My last day in Moscow was a treat! Although I missed my "mate" Chad who left for Budapest yesterday, I forged on to the State Tretyakov Gallery. The weather was perfect for a walk across the river for a day of art history.
The Tretyakov Gallery is the jewel of Russian art. The collection of more than 130 thousand works was started by a Russian merchant in 1856, and was given to the state in 1982. The building is lovely and I learned a great deal about the Russian masters. The collection spans from the XI to the XX centuries! My favorites were the works in the romantic period in the last 1800's. And, of course, I adored seeing the portraits from Imperial Russia. It was great to see the Tsars depicted in the clothes and jewels I saw in the Kremlin Palace!
On my walk home I stopped into the Kazan Cathedral, which is a pink cathedral located on Red Square. It is a replica of one from the 1600's that Stalin had demolished because it impeded troops marching in Red Square. It was full of fabulous icons and I enjoyed saying a few prayers, including one to express my gratitude for being able to take this trip of a lifetime!
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