At the beginning of September we headed out on our first Russian road trip. Our destination was Kazan in the republic of Tatarstan. The majority of people in the republic of Tatarstan are Muslims but there are also a lot of Slavic Russians. Tatarstan has it's own government but also answers to Moscow. People who live in the Republic of Tatarstan have 2 passports............a Russian one and a Tatarstan one. A few years ago, Jon's language teacher told us that we would definitely want to visit Kazan one day. Kazan is over 1000 years old with a rich history. Kazan also has an IKEA but we didn't end up going to it. I'm so thankful we took a little slot of our time to get there, now I only wish we would have spent an extra day visiting all the sites. One of the first things that struck me about this beautiful city was how clean it was. Then I was so impressed with all the beautiful flowers.
This was a view from the rooftop of our hotel. This is looking into
the Kremlin. Jon found a great deal on a room at the Marriott. It
was so nice, just like the States, and great customer service.
This is a mosque inside the Kremlin. We
actually went inside and saw some men
praying. The inside is beautiful also.
One of the several Russian Orthodox churches inside the Kremlin.
This is a bell tower I believe and it sits on
the edge of the government buildings. It
is also leaning a little bit to the right.
This is the entrance to the government buildings. I suppose
their "duma"(similar to congress) is here.
3 comments:
Beautiful pictures. Thanks for posting. As I read I realized I didn't know what the word "Kremlin" meant. I thought it was something in Moscow having to do with the Russian govt. Looking up I see that it is the "central fortress" in a Russian city. Does that sound right? A protected area within the city? Never knew... Grace to you all.
Wow, what a neat cultural experience! I hope you all are well-we pray for you and miss you.
Alison
Thanks Scott and Lissie.
Scott if you go on Wikipedia and look up "Kazan Kremlin" you will get an idea of the amazing history of this place. It really is fascinating!!!!
And yes a kremlin is pretty much a citadel. The kremlin in Kazan has a wall all around it.
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