Arrived around 1:00 PM and checked into our hotel Pushkin. And proudly shown into our split-level suite. She said welcome to our best room in the hotel and stopped. Looks at my cane. I look at her, and at the stairs, and at the cane and I said, “Do you have an elevator?”

And we were changed to a nice first floor room.

But there was an elevator anyway.

Met our guide Natalia the next morning who led us to the Kremlin and Red Square. Cold and drizzly but walking was good, but not for all of us.

This is the Kremlin. It was a fortress of old, and now is the present seat of government. Sunk 49 feet into the ground so as not to dwarf the other surround buildings, the State Kremlin Palace is the Kremlins only modern building. Built in 1961 to host the Communist Party conferences.

The Cathedral of the Arch Angel. Commissioned by Ivan the Great shortly before his death in 1505 this was the last one of the Great Cathedrals to be built in the Kremlin.

The Cathedral served as a burial place for Moscow tsars whose white stone sarcophagi with bronze covers were no longer buried here after the capital was moved to Saint Petersburg.

Lovely building but not allowed in because of a service going on.

Ignore the truck in the driveway- another old church but lived in by one of the tsars, and so preserved.

Mike only in front of the Kremlin walls- Saint Basil Church. I had to go back and rest up to continue walking. (And maybe a glass of wine too.)

And look at this picture, boy I am sorry I couldn’t make that walk.

This is the Arbat district. An artist community where we had lunch and happily it was in a very warm and dry and served wine restaurant to rest up after this remarkable day.

To be continued, but only if you want to read it. We will go to Saint Petersburg for our next stop.