in much better condition than those we saw in Moscow.

Of course, if your family was in the Soviet army, as our guide's grandfather was, you might have grown up in an apartment in this building in Saint Petersburg:

Tolkien Bonus:  R is for Rivendell, an Elven refuge in a valley in the Angle.  To my mind, one of the greatest movie sets ever created.

N is for Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery

Welcome to the second half of the A to Z Challenge!

The Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery in Moscow is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The grounds of the convent were very beautiful.  The cemetery was unlike anything I have ever seen.  I think I visited more grave sites on this trip than I have on any other trip outside the USA.  Or ever for that matter.

I have a lot of pictures and can only show a few, so hard to choose.

Tsaritsa's Tower and the Gate Church of the Transfiguration

The Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk (rear) with the Chapel in the foreground

Iconostases in the Cathedral above and painted walls below

Palace of Irina Gudunova, sister of Boris Godunov

Gate Church of the Intercession

Domes of the Cathedral

The Cemetery

Tomb of Raisa Gorbachev

Boris Yeltsin's Tomb - the sculpture is the Russian flag

Nikita Khrushchev - the black and white monument represents the contrasting sides of his personna

Dmitri Shostakovich

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 below.  I had the pleasure of hearing this conducted by Valery Gergiev several years ago.

Tolkien Bonus:  N is for the Nazgul, faceless riders on black horses, later creepy flying beings, nine in number, slaves of the nine rings and the go-fers of Sauron.  The things of nightmares.  Did I say 'creepy'?

M is for Moscow Metro

I love public transportation.  It is really an shame that they have no really good system of public transportation in this state of Michigan.  The Moscow train and subway system would really put them to shame.  Here are a few photos:

Belorusskaya Rail Station (1870) exterior above and interior hall below

Belorusskaya Station

Train platform in Novoslabodskaya Metro station, also seen just below.  It was unbelievably clean.

Komsomdskaya Metro Station - 1952

Tolkien Bonus:  M is for Mordor, settled by Sauron in the Second Age and the center of evil, it is destroyed by earthquakes after the War of the Rings.

L is for Lenin and Lubyanka

If you have been to Moscow, everyone wants to know if you went to see Lenin.  Well, I did.  Been to Madame Tussaud's?  Same thing.

So, while in Red Square you can go in to see Lenin's Tomb.  No pictures allowed inside.  Really?  Would you want one?  The line must be kept moving around the casket and it is very solemn.

Before going into the mausoleum you can view tombs of Russian leaders in Red Square.  That is the wall of the Kremlin in the background.

Moscow is not alone in honoring Lenin.  There was this statue in Saint Petersburg in front of the House of the Soviets.  This monument is part of the Historical sites of Saint Petersburg that are part of the UNESCO Heritage.

This was actually preferable to seeing a dead body.

L is also for Lubyanka, the headquarters for the KGB, which is in Moscow.  We only drove by.

Tolkien Bonus:  L is for Legolas, a Sindarin Elf who was one of the Companions of the Ring.  He became a lifelong friend to Gimli, the Dwarf.

I is for Izmaylovo Market, Moscow

  

I know that some folks go on vacation and buy up tons of souvenirs.  I did not do that on this trip, but in hindsight, there are a few things I wish I had picked up while in Russia.

Many items can be found at the Izmaylovo Market.  In case you want some old Soviet memorabilia, this is the place.  Me?  I wish I had grabbed one of the wooden statues of Grandfather Frost.

If matryoshka dolls are your thing, they had plenty of those too.

The market is next to the Ismailovo Park, an honest to goodness tourist trap if I ever saw one.  I was told it was built for the Moscow Olympics.  (They should have hired the Disney Corp.)

Tolkien Bonus:  I is for Isengard, a fortress in Gondor.  In the Third Age Saruman began to live in Isengard, housing Orcs and building his army until Isengard was destroyed by the Ents.

G is for GUM and Gostiny Dvor

I am not a shopper, so it is probably surprising that my choice for the letter 'G' is not one, but two Russian Department stores, GUM on Moscow and Gostiny Dvor in Saint Petersburg. 

GUM has a very interesting history, but walk into the building today and you'd think you were at a mall in the USA.  The store is located in Red Square in Moscow.

Gostiny Dvor is in Saint Petersburg.  I did go into a store to buy a soccer jersey for my grandson.  Since I somehow took no street views of the large store (huh?), here is one of Charlie in a jersey for the FC-Zenit Football Club:

Tolkien Bonus:  G is for Galadriel, a holder of one of the Three Rings, Nenya.  She dwelt in Lorien and gave shelter to the Companions of the Rings during the War of the Ring.