Russia (also known as the Russian Federation) is a transcontinental country extending over much of northern Eurasia. It is a semi-presidential republic comprising 83 federal subjects. Russia shares land borders with the following countries (counter-clockwise from northwest to southeast): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast), Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It is also close to the U.S. state of Alaska, Sweden, Turkey and Japan across relatively small stretches of water (the Bering Strait, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and La Pérouse Strait, respectively).

At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area; with 142 million people, it is the ninth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and incorporating a great range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower (a position it has used strongly as a politically tool in its dealings with West Europe in the early 2000s) . It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water.

The first hurdle you encounter when going to Russia is getting in. Getting a visa is very difficult unless you are visiting as part of an officially organised tour group. Make sure that you arrange for your visa with as much notice as possible and fill out the application form exactly as required, as the service is notoriously slow despite the large fee charged.

One of the surprising things (or maybe not) about Russia is how ingrained into everyday life Vodka is. Perhaps as a tourist you will be on the reviving end of this more than the average citizen, but it seems that you cannot visit a shop outside of the "official" visitor locations without being offered a Vodka aperitif in-store. This cultural facet is largely due to the nature of the climate throughout most of Russia thanks to its northern latitude, but also has to do with the concept of hospitality that exists in Russia (but without the "face" aspect found in China).

Another "enjoyable" (I use the term very loosely) aspect of Russian life for the visitor is that as a foreigner you will automatically be assumed to be working for the paranoid security services of whatever anti-Russian country that you herald from, and therefore worthy of having a "tail" assigned to your group. Even the impressive security services of the Russian Federation have limits on manpower, expertise and finance, so do not be surprised if you are assigned a "friend" of less than James Bond like ability, who you come to realise is following you through churches, the Metro, Kremlin, etc.

Russia takes its security seriously, and this extends to taking photos, so be aware that if you point your camera at any type of military personnel (including on the cruiser Aurora in St. Petersburg) you will be approached and told strictly not to. When visiting the "official" tourist attractions you pay a few Roubles more and receive a tag to attach to your camera that lets the Babushka's posted in each any every room know that you have paid to take photos. Exceptions where no photos are allowed are all churches/cathedrals, the Kremlin Armoury, and the "Amber Room" in Catherine the Great's palace in Pushkin. Just about the only military personal that you can openly and freely photograph is the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall (built in the Alexander Garden as a monument to Soviet soldiers who fell on the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in 1941-1945. An eternal flame was lit on the grave on May 8, 1967. The bronze inscription on the monument reads: “Your name is unknown. Your feat is immortal”. )

A less welcome aspect of Russia is corruption, or at least the less extreme unfettered Capitalism that has grown down from it into everyday life. Whilst this will not affect you especially as part of an organised tour group, you should be aware that money (specifically $, though Euros are also universally acceptable) is everything in Russia. If you can afford something (and the price will be high) then you can have it. This will be most visible when it comes to visiting tourist attractions (where you will be held back and made to wait in a que for several hours whilst cruise ship visitors are bussed in and que jump not just to the front, but are allowed right through the attraction before you are even allowed in) or going without the group to a restaurant for example. It's not something to worry about, but you may notice that this extends as far as officially tolerating (with kick-backs presumably) high class prostitutes plying their trade openly in hotel lobbies.

A note on food. Russian food in "official" places such as hotels is not wonderful. Even worse, Russia appears to have no concept of "service value", and if your hotel runs out of a certain food item (and it will) do not expect to see it replenished during that meal time. "Real" Russian food though has interesting tastes and is of good quality, so I would recommend eating in the less touristy outlets you find in markets during the day.

Moscow

Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia, and is named after the river (old Russian: гра́д Моско́в, literally the city by the Moskva River). Historically, it was the capital of the former Soviet Union and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the pre-Imperial Russian state.

At the centre of the city, in Central Administrative Okrug, is the Kremlin, which houses the home of the President of Russia as well as many of the facilities for the national government. This includes numerous military headquarters and the headquarters of the Moscow Military District.

Moscow is also the site of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, with its elegant onion domes, as well as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Seven Sisters. The Patriarch of Moscow, whose residence is the Danilov Monastery, serves as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Moscow also hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics.

The Stalinist-era constructions, usually in the central city, are massive and usually ornamented with Socialist realism motifs that imitate classical themes. However, small churches — almost always Eastern Orthodox - that provide glimpses of the city's past still dot various parts of the city. The Old Arbat, a popular tourist street that was once the heart of a bohemian area, preserves most of its buildings from prior to the twentieth century. Many buildings found off the main streets of the inner city (behind the Stalinist facades of Tverskaya Street, for example) are good examples of the decadence found in Tsarist times.

Moscow Metro

In total, the Moscow Metro has 292.2 km of route length, 12 lines and 176 stations; on a normal weekday it carries over 7 million passengers. Passenger traffic is considerably lower on weekends bringing the average daily passenger traffic during the year to 6.8 million passengers per day. The Moscow Metro is a state-owned enterprise.

The first line was opened to public on May 15, 1935. The line was 11 km long, and included 13 stations. The construction of the first stations was based on other underground systems, and only a few original designs were allowed; Kiyevskaya station being one of the first few allowed to use national motifs. In September 1938 the second stage of construction allowed architecture based on the most popular of the stations already in existence (Krasniye Vorota, Okhotnyi Ryad and Kropotkinskaya) and the compositions followed the popular art deco style, though merging it with socialist visions.

Building work on the third stage was delayed but not interrupted during World War II. During the Siege of Moscow, in the autumn and winter of 1941, metro stations were used as air-raid shelters and the Council of Ministers moved its offices to the platforms of Mayakovskaya, where Stalin made public speeches on several occasions. Chistiye Prudy station was also walled off and the headquarters of the Air Defence installed there. Two Metro sections were put into service and inaugurated in 1943 and 1944 respectively. War motifs replaced socialist visions in the architectural design of the stations in these sections.

After the war, construction started on the fourth stage of the Metro, which included a surface extension in the early 1950s. The exquisite decoration and design of so much of the Moscow Metro is considered to have reached its peak in these stations.

There is an interesting urban legend about the origin of the ring line opened in 1954. A group of engineers approached Stalin with plans for the Metro, to inform him of current progress and of what was being done at that moment. As he looked at the drawings, Stalin poured himself some coffee and spilt a small amount over the edge of the cup. When he was asked whether or not he liked the project so far, he put his cup down on the centre of the Metro blueprints and left in silence. The bottom of the cup left a brown circle on the drawings. The planners looked at it and realized that it was exactly what they had been missing. Taking it as a sign of Stalin's genius, they gave orders for the building of the ring line, which on the plans was always printed in brown. This legend, of course, may be attributed to Stalin's cult of personality. In fact the line was never shown as a circle on the Metro map until 1980, long after Stalin's death. Prior to this time, the line was depicted much closer to the shape of the actual route.

The beginning of the Cold War led to the construction of a deep part of the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line. The stations on this line are very deep and were planned as shelters in the event of nuclear war. During the late 1950s, the architectural extravagance of new metro stations was significantly toned down, and decorations at some stations, like VDNKh and Alexeyevskaya, were greatly simplified compared with original plans. This was done on the orders of Nikita Khrushchev, who favoured a more spartan decoration scheme. A typical layout (which quickly became known as "Sorokonozhka" - "Centipede", which comes from the fact that early designs had 40 concrete columns in two rows) was developed for all new stations, and the stations were built to look almost identical, differing from each other only in colours of the marble and ceramic tiles. Most of these stations were built with simplified, cheaper technologies which were not always quite suitable and resulted in extremely utilitarian design. For example, walls paved with cheap and simplistic ceramic tiles proved to be susceptible to vibrations caused by trains, with some tiles eventually falling off. It was not always possible to replace the missing tiles with the ones of the same color, which eventually led to infamous "variegated" parts of the paving. Not until the mid-1970s the architectural extravagance was restored, and original designs once again became popular. However, newer design of "centipede" stations, with 26 columns with wider ranges between them and more sophisticated, continued to dominate.

Although this has not been officially confirmed, many independent studies suggest that a second, deeper metro system exists under military jurisdiction and was designed for emergency evacuation of key city personnel in case of nuclear attack during the Cold War. It is believed that it consists of a single track and connects the Kremlin, chief HQ (Genshtab), Lubyanka (FSB Headquarters) and the Ministry of Defence, as well as numerous other secret installations. There are also entrances to the system from several civilian buildings such as the Russian State Library, Moscow State University (MSU) and at least two stations of the regular metro. The only known junction between the secret system and normal Metro is behind the station Sportivnaya of the Sokolnicheskaya Line. The final section of this system was completed in 1997. Further construction has continued since then, with additional extensions and stations opening between 2000 and 2008.

http://engl.mosmetro.ru/

Red Square

Red Square is sited beside the Kremlin and houses on the Kremlin side wall the Mausoleum of Lenin, on the opposite side the GUM Department Store (once reserved exclusively for Westerners spending hard currency), and between them on the south-east side, the famous towers and domes of Saint Basil's Cathedral (commissioned by Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible) .

The name of Red Square derives neither from the colour of the bricks around it nor from the link between the colour red and communism. Rather, the name came about because the Russian word красная (krasnaya) can mean either "red" or "beautiful". The word was originally applied with the meaning "beautiful" to Saint Basil's Cathedral and was subsequently transferred to the nearby square. It is believed that the square acquired its current name (replacing the older "Pozhar" name) in the 17th century.

During the Soviet era, Red Square maintained its significance, becoming the main square in the life of the new state. Besides being the official address of the Soviet government it was renowned as the location for military parades. Two of the most significant military parades on Red Square were the one in 1941, when the city was besieged by Germans and troops were leaving Red Square straight to the front lines, and the Victory Parade in 1945, when the banners of defeated Nazi armies were thrown at the foot of Lenin's Mausoleum. On May 28, 1987, a German pilot named Mathias Rust landed a light aircraft on St Basil's descent next to Red Square. In 1990, the Kremlin and Red Square were among the very first sites in the USSR added to UNESCO's World Heritage List.

One of the "rules" of Russia is that every tourist spot closes at least one day during the working week. This means that if you plan on visiting Lenin's Mausoleum you should check in advance that it is actually open the day you visit Red Square. The square is generally open to tourists (and has an interesting collection of souvenir sellers and performers outside its gated entrance), though it can be cleared and closed without warning if a dignatory is visiting. During my trip we originally visited on a Monday only to find both sides to the Square barred by barriers and guards as a Minister or other VIP was visiting (we never found out who). We returned the following day (Tuesday) only to find that it was the week day that Lenin's Mausoleum was closed. The best that we could do was to take photos of the outside of the building. Luckily we were able to go inside the surrounding Saint Basil's Cathedral and GUM Department Store.

http://www.moscow.info/red-square/index.aspx

The Kremlin

Kremlin is the Russian word for "fortress", "citadel" or "castle" and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or the government that is based there.

The Moscow Kremlin overlooks the Moskva River (to the south), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the east) and the Alexander Garden (to the west). It includes four palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of Russia.

The site has been continuously inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC, and originates from a Vyatich fortified structure on Borovitsky Hill where the Neglinnaya River flowed into the Moskva River. The Slavs occupied the south-western portion of the hill as early as the 11th century, as testifies a metropolitan seal from the 1090s, which was unearthed by Soviet archaeologists on the spot. The existing Kremlin walls and towers were built by Italian masters over the years 1485 to 1495. The irregular triangle of the Kremlin wall encloses an area of 275,000 square meters (68 acres). Its overall length is 2235 meters (2444 yards), but the height ranges from 5 to 19 metres, depending on the terrain. The wall's thickness is between 3.5 and 6.5 meters.

Cathedral Square is the heart of the Kremlin. It is surrounded by six buildings, including three cathedrals. The Cathedral of the Dormition was completed in 1479 to be the main church of Moscow and where all the Tsars were crowned. The massive limestone facade, capped with its five golden cupolas was the design of Aristotele Fioravanti. Several important metropolitans and patriarchs are buried there, including Peter and Makarii. The gilded, three-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation was completed next in 1489, only to be reconstructed to a nine-domed design a century later. On the south-east of the square is the much larger Cathedral of the Archangel Michael (1508), where almost all the Muscovite monarchs from Ivan Kalita to Alexis I of Russia are interred. The final side of the square is bordered by the Hall of Facets (constructed between 1487 and 1508).

The other notable structure is the Ivan the Great Bell Tower on the north-east corner of the square, which is said to mark the exact centre of Moscow and resemble a burning candle. Completed in 1600, it is 81 meters (266 ft) high. Until the Russian Revolution, it was the tallest structure in the city, as construction of buildings taller than that was forbidden. Its 21 bells would sound the alarm if any enemy was approaching. The upper part of the structure was destroyed by the French during the Napoleonic Invasion and has, of course, been rebuilt. The Tsar bell, the largest bell in the world, stands on a pedestal next to the tower.

The buildings of Cathedral Square are large, covered in golden domes, impressive on the outside and very impressive on the inside. You are not allowed to take photos inside any of the buildings within the Kremlin grounds, and this includes the Churches, Cathedrals (especially the Churches and Cathedrals!), Arsenal and Armoury. There are several good books of interior photos that are available from the official Kremlin visitors shop, and I would recommend the large soft back book simply called "The Moscow Kremlin "

The northeast corner of the Kremlin is occupied by the Arsenal, which was originally built for Peter the Great in 1701. The northwestern section of the Kremlin holds the Armoury building. Built in 1851 to a Renaissance Revival design, it is currently a museum housing Russian state regalia and Diamond fund. The contents of the Armoury are especially worth a visit, as the stunning interior houses some of the greatest wealth of Tsarist Russia, including at least half a dozen original Fabergé Eggs not currently no loan to other institutions around Russia and the rest of the world, and a huge number of gold, silver and precious stone covered objects and artefacts. Like the British Royal Family, the Armoury also houses a rich collection of clothing, crowns and regalia, throwns, coaches and weaponry.

http://www.travelallrussia.com/kremlin

St. Petersburg

Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27, 1703, it was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1713-1728, 1732-1918). St. Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is Russia's second largest and Europe's fourth largest city (by city limit) after Moscow, London and Paris. At latitude 59°56′N, Saint Petersburg is the world's largest city north of Moscow (55°45′N). 4.6 million people live in the city, and over 6 million people live in the city's vicinity. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. St. Petersburg is unarguably the most Western European styled city of Russia

More to come...

Other Links

History of Russia by Alfred Nicolas Rambaud (1878)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/History_of_Russia

Constitution of Russia
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Russia

Ivan the Terrible by Kazimierz Waliszewski, translated by Lady Mary Loyd
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ivan_the_Terrible

Count Leo Tolstoy
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Leo_Tolstoy

more to come...

Tour DVD