The Gremlin

I've always thought the Kremlin was a funny name, when I was younger I thought it was actually called the Gremlin. This also fitted well with the stereotype of scary Russians. I can confirm that Russians have a harsh exterior, serious faced and sharp. Overall the people we met in Siberian Russia were by far the nicest, friendly and approachable. In Moscow and St. Petersburg they were a lot more stern. It also came to our attention that approaching someone in a customer service role (ticket offices/information desks) often resulted in receiving absolutely no, or at the most the bare minimum of help. But taking our query to a security guard or police officer meant we were guided to where we needed to go, or shown the correct train on the display boards. This seems a bit odd, as the former are being paid to serve you (and don't) and the latter are not (but do). So if you are in need of assistance in a Russian train/bus station, head towards to police or security. 

In the Kremlin we wandered around the Armoury, where I set off an alarm because I pointed (too close) to a horse drawn carriage (be careful!) The Armoury is full of treasures and historical artifacts. Outside we walked up to Cathedral square, where there are four churches in a courtyard. A few of them were closed but we managed to take a look around the Archangel Cathedral where many of the Tsars are buried. Also outside in this area is the World's biggest cannon, whose (cannon) balls are too big and therefore it has never been fired. There is also the Tsar bell, again the world's largest, which has never rung and is missing a large chunk out of the side.

I wasn't overly impressed in the Kremlin, and left with 'Oh, is that it?' echoing in my head.

The Cathedral of the Annunciation

The Assumption Cathedral (Where Tsar coronations happened)

Tsar Cannon

Tsar Bell