Moscow, Russia – So we know the twins are into mummies, but they have never seen a real one. Until now. On this day in history, the twins saw the real and true mummified remains of the founder of the Soviet state: Vladimir Ilych Lenin’s Mausoleum.
But not before meeting a live Lenin on Red Square.
The twins meet Lenin on Red Square.
The twins at Lenin’s Mausoleum.
Then we proceeded to Lenin’s Mausoleum, where the boys received strict instructions to not run, laugh, sing or talk loudly, as paying your respects to Vlad Ilych is a serious affair.
It’s truly strange and amazing to see the mummified remains of a person so revered that his body is preserved in perpetuity for all to honor or gawk at. But the twins didn’t quite get it. Instead, they expressed disappointment that there were no bones, bandages or other goriness. Maybe we shouldn’t have played up the mummy angle quite so much.
In any case, this was much more of a success than our last visit–three years ago–when we tried three times to visit Red Square and we never got close enough for a photo of St Basil’s Cathedral, let alone a visit to Lenin’s Mausoleum.
This time, we got photographic evidence.
Obligatory photo in front of St Basil’s Cathedral.
Afterwards, we went into GUM, the former-state-department-store-turned-fancy-shopping-mall. We had lunch at Stolovaya 57, which is a throwback Soviet-style cafeteria, complete with chicken cutlets and a fizzy-water machine. The service was better than the olden days, but the food was very authentic (except for the broccoli).
Lunch at Stolovaya-57.
My kid likes caviar, apparently.