Spring in Moscow

Obviously May is the best month of the year. Here in Moscow it is not usually very hot, although at the moment it’s 27 °C (~80 °F). However, it is always warm enough to wear T-shirt and have a walk across the city to admire its beautiful sights. May seems to be the most attractive month to visit Moscow indeed – winter or autumn will meet you with lowering sky, and summer is too sultry and dusty to enjoy the trip. Late spring is optimal.

I love Moscow! This city combines very old architecture and modern offices, beautiful Orthodox churches and massive buildings of the Stalin epoch. So – let’s have a short walk across the city (mostly central part) and make sure it is magnificent indeed. I hope my comments below won’t distract you too much 🙂

 

By tradition, let’s start with the heart of the city – Kremlin. The big tower is named Spasskaya. The small tower nearby is named Tsarskaya because tsar Ivan IV liked to observe from it what was happening on the Red Square. Last time I was inside Kremlin being a child so no photos with the President today, sorry 🙂

 

Another view of Kremlin (from an enbankment).

 

St. Basil’s Cathedral. Legend says that Ivan IV had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, blinded to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. What luck living several centuries later!

 

Russian policemen armed with the latest modification of Kalashnikov halberd. The halberds are used to execute criminals trying to penetrate into the State Historical Museum (on the background). At least I believe it might be that way several hundred years ago.

 

A pigeon attacking Marshal Zhukov’s horse. The horse looks surprised.

 

A developer taking a rest after many hours of debugging (he does not adopt unit testing).

 

No comments (just another Moscow sight).

 

Alexander Garden, the entry.

 

The Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden. The guard stands without movement for hours. I envy his tenacity – there are so many pretty girls strolling by…

 

Tulips in Alexander Garden. I recall a day when I presented my wife with a bunch of 101 tulips… No, I didn’t steal them from this flower-bed. It was winter actually 🙂

 

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. This is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in the world. It was demolished by communists and restored in 90s.

 

That is how the Cathedral looks like at evening. This photo was taken by my wife – I had nothing to say but “wow”.

 

A monument to Alexander II, the Emperor of Russian Empire.

 

A kitty guarding Alexander.

 

96-meter-tall Peter the Great statue on the Moskva River bank. It is apparently supposed to scare off pirates if they ever appear on the river. We are thankful to Zurab Tsereteli (the sculptor) that he didn’t make the ship proportional to Peter.

 

A rainbow caused by fountain’s splashes.

 

Moscow is full of beautiful churches. I have an idea of collecting photos of all the churches in the city… alas, due to the lack of time this idea seems impossible to implement.

 

A funky cabrio 🙂

 

Aspose Moscow Office, under intense development. Yeah, just a branch. What? Oh… I was just told this is actually Moscow-City, the International Business Center… It is so easy to confuse…

 

Ostankino TV Tower. Being 540 metres (1772 feet) in height (577.44 meters to the upper antenna), it is the highest freestanding structure in Eurasia.

 

One of several “Stalin’s” buildings, large and massive.

 

A monument to Tchaikovsky in front of the Moscow Conservatory. Actually, I’m totally dumb in classical music and I’m a terrible singer. The only note I can strike well is C sharp 🙂

 

Just a nice place to walk around…

 

…or simply stand on a pedestal.

 

Let’s finish our walk in a forest situated in Moscow outskirts where we found this cone… It is gorgeous, isn’t it?