MOSCOW MONDAY

ST BASIL'S CATHEDRAL AND THE ENTRANCE TO RED SQUARE

Monday morning before my flight home I make out a small tour of Red Square, my driver drops me off outside St Basil’s church. Its coloured minarets and golden crosses impale a grey sky.

The tomb of Lenin, plain and imposing by its simplicity: marble black and the colour of dried blood. I am asked by an elderly couple to take the photo outside the mausoleum.

To the airport, via the Metro system train, a worrisome experience as I try to correlate my travel map with the station signs in Cyrillic. By chance I get off at the right station and see striking brass Soviet insignias embedded in the marble roof of the concourse of the airport express train stop.

LENIN'S PLACE OF REST

MOSCOW METRO STATION

MOSCOW: THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRAIN