Summer Trip History Part I- Russia

This is a short list of all of the fun history type places I am going to this summer... For a more detailed itinerary check out my other blog...
Stuff in parenthesis is me writing...

First Post: Russia


Moscow:
Guided tour of the Kremlin; The Kremlin (from wikipedia!) The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: Московский Кремль) usually referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River (to the south), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the east) and the Alexander Garden (to the west). It is the best known of kremlins (Russian citadels) and 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.
Guided Tour of Armoury Museum in Kremlin(This one is pretty pricey and I have been told that it is skippable... The only thing I would really want to see are the Eggs, and I saw some at the Bellagio art Museum a few years ago... But at the same time I am torn, I <3 the tsars...but 40 bucks is riddikulus!)Experience the full glory of the Kremlin with a guided tour of the Royal Armoury to see the collected treasures of the Tsars. The museum houses a collection of priceless Faberge Eggs, and personal possessions of the Romanov dynasty from the time of Peter the Great.


Visit Red Square; (wiki again!) Red Square (Russian: Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad) is the most famous city square in Moscow. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitay-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, the Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and of all Russia.

Lenin's Mausoleum (I am extra excited about this and I don't know why because it is really kind of creepy if you think about it)(from wikipedia)Lenin's Mausoleum (Russian: Мавзолей Ленина Mavzoley Lenina) also known as Lenin's Tomb, situated in Red Square in Moscow, is the mausoleum that serves as the current resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since the year he died in 1924 (with rare exceptions in wartime).

St. Basil's domed Cathedral (The thing that everyone takes a picture in front of and u know they are in Russia!)(I have a friend who confuses this cathedral with another all the time...)(info from wiki of course)Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed , Saint Basil's Cathedral - Russian: Храм Василия Блаженного) is a multi-tented church on the Red Square in Moscow that also features distinctive onion domes. The cathedral is traditionally perceived as symbolic of the unique position of Russia between Europe and Asia. The cathedral was commissioned by Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the Terrible) Moscow to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan. In 1588 Tsar Fedor Ivanovich had a chapel added on the eastern side above the grave of Basil Fool for Christ (yurodivy Vassily Blazhenny), a Russian Orthodox saint after whom the cathedral was popularly named.

Travel on the Moscow Metro (lets just face it its all from wiki if it is there...LOL)
Moscow Metro (Russian: Московский метрополитен), which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's most heavily used metro system. It is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art. Moscow Metro Tour: See the local view of Moscow on a guided tour of Stalin's "Palaces for the Workers" -the stations of the Moscow Metro. Underneath the city is one of the world's largest and most intriguing galleries where the icons of Communism can still be seen.

Moscow Circus (Circuses are a very big thing in Russia apparently)


Guided Tour of Missile and Military Museum (I probably won't do this one... although souvenirs are always awesome! Actually maybe I will, I do <3 the Cold War!)
A chance to learn about the awesome military power that existed in the USSR. See missiles, tanks, fighter jets, and an array of military nostalgia from the Cold War era and take the opportunity to buy souvenir pendants, flags and other trinkets.

Tour of Statue Park and Gorky Park (I will do this one too...)
Enjoy an afternoon south of the river as you visit two of the most famous parks in Moscow. The 'Statue Park' surrounds a famous art gallery and contains many statues from the communist era, including the only remaining statue of Stalin! Our guide will make history come alive with personal accounts of life behind the "iron curtain". Then time to explore the world-famous Gorky park. Entrance into both parks is included.

Novgorod:
Today we travel to what was once the stronghold of the early Tsars, Novgorod.(Also known as Lord Novgorod the Great...yes that was the name of the city... you have no clue how much confusion that caused on one of my tests in my Russia under the Tsars class) Visit the old Kremlin with its imposing fortress walls and touching World War II war memorials (I am pretty excited to go to Novgorod, the travelogue I read said that there was a really comfy hotel that they stayed in here...)Veliky Novgorod (Russian: Вели́кий Но́вгород) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia[1] and the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. "Novgorod" is the Russian word for "new city," and "Veliky" means "the Great". The city lies along the Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen. Guided tour of the old town; See the Millennium Bell.

Petrodvorets: Visit the garden and see the fountains of the Tsars' Summer Palace A series of palaces and gardens, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great, and sometimes called the "Russian Versailles", is also situated there. The palace-ensemble along with the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


St. Petersburg:
Guided tour of the Hermitage; The State Hermitage Museum (Russian: Государственный Эрмитаж, Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest museums in the world, with 3 million works of art (not all on display at once), and one of the oldest art galleries and museums of human history and culture in the world. The vast Hermitage collections are displayed in six buildings, the main one being the Winter Palace which used to be the official residence of the Russian Tsars.

See the St. Peter and St. Paul Fortress;The cathedral houses the remains of almost all the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Nicholas II and his family who were finally laid to rest in July 1998. Of the Post-Petrine rulers, only Peter II and Ivan VI are not buried here. Peter II is in the Cathedral of Michael the Archangel in the Moscow Kremlin. Ivan VI was executed and buried in the fortress of Shlisselburg.) We visit Peter the Great's original fortress which was constructed over 300 years ago to protect the newly built city of St. Petersburg. Our visit includes entry into the Cathedral to see the final resting place of all the Tsars from Peter I to Alexander III, and the tombs of the last Tsar Nicholas II and his family.(ANASTASIA!) An interesting journey through Russian Imperial history. (Hezzeck Yes, I am doing this!)

See the church of the Spilt Blood and the Admiralty. (The Church of the Spilt Blood is where Alexander II was assasinated in 1881)

Guided Tour of Siege of Leningrad Memorial
Visit the World War II memorial to the one million people who lost their lives during the Siege of Leningrad. Our guide takes us through the memorial and explains the historical significance of the siege, and the impact on the people of the city. (I cried like a baby during the video we watched in class about the seige. It was a horrible time. I want to go, but I think it will be a somber experience...)

Vyborg:
Orientation of the town Vyborg's most prominent landmark is the Swedish built castle, started in the 13th century and extensively reconstructed in 1891–1894. The Round Tower and the Rathaus Tower date from the mid-16th century. The Viipuri Library by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto is a reference point in the history of modern architecture. There are also Russian fortifications, completed by 1740, as well as the monuments to Peter I (1910) and Torkel Knutsson. Tourists are shown the "Lenin house", where the Russian revolutionary prepared the Bolshevik revolution during his stay in Viipuri in September-October 1917.