Sightseeing in Moscow ... the LeFort way

Though we've traveled to a few different countries before, we had never been somewhere like this, where English is not spoken by many, and nearly every sign provides no translation (thank goodness the international symbol for men's bathroom is still that stick figure without the skirt, otherwise I may have caused an international incident).

We visited the Red Square ... Lenin's Tomb ... St. Basil's Cathedral ... the Kremlin ... all in one day ...

OK, I'll stop right there. Fran knows I subscribe to the Clark Griswold style of 'visiting' tourist attractions.

"Oh, look, there it is honey."
"Good, now stand right there in front of it while I take your picture. Say cheese ... great."
OK, what's next?"

So we didn't actually go in any of these places, we engaged in a drive-by shooting, or in this case, a walk-by shooting, collecting photographic proof that we were indeed in the Red Square, for those who still believe an American can't actually visit Russia without being 'detained' in a Siberian jail for spying.

The only historic place we did visit was the GUM, which looks like a historic building of some significance right on the Red Square, but is really a shopping mall of historic prices .. so we just looked, but didn't touch, because in Russia the signs on the fragile items reads "If you break it, we 'detain' you"

It seemed rather cruel that the GUM was right across from Lenin's Tomb, for the former dictator must be rolling over in his Tomb knowing he is located within a few hundred yards of overt, evil capitalism.

Or maybe he is rolling over because of the prices.