Knock Knock. Who's There?

Knock knock. Who’s there? Vladamir. Vladamir who? Vladamir Putin of course. We have entered the inner walls of the Kremlin. This triangle shaped fortress is the home to the Russian government and the home and office of Putin. He may be in but we are not sure as the G7 is currently in session in Biarritz and we know he certainly isn’t there. In addition to government offices, there are of course a couple of large churches and the world’s largest cast iron cannon. But of most importance and intrigue, it was the coronation place of many czars, some who have been entombed here.

We take our leave of the group, as we are now feeling quite confident of how to get back to Red Square. One of my objectives is to get to St. Basils Cathedral. We missed this iconic symbol of Russian Orthodoxy and I know I would have been disappointed not to see it. We hustle back through security and are not disappointed. The multi coloured onion domes are such a bright addition. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Time is of the essence and we were not able to enter due to the constraints of getting back to our group, but nevertheless one of my objectives has been realized and satisfied.

It’s back to the ship and the start of the cruise. We start off by exiting Moscow by the Moscow Canal. We won’t actually reach the Volga River for a few hours, but we will pass through six locks as we drop over 400 feet over the course of our journey to St. Petersburg.