Kostroma National Show

We're big admirers of historical and modern exhibitions and keep track of all worth seeing culural events in Moscow.

Here's a Russian authentic performance with dances - Kostroma Traditional Show.

Fact 18. 

Located in the Golden Ring route, Kostroma was once of the cradle of the Romanov Dynasty and has come to embody a nation that is rich in both custom and tradition.

Kostroma is a spirited spectatcle, awash with color and vivid movement. 600-intricately-decorated costumes are used in the show, which also features 300 props and eight set changes. The troupe of 50 dances only adds to the grandiousity of the performance.

It's a real-life fairy tale: colourful costumes, video-projection, heavy smoke and a starry sky, weapons belonging to Russian heroes, a black horse and of course a huge samovar!

Explore the best local events of Moscow with us on our Going Out in Moscow Tour

Feel free to ask us any questions about Moscow on Facebook  and Google+ pages

#alinamoscow #visitingmoscow #moscowattractions #tourstorussia #visitmoscow #moscowrussiatours #russiamoscow #moscow #travelrussia #tourstorussia #moscowtravel #visitrussia #moscowtourism # moscowplacestovisit #meetingnewpeople #wheretogoinmoscow #whattodoinmoscow #kostroma 

Soviet Diner

Fact 17. 

if you feel like learning something about Russian cuisine and what locals eat every day, go to "Soviet Diner".

"Soviet Diner"  has everything that may require a tourist seeking for something authentic or a local born in USSR:  Egg with green peas and mayonnaise, meatballs and jelly, chicken Salad "The Cuckoo" (220 r.) with a stack of potato chips served with an egg yolk, covered in poppy. Eggs stuffed with chicken liver pate (110 r.), served as two mushrooms with caps. Borsch (180 p.) served with donuts. Cabbage rolls (220 p.) 

Finally, the ice cream in a glass vase will definitely lift your spirits.

Check, please!
Salad with ham 180 r
Borscht with dumplings 180 r
Chicken Kiev 220 r
Jellies, fruit and berry 110 r
Total 690 roubles. The starting price of something light in Ritz Carlton restaurant and similar to it. 

Explore the best authentic places of Moscow with us on our Going Out in Moscow Tour

Feel free to ask us any questions about Moscow on Facebook  and Google+ pages

#alinamoscow #visitingmoscow #moscowattractions #tourstorussia #visitmoscow #moscowrussiatours #russiamoscow #moscow #travelrussia #tourstorussia #moscowtravel #visitrussia #moscowtourism # moscowplacestovisit #meetingnewpeople #wheretogoinmoscow #whattodoinmoscow #moscowrestaurants #wheretoeatinmoscow #placestoeatinmmoscow #bestplacestoeatinmoscow $russianfood # russiancuisine #russianrestaurants #russianmeals #bestrussianrestaurants #russiancafes 

Gagarin. Russian hero

12 April, 1961 was Gagin's first flight into space. Here are some funny stories about our hero, who I personally respect and admire

Fact 16. 

Yuri Gagarin, a peasant's son, returning from space, has almost become the equal of earthly gods, kings and queens. At least the Queen allowed herself to break court etiquette and be photographed with him. The explanation she found was that Gagarin - no earthly man, but heavenly now, so can be taken photos with

Moreover, during the official reception the astronaut, sitting at a table in front of a string of cutlery, did not know with what fork or spoon to start dinner and decided to just repeat all of the queen. But she did not move, and apparently waited for him to start. Then Gagarin openly said to her, "Your Majesty, I'm just the pilot, and I was not taught how to use it all." Elizabeth II said: "Mr Gagarin, I grew up in Buckingham Palace, but I do not know where to start either, let's just eat as we want."

Before the Flight

Pre-flight preparations took place in a very tense atmosphere. Every now and then there were technical problems. There was great risk of death of the astronaut. No one knew how he human mind will behave in the space. Some psychologists believed that Gagarin would go mad, all alone in the void. Therefore, flight control was automatic. 

Despite all that, Gagarin was calm and whistling his favorite song.

Gagarin - 

Prince?

One of the rumors discussed in the international press was about the social origins of the first cosmonaut of the Earth. Country boy, a native of the West Russian peasant family, Yuri Gagarin was thought to be somehow connected with his namesakes, the princes, who after the Revolution immigrated to the United States. This question opened the press conference on 15 April 1961. Gagarin answer was: "Among the relatives I know, there are no princes or people of noble birth. Have never heard of them."

Find out about outstanding people of Russia on our 10 Hours in Moscow Tour 

Feel free to ask us any questions about Moscow on our Facebook  and Google+ pages

#alinamoscow #visitingmoscow #moscowattractions #tourstorussia #visitmoscow #moscowrussiatours #russiamoscow #moscow #travelrussia #tourstorussia #moscowtravel #visitrussia #moscowtourism # moscowplacestovisit #meetingnewpeople #wheretogoinmoscow #whattodoinmoscow #gagarin #firstmaninthespace #space #12april #1961 #austronaut

Local stuff. Sandunovsky Baths

Tourists always ask me "Show us something non-touristy", "What is particularly local to eat/do/", "I want something original and authentic:... 

So here is a #1 typically Russian, authentic, original thing

Fact 15. 
Sandunovsky Banya

Sandunovsky baths today is the largest bath complex in Moscow, three male and two female department, preserved historic interiors, license baths, beauty salon, restaurant and laundry service. The main advantages of the complex is the recognized quality of service and range of products - from classic to modern.

Sandunovsky BATH existed in the XVIII century and named for the Force N. Sandunova - actor, who served at the court of Catherine II in the 1790s.

Sanduny Baths. Among Guests of Honor are John Travolta, Naomi Campbell, Jean Claude Van Damme, Adolf Lundgren and many other famous people

Explore the authentic places of Moscow with us on our Going Out in Moscow Tour
Feel free to ask us any questions about Moscow on Facebook  and Google+ pages

#alinamoscow #visitingmoscow #moscowattractions #tourstorussia #visitmoscow #moscowrussiatours #russiamoscow #moscow #travelrussia #tourstorussia #moscowtravel #visitrussia #moscowtourism # moscowplacestovisit #meetingnewpeople #wheretogoinmoscow #whattodoinmoscow #banya #russianbanya #russiansauna #sandunovskybaths

International Military Music Festival "Spasskaya Tower"

Fact 14. 
From August 30 to September 7, 2014 on Red Square in Moscow will be International Military Music Festival "Spasskaya Tower". It is one of the brightest and most significant events in the cultural life of the capital of Russia.

This time the festival will mark the 862 th anniversary of the capital.

The traditional participants are the Honor Guard unit of heads of state and leading military orchestra of Russia and foreign countries. 

Thanks to the festival, military musicians become the ambassadors for peace representing all the variety of national, creative and army  traditions of the world. 

In the entire history of the Festival, 100 orchestras have been presented  from 40 countries.  About 1500 musicians, soldiers and artists take part in the festival this year from: Armenia, Bulgary, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Mexico, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Russia.

As in previous years, the 2014 opening of the event is timed to the Day of Moscow. Daily audience of the Festival only on Red Square will exceed 7,000 people, and  55,000 people  total throughout 8 days of the festival (more than 100 million people including the Internet and the television audience). 

September, 1 at 10 am will start parade of soldiers of the annual festival "Spasskaya Tower 2012". On the route to the Arc de Manezh Square to the Kremlin, led by cavalry regiment will be 20 military bands. Performance of military bands will become the final episode of the opening ceremony of the Day of the Red Square.

Photos: Spasskaya Bashnya

Be a part of this grand event with us on our Red Square and the City Tour
Feel free to ask us any questions about Moscow on Facebook  and Google+ pages

#alinamoscow #visitingmoscow #moscowattractions #tourstorussia #visitmoscow #moscowrussiatours #russiamoscow #moscow #travelrussia #tourstorussia #moscowtravel #visitrussia #moscowtourism # moscowplacestovisit #meetingnewpeople #wheretogoinmoscow #whattodoinmoscow #spasskayabashnya #spasskaya #military #militaryrussia #september #musicalfestival

Red Square & the Kremlin

Couple of days ago I was showing Moscow again to some tourists and we ended up in Red Suqare. I can say some things never get old, but only more gorgeous year after year. So I admired the Red Square 1000th time and want to share with you some of the shots.

So, the entrance to Red Square...

Fact 13.
Resurrection Gate (also called Iberian Gate) is the only existing gate of the Kitai-gorod in Moscow. The first stone gate leading to Red Square was erected in 1535, when the Kitai-gorod wall was being reconstructed in brick. In 1931, the Resurrection Gate and the chapel were demolished in order to make room for heavy military vehicles driving through Red Square during military parades. Both structures were completely rebuilt in 1994-1996, and a new icon of the Iveron Theotokos was painted on Mount Athos to replace the original.

And that's how they looked in 19 century... 

What do we see on Red Square? Your favourite St Basil's! 

Basil's Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church erected on Red Square in Moscow in 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible. It commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. 

The building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, a design that has no analogues in Russian architecture: "It is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium of Byzantine tradition from the fifth to fifteenth century ... a strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold details of its design." 

And on the right there is the large Kremlin Wall with it's, that was a fortress initially. 

The Kremlin includes four palaces, four cathedrals and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. The Slavs occupied the south-western portion of the hill as early as the 11th century. 

The Soviet government moved from Petrograd to Moscow on 12 March 1918. Vladimir Leninselected the Kremlin Senate as his residence. Joseph Stalin also had his personal rooms in the Kremlin. He was eager to remove from his headquarters all the "relics of the tsarist regime". 

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 metres (68 acres). Its overall length is 2235 metres (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 metres.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers killed during World War II. It is located at the Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden in Moscow. "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal". Change of the guards is every hour in summer, every half an hour in winter. 

And then just left from St Basil's there's superb GUM...

With some festive events constantly taking place there. 

With the façade extending for 794 ft (242 m) along the eastern side of Red Square, the Upper Trading Rows were built between 1890 and 1893. The trapezoidal building features an interesting combination of elements of Russian medieval architecture and a steel framework andglass roof, a similar style to the great 19th century train stations of London.

And then there is Alexander Garden. Historic, relaixing, very green and touristy, picturesque and ... marvelous!

So that was a little tour to Red Square and the Kremlin. If you have any questions or need a tour, just let me know;) 

• Flash back to the times of the past on our Red Square and the Kremlin Tour

Feel free to ask us any questions about Moscow on our  Facebook  and Google+ pages

#alinamoscow #visitingmoscow #moscowattractions #tourstorussia #visitmoscow #moscowrussiatours #russiamoscow #moscow #travelrussia #tourstorussia #moscowtravel #visitrussia #moscowtourism # moscowplacestovisit #meetingnewpeople #wheretogoinmoscow #whattodoinmoscow #moscowrestaurants #wheretoeatinmoscow #placestoeatinmmoscow #redsquare #kremlin #kremlintours #redsquaretours