Moscow, capital of Russia, population 20 million, not as tourist friendly as St.Petersburg. Most of the tourists I have seen so far in Russia have been Russians or Chinese. Tourists from the West are few, probably due to the rigmarole and cost of getting a visa. First you have to get an invitation to travel to Russia which costs AUD$63 and then you have to complete a Visa application online, print and send it to the Russian Consulate by Registered post along with a return Registered post envelope and a money order for AUD$150, no credit cards accepted. Total cost came to AUD$235 and it took 3 weeks.

Kremlin means fortress and it has a museum called the Armoury and a few churches inside and some government buildings. The ticket office opens at 0900 which is when I got there and there were about 30 people already in the queue. I bought tickets to the Armoury RUB 700 and the Kremlin which includes the Churches RUB 500 out at 0930, not bad. Next you walk to the Armoury entrance and queue up there again, security makes everyone open their bags and empty them out, took ages finally in at 1100 after 2 hours of standing in queues. There are two floors consisting of lots of gold and silver ornaments and weapons including a few stuffed horses and some elaborately carved carriages, no photographs. Next stop the churches, again queues to get into them, I chose the one with the shortest queue and gave the others a miss, after that wander about the grounds and the gardens.

The History Museum in Red Square is worth a visit even though most of it is in Russian

Red Square, GUM big shopping Mall on one side of the square and St.Basils Cathedral, this is the multi-coloured, multi-domed one you see in all the postcards, entry RUB 350 a short queue. The inside is a complete surprise, its not a large open space but a rabbit warren of small rooms and passage ways.