Moscow calling

After something of a let down in trying to see the Victory Day parade I finally made it into Red Square in the evening, where masses of Russians were congregating to celebrate the day with a big screen in the square showing patriotic films and music. It felt quite surreal to be there. It's one of those places that you've seen so often on TV that you think you'll know it like the back of your hand but it's always a different matter when you actually see it first hand. It's a spectacular place, and St Basils is the unsurpassable centre-piece of it all.

Yesterday I got to see it all in a greater detail. Along with a couple of other Brits who I'd met in the hostel in St Petersburg and who are also staying in the same hostel here in Moscow we visited the inside of St Basils, which isn't at all how you'd expect as it's actually divided into a number of rooms and corridors most adorned with 16th century paintings. Lenin wasn't on show as the seating from Victory Day was being dismantled and most of Red Square was closed, but hopefully today will be the day when we get to see him. There's also a market in the suburbs which we'll also try to hit today which is supposed to be the best place to pick up Soviet memorabilia.

It's all go! Although I did get rained on at last yesterday the weather has generally been pretty decent and the dark skies often making for a striking constrast to the colours of the Kremlin and Red Square. Lots of walked, but no blisters to be seen so far - the Brashers are doing well!