Glories of an empire

One would have to be blind and deaf with a stone heart to not be touched by the beauty and history of Moscow.  This week we were privileged to tour the Grand Kremlin Palace, built in 1837, housing the former residence of the tsars. On the site are 9 churches from the 14th through 17th centuries, each built for a military campaign or an individual.

 The main building includes 5 full reception halls, and over 700 rooms.  The most interesting room to us was a large hall with dozens of painted murals depicting biblical stories.  No one can explain how this escaped the demolition that occurred with other Christian buildings and paintings.  The main reception halls were stripped of the ornamental gold and ornate designs when the Bolsheviks took over.  In the 1990s the halls were lavishly restored in accordance with original designs.
Our tour guide took great delight in our "OOHS" and "WOWS".  The pride of this great nation has taken several hits and they are always happy to hear how much we love this city and these people.