Holy Virgin Monastry near Moscow

The Kremlin at the river Moskva

Holy Virgin Monastry
near Moscow

6 October 1987

A day in Moscow with Lydia

Woke up in time for the Russian Tourist Board Breakfast and our date with Lydia. Our train will leave late at night but untill then we will be occupied sight-seeing Moscow. So little time for such a huge city! First a bustour through the center, first stop is the Kremlin. Lydia shows us around and explains. I enjoy it, but am not quite with it as I'm already in my thoughts in the train to China.

We go on to the Holy Virgin Monastry, on the outskirts of Moscow, more history, tsars and icons. The domes of the basilica sparkle in the sun. The atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, as though nothing ever happened here.

At last we drive past the Moscow University back to the city-center and are left at the Red Square, near de St Basil Basilica. We are allowed a couple of hours to ourselves to look around before we are expected back at the hotel for dinner. That time is spent mostly to find some necessities like tootbrush and towel for the girl who lost her backpack.
It's not so easy as it seems. We spend most time in the GUM (photo at the right), the largest Moscovian department-store.
At the end end of the afternoon we hurry through the Moscow Underground, which is marvellous, a monument by itself, worth returning to Moscow for, back to our hotel.

St. Basil basilica, at the Red Square

Holy Virgin Monastry