Our two neighbour girls are up at 7:17am this morning so we're up too - this may be a concrete building, but the hotel's interior renovations are wood frame and not very soundproof. Breakfast at Tepemok (where else!), then a walk down the GUM Department Store to window shop and get some tourist info. Over to the Post Office for a package of post cards and stamps, which should keep us busy for the next couple of evenings.
Alexander Garden and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is still blocked off to the public, but they've opened the public walkway alongside a long row of fountains including the Four Horses.
Long lineups for the Kremlin Armoury and Diamond Room, so we decide to take the Metro out to Victory Park. Centrepiece of the park is a huge war memorial to the victims of World War 1, with smaller structures and statues commemorating other conflicts in Russian history. Our favourite is small but honours the generations of military who repulsed the Polish knights in the 13th century, Napoleon and the French in 1812/1813, and the Germans in 1941/1945.
Three religious structures denote the major religions of Russia - a church, a mosque, and a synogogue - where we meet Mr. Engels. He concedes that we are not at the location where Nazi troops were stopped in December 1941, but takes us to a monument to the Russian civilian victims of WW2 and gives us an impassioned talk about the significance of that structure. He also talks about his Jewish ancestry, the diaspora of his own nuclear family, and the current state of Russian politics. Very enlightening conversation, indeed.
Kathy and I hop back on the Metro, but it takes two false starts before we finally arrive at Arabat Station just in time to buy tickets to the day's last (viz. 4:30pm) viewing of the Kremlin Armoury. While sanding in line we chat with a family of American tourists and an Estonia tourist who's here for a dog show (and her mutts have won awards!). The Armoury is actually a collection of royal clothing, religious relics, gold and silver cutlery & plates, with some displays of body armour and pre-17th century weapons. If it looks like a museum, etc., then it's just a friggin' museum...
While walking home, there's another event in Alexander Park so we're detoured the long way around. Back to our familiar neighbourhood by 7pm and a supper of pizza and salad. Then it's up the hotel room for a warm shower and a long rest.
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