Travelling and more: Kremlin and the Lenin Mausoleum (Moscow)

Kremlin
The Kremlin next to the Red Square is a very interesting place to visit and was a highlight of my trip. It is is the oldest part of the city and looks like a castle. Its area is around 28 h and there are 5 churches and several governmental buildings on this area. I was always curious to see the Kremlin at least from outside since a lot of times I have seen the building on TV (especially when there were news from the Russian government). In order to get into Kremlin you have to buy a ticket, leave your luggage at the wardrobe and get checked thoroughly by the security. However, since it is not high season, there are almost no tourists, so the process was quick. Once inside the red walls, I was overwhelmed especially by the governmental buildings. A lot of guards were securing them and I still wonder how much security staff there actually is hiding in the buildings and on top of the roofs. I was stopped by the guards twice who were signaling me by whistling and hand signs to stop and turn around. I recommend you not to approach the governmental buildings as I accidentally did, but to better only watch the churches which are easily recognizable by their golden roofs.

The churches themselves are typical for Russian architecture (as far as I can judge) as you will notice on the pictures, but include elements of Italian architecture. What makes them really interesting is the history behind them and the Russian tsars who ordered these (e.g. one of the churches was ordered by Ivan the Terrible). Furthermore, most of them are already more than 500 years old and provide you with good examples for comparing with much later constructed churches (many of the Russian churches are not older than 20 years!).

Lenin Mausoleum
If you go to Kremlin or the Red Square, you can easily find the Lenin Mausoleum. The opening times of this "highlight" are very restricted. There are only 3 days in a week where it is open to visitors from 10 am to 1 pm. You will find there other graves and monuments behind the Mausoleum for example Stalin's. However, I would not recommend to go there. There is nothing interesting to see, especially for those who do not worship the fathers of communism and its "mutations".