Moscow's St. Basil's is what many people think of when the Kremlin or Red Square are mentioned.

St. Basil's certainly is the main attraction here. In fact Red Square, although large and impressive, does not seem as overpowering as I though it might. Beijing's Tiananmen Square is certainly very, very much larger. But the plinth from which many Soviet leaders have watched the May Day parades certainly does have some emotional effect for we oldies.

St. Basil's Cathedral is right at one end of Red Square, the old Gum department store and hotel, now a huge shopping complex, at the other.

Unfortunately St. Basil's was closed at the time we were there. Red Square was being prepared for some celebration and it seems the ticket officers at St. Basil's had taken the opportunity to take some unofficial time off.

None the less, the building is pretty grand from the outside as is a must see sight. We were fortunate to get a chance to get back there at night and St. Basil's and Red Square are quite a remarkable sight when flood lit.

The Gum department store is lit up at night, too. This is a huge complex and if you are a natural born shopper, you are going to be in heaven (Russian Orthodox), here.

The night trip around Red Square was part of a night canal cruise which is also highly recommended.