When I think of the color red, one of the travel destinations I think of first is Red Square. Russia, for many years a place that was off limits to travel for fear of the anti-Western political regime that held sway over its people, finally is accessible and turns out to be a very interesting place to visit.

If there were one word I would use to describe Moscow, it would opulent. Never have I seen as much gold as I saw there- and it was everywhere, most notably on the onion-domed churches which dot the landscape.

But today, we are going to Red Square. Here is what one sees walking toward the entrance:

Everything is on a grand scale. No expense has been spared.

The actual entrance to Red Square is through the arches under those two towers. Military equipment and large numbers of troops would file through those arches for shows of military might on May Day. Inside Red Square, there is a very very large area that is open for assembly and military exhibitions and there is also a building that houses Lenin’s tomb. People line up and file through the mausoleum to view Lenin.

At the opposite end of the square is the incredibly magnificent St. Basil’s Church. Here it is from afar.

The church was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century and presumably, after completion, he had the architect blinded so that he could never create anything more beautiful. I am not certain that beautiful would be the word I would use to describe it, but it certainly is noteworthy and unique.

Here is a picture of some detail:

OF course nothing compares to Red Square at sunset, especially when sunset is after 10 p.m. in early summer

I found both Moscow and St. Petersburg to be a delight to the senses. More about both of them in the days and weeks to come.