[RUSSIA] Walking Around Moscow

Many attractions in Moscow are within walking distance from the Red Square and Kremlin. Therefore, I decided to explore Moscow on foot, apart from taking the convenient metro.



After my tour in Kremlin, I proceeded to see the Bolshoy Theatre. It is famous for its performances especially ballet. In 2011, the theatre was reopened after many years of being on reconstruction.



Well, even if you can’t make it to a performance here, you can still go to see the renowned building with a chariot on its frontispiece designed by Alberto Cavos.



Directly across the street from Bolshoy Theatre stands Moscow’s last remaining monument of Karl Marx. The inscription reads: “Workers of the world, Unite!”



My youngest son is more interested in his fingers than his surrounding, haha.



Like many cities, Moscow also has hop-on-hop-off bus service.



Having a closer look at the Bolshoy Theatre.



The Metropol Hotel is located on the opposite side of Teatralnaya Ploshchad ("Theatre Square") from the main building of the Bolshoy Theatre, and like the Bolshoy, it is a landmark of Moscow pre-Revolutionary luxury. Many of the Metropol's guest rooms still contain original antiques and artworks, while the hotel's restaurant remains one of Moscow's most exquisitely elegant dining halls.



Passed by Tretyakov Drive which is known as as one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world! This is hardly surprising considering Russian has the fastest growing number of millionaires in the world.



Further down the street is the Children’s World Department Store (Tsentral'nyy Detskiy Magazin).



Interior of the department store.







It’s a heaven for children as there are plenty shops selling sweets and toys. There is even a Hamleys toy store inside, which is originated from UK.





But the main reason why we came here is because of the free observation view point on the rooftop.



From here, you can get an amazing view of Moscow.





The panels describes the famous attractions around Moscow.



The tall building in picture above is the main campus of Moscow State University on Lenin Hills. It was constructed in 1949-1953 and its one of the Seven Sisters of Moscow. The original design of the building has no spire, a huge statue of M.V. Lomonosov was intended to be installed instead. However, Stalin ordered to replace it with a spire, in order to make the top of the campus similar to other high-rise buildings in the capital.



Just right beside the Children’s World Department Store is the Lubyanka Building. This is the headquarters of the FSB, formerly known as the KGB! Lubyanka has been the headquarters of the Secret Police for about a hundred years.



After coming down from the observatory platform, we visited a childhood museum inside the department store. It is open from 10am till 10pm daily.



Here we got to see toys and household objects that were sold in this building in the 1950s-1980s.







Pashkov House was constructed since 1784. 



Upon completion, it became a landmark of Moscow.



Monument to Prince Vladimir which was unveiled by President Putin in 2016.



Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge over Moskva River offers a breath-taking view over the Kremlin and the adjacent sights. It is just a 5 minute walk from the nearest metro station Borovitskaya.



The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is the largest Orthodox cathedral. 



The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was erected in the mid 19th century to commemorate the soldiers fallen in the 1812 Patriotic War.



Built in 1905, Dom Pertsova was a residential house.



The fairy tale house now belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



Peter the Great Statue overlooking the Moskva River. Erected in 1997, the 98m high statue is one of the tallest in the world.



The Russian State Library is established since 1862 and its one of the largest library in the world.



I tried to enter the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour that day. However, due to some occasion, all entrances to the church were closed. Even when I tried to go in from another side, there were Russian police blocking the path in every direction.



The garden behind the church.



Moscow State Art Gallery of A. Shilov.



Dropped by Eliseevskiy. This supermarket has been in operation since 1890. The interior looks more of a palace than a supermarket!



Moscow’s Nikulin’s Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is the oldest circus in Moscow. Of course, I wouldn’t miss the chance to see its performance while in Moscow. http://www.circusnikulin.ru/



There are various animals for you to take photo with a fee.



Even the exotic leopard. But it is a pity that the leopard is chained.



You can buy some snacks and popcorn too before the show.



The seating are all numbered.





The show started with some dance.



Overall, the circus show wasn’t as entertaining and impressive as I though it would. The music was too loud – I had covered my youngest son’s ears the whole time.



So we decided to leave early.



The statue of the founder of Nikulin Circus, Yuri Nikulin in front of the building. With this, we end our adventure in Moscow.