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The Tsar Cannon was cast in 1586 and weighs 40 tons. |
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The Tsar Bell was cast between 1733 -1735 and weighs 200 tons. |
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The Ivan the Great Bell Tower, the Assumption Belfry and the Filaret's Extension |
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The Arsenal |
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The State Kremlin Palace |
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The Trinity Tower |
The Moscow Kremlin contains 68 acres and at least seven buildings you can tour. There are gardens to walk through and each tower has a name, even if two are them are named The First and Second Nameless Towers. We toured the Armoury Chamber and briefly looked into two Cathedrals. Two things hampered our tour, the time and the weather. The Kremlin Museums close at 5 pm and we spent much longer in the Armoury than I anticipated. And the weather, when we went in the sun was out and we were comfortably wearing windbreakers. When we came out the sky had turned dark and it was precipitating, a mix of freezing rain and snow and the wind had picked up. The Armoury Chamber contained arms and armor, china, silver, dresses and cloaks, crowns and thrones, carriages and sleds. There was a free audio tour available but we did not choose to use it. The signage was all in Russian and English. We moved pretty quickly past the china but lingered long at the armor and swords! Within the Armoury Chamber there was a separate exhibition with a separate ticket called the Diamond Fund, I may have to go back to see this! Like several other places we have visited, once we are inside the museum or exhibit the signage is translated and the docents are helpful but we have a difficult time understanding the information at the ticket booth regarding prices, ages, and what exhibits are included in what ticket price. BUT, we muddle through and everyone tries to be helpful and welcoming. Obviously, not speaking Russian is our biggest obstacle but we have noticed that sometimes the translation doesn't make much sense, like instead of asking someone fluent in both languages or a native English speaker they used google translate, which is a lifesaver BUT has its drawbacks. We will certainly return to see more of this wonderful treasure!
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