We then went immediately inside the Armory, sadly no photos allowed. The Armory contains carriages (for warm weather) and sledges (for snow), including the Cinderella-type carriage of Catherine the Great, and her huge sledge used for visiting the infamous (but really, not so scandalous) Potemkin villages. We also saw gowns of various imperial ladies, jewels of the tsars (including the "modernized" crown of Peter the Great), and many of the royal Faberge eggs. (Unfortunately the one with the tiny train was visiting London at the time.) We also saw several thrones, including the interesting one shared by Peter the Great and his half brother, with the curtain at the back so their older sister Sofia could whisper answers to any questions they might be asked by dignitaries.
The private church for the tsars on the left, and part of the palace on the right. The courtyard shown below was where the Strelsky Guards threw Peter the Great's uncle from the balcony to a throng of thousands of guards below, who tore him to pieces, along with a lot of other people from the palace. Peter, about 10 at the time, remembered the event for the rest of his life, and never wanted to live in Moscow again.
The Cathedral of the Assumption, the center of the Orthodox Church in the 14th century, where all tsars were crowned.
The Tsars' Bell. Really big. Really heavy (25,000 pounds). Was never rung, just broke. Or maybe it was rung once, then busted. Depends on where in the internet you look. But impressive. Also impressive: the number of tourists who feel they MUST have their photo taken in front of the busted bell. Go figure.
Cool guy in hat.
And after a rest in the very hot afternoon, we walked toward the pedestrian bridge, and out of the Kremlin walls.
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