In the centre of the photo, across the Moscow River, is the Western tower of the Kremlin walls. On the right we glimpse St Basil's Cathedral, which is in Red Square.

Grand Prince Ivan III organised the reconstruction of the Kremlin, inviting a number of skilled architects from Renaissance Italy, including Petrus Antonius Solarius, who designed the new Kremlin wall and its towers, and Marcus Ruffus who designed the new palace for the prince. It was during his reign that three extant cathedrals of the Kremlin, the Deposition Church, and the Palace of Facets were constructed. The highest building of the city and Muscovite Russia was the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, built in 1505–08 and augmented to its present height in 1600. The Kremlin walls as they now appear were built between 1485 and 1495. Spasskie gates of the wall still bear a dedication in Latin praising Petrus Antonius Solarius for the design.

"The site has been continuously inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples since the 2nd century BC. The Slavs occupied the south-western portion of Borovitsky Hill as early as the 11th century, as evidenced by a metropolitan seal from the 1090s which was unearthed by Soviet archaeologists in the area. Vyatichi built a fortified structure (or "grad") on the hill where the Neglinnaya River flowed into the Moskva River.

Up to the 14th century, the site was known as the 'grad of Moscow'. The word "Kremlin" was first recorded in 1331 (though etymologist Max Vasmer mentions an earlier appearance in 1320). The grad was greatly extended by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy in 1156, destroyed by the Mongols in 1237 and rebuilt in oak in 1339.

It is worth noting that the name Red Square is a bit misleading. The Russian word "Krasnoye" has two meanings: it can mean red, but it can also mean beautiful.

Originally, this was called the Beautiful Square, but the name Red Square caught on, especially during the Soviet era, for obvious reasons.

It is worth mentioning that the name Ivan the Terrible is slightly misleading. His name in Russian is Ivan Grozny, which could be better translated as Ivan the Formidable (or Fearsome). In old English the word terrible had those extra meanings.

In this photo you can see the Spassky Tower and to its right, and beyond the walls of the Kremlin, you can see the spire and domes of St Basil's Cathedral.

The word "Kremlin" simply means fortress in Russian. There are many Kremlins in towns and cities throughout Russia.

Originally, the Moscow Kremlin was completely surrounded by water, and if you stood where Red Square is now, you would get more than your feet wet.

The Capital of Russia was St Petersburg since the time of Peter the Great. It was the Soviets who made Moscow the nation's capital once again. This building is now the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Wikipedia explains:

"The Cathedral of the Dormition, also known as the Assumption Cathedral or Cathedral of the Assumption is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is located on the north side of Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin in Russia, where a narrow alley separates the north from the Patriarch's Palace with the Twelve Apostles Church. Southwest is Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Separately in the southwest, also separated by a narrow passage from the church, is the Palace of Facets. The Cathedral is regarded as the mother church of Muscovite Russia. In its present form it was constructed between 1475–79 at the behest of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti. From 1547 to 1896 it is where the Coronation of the Russian monarch was held. In addition, it is the burial place for most of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Wikipedia states: "Until the building of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 1883, it was the tallest building in old Moscow, and it was forbidden to put up any building in Moscow which was taller than the Bell Tower."

There are many lines criss-crossing the city and it is the best way to get from A to B. The tickets are very reasonably priced. For about a US dollar you can travel one stop or ten.

On one of the walking tours I joined, a Greek woman jokingly complained that, as a Greek speaker, she could only understand half of the Russian script.

Luckily for me, when I was a kid in Hong Kong, my brother and I were taught Russian by a proverbial Little Old Lady. She did a great job as I was surprised how much Russian I still remembered from way back then. (And believe me, that was a very long time ago!).

When I was in Russia, people I talked to would often remark that, while my vocabulary wasn't much good, I spoke Russian "without an accent". I took that as a compliment to the powers of that Little Old Russian Lady who taught us.

Wikipedia has this amusing account of why Vladimir chose to convert Russia specifically to the Greek Byzantine Orthodox Faith:

"The Primary Chronicle reports that in the year 987, after consultation with his boyars, Vladimir the Great sent envoys to study the religions of the various neighboring nations whose representatives had been urging him to embrace their respective faiths. The result is described by the chronicler Nestor. Of the Muslim Bulgarians of the Volga the envoys reported there is no gladness among them, only sorrow and a great stench. He also reported that Islam was undesirable due to its taboo against alcoholic beverages and pork. Vladimir remarked on the occasion: "Drinking is the joy of all Rus'. We cannot exist without that pleasure." Ukrainian and Russian sources also describe Vladimir consulting with Jewish envoys and questioning them about their religion, but ultimately rejecting it as well, saying that their loss of Jerusalem was evidence that they had been abandoned by God.

His emissaries also visited pre-schism Latin Rite Christian and Eastern Rite Christian missionaries. Ultimately Vladimir settled on Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In the churches of the Germans his emissaries saw no beauty; but at Constantinople, where the full festival ritual of the Byzantine Church was set in motion to impress them, they found their ideal: "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth", they reported, describing a majestic Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia, "nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it."

The present Cathedral was built from 1995 to 2000. About a million Muscovites donated money for the reconstruction.

t seems to be the case that, when movements are forced underground, they often emerge from a period of repression stronger than ever.

It was origianlly built in 1685 in the Arkhangelsk region, which is in the Far North of Russia. The Church was transported in pieces to Moscow and was fully restored in Kolomenskoye Park, which is in the South West of the Capital.

Kolomenskoye Park runs along the Moscow River and it is now home to several traditional wooden building which have been rescued and restored. Well worth a visit.

We met in Sydney a while ago and when Alla heard that I was coming to Moscow she insited that I stay in her flat for free. While I was there, she moved in with her daughter and grandson and they were happy because Alla baked them lots of cakes!

Alla's flat was perfect for my stay in Moscow. I could cook my meals there and there was a Metro Station literally around the corner.

Before I arrived, Alla had booked online a bunch of tickets for me for walking tours and art museums. She would arrive early in the morning and take me by Metro to wherever I had to be on that day. Alla is a journalist who works in Television. I told her that when she retired from journalism she should open a tourist agency!

Thanks, Alla. You helped to make my stay in Moscow very special.