Copenhagen, Denmark ~ Kastellet Military Fortress

We got into Copenhagen and to our hotel around 2pm. We settled in, had lunch, and ventured out to areas around out hotel. We stayed outside of the city center because the hotels were god awful expensive around there. We couldn't even get a room at the Marriott with all our point because these were upscale rooms. Outside the center it is. The is one of the harbor inlets by the various cruise ship docks. Very windy but pretty!

Bronze monument to the Little Mermaid ~ I wanted to get the kids next to this but the crowd was insane! 

The rock next to her was good enough :-)

Entrance into the military fortress. 

Ash was  having a moment and did not want her picture taken. Remember.... She woke up at 130am so she was ready for bed at this point. 

Every military facility needs a church. Absolutely beautiful!

Churchill Park

The fortress is on a star shaped island

Walking through this place was so cool. This facility is still open for use but was mainly operational during WWII

All thee cannons were along the ramparts. I am sure they were usable at one point

These grassy hills are the fortress ramparts with the mote surrounding it. I assume there was a wall but I can not be sure. grassy hills do not seem very fortified to me :-)

Lovely little windmill 

This precious creature has had enough. Poor girl

The boys have just about reached their limit. We were all so very tired

Barrack's Building 

Pint Sized Frequent Flyers and the Nutcase Mother

"Join the Navy! See the World!" ~ Yea, that never happened. But good advertising scheme :-) My military adventures consisted of the ever exotic San Diego, California and the lavish resort known as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now don't get me wrong. I enjoyed these places very much and would actually go back to Cuba in a hear beat, but I never had the military global experience that most have. 

Now... "Become an Expat! See the World!" ~ That's a slogan I can get behind. Or even a flight attendant for that matter. Which brings us to the purpose and topic of today's post... Flying.... the nerve wrecking, anxiety driven business know as flying. 

I'm not entirely sure where I went wrong or what happened in life but at 31 years old I am unequivocally scared of planes! It is no secret either. I am sure every passenger on that plane knows dam well that the lady sitting in 31B is not happy about the current situation. Meanwhile... my kids board the plane, sit in their seats, get their headphones out and carry on business as usual style. Who are these kids!! 6, 5, and 3.5 years old and they are so well behaved on planes. It amazes me! Truthfully, CJ, my youngest is Satan on a good day and will burn down villages yet he knows exactly what is expected of him. Sure... he has moments like anyone else but he is NOT "that kid" on a plane who is screaming, fussing, kicking seats... acting foolish. NO... THAT's ME!! 

I would like to blame it on the fact that I'm pregnant and sensitive to motion but that would be a blatant lie. Maybe it is the fact that since we have moved overseas I have been on so many airplanes that I just hate them now. I have never had a personal risk assessment done and have no clue how they calculate how much of a risk you are, but if someone were to assess me I am sure I would be considered risky due to how many planes I board a year and compared to most... I do not board that many planes and that is crazy to think about. Last year, in 2015, I got on close to 30 planes and flew almost 50 thousand miles. Again... not a lot compared to international businessmen who travel daily but for me that is  a lot and also compared to the average person that is a lot. 

I used to love getting into an airplane. I LOVE to travel and go places but the means of transportation is little to be desired. It also does not help that every time we are about to get into a plane an air disaster happens. I'm certain that more disasters happened when I loved to fly but I was never actually aware of them. I wish I could go back to that absent minded  kid who only worried about herself when it comes time to fly. 

Then we have these weirdos who just do not care :-) I'M SO JEALOUS!!!!! I want to snuggle up and just fall asleep!

I am sure Will get's great amusement out of me! The whole 8 hours to Moscow I was so stressed out I couldn't even watch a movie. I sat there and basically suffered through the easy, smooth, flight. A bit ridiculous I know. 

So now that I have shared with you my psychological issues, we have reached our destination and  I can relax until next Thursday when I board the plane to go home :-) 

I now leave you with these images of the "Many Faced God" ~ Another little Game Of Thrones reference for ya!

Moscow, Russia ~ Part 6 ~ State Museum, Lenin & Armory Chamber

Like I said... There is so much to do that you run out of time to see everything. I cant even fit all of Red Square into one blog entry.. So here we are again in Red Square getting last minute sights in before out flight back to Yuzhno. 

Back to the State Historical Museum. Remember this building from before? It was as beautiful inside as it was out. 

I have never seen so many adornment casings for Gospels. This one is solid gold

Painted walls and ceilings

Carriages and weapons

Throne

The above carriage was one of the carriages for the Romanov children. Below is some of their clothes

The United States Declaration of Independence ~ Obviously a replica but still pretty cool to see in Russia

W truly appreciated and loved about this museum is it was like walking through the Smithsonian. It was filled with early civilization artifacts of the people who inhabited this country. From the dawn of Russia's existence until present day to include information from voyages and explorations. Again, another well done museum. 

Now... The Main Event... LENIN!!!

Mausoleum to Vladimir Lenin - The man in charge of the Bolshevik Revolution which overthrew the Dynasty. He's kind of a big deal in case you didn't know :-)

We waited in line to enter. Yes, LINES to see this! But its only open on certain days for 2 hours. Limited access I guess. 

Once you pass through security in the the Mausoleum area you walk along the Kremlin Wall Necropolis which houses 12 actual graves and ashes of other notable member of the state to include Yuri Gagarin who was a Russian Cosmonaut and the first human being sent to space. The above grave is Leonid Brezhnev who was the Soviet Secretary General

Now we all know who this is right??? Below is the grave and final resting place of Josef Stalin.  I tried to take a selfie with him and received some looks. I guess selfies with the dead are frowned upon. It was a surreal feeling to be standing next to his grave. Knowing he is right there. 

Back in Rochester, one of our cemeteries contains the grave of notable figures such as Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglass as well as the man who sources believe was Jack the Ripper and I visited those graves often for school trips. 

This was different. This was unique. This man people loved and feared and being an American, with grandparents and parents who lived through the Cold War, it was ingrained in my education that everything the Soviet Union stood for was EVIL. We didn't fear Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. In the 80's we were too far removed from WWII. I was born in the Cold War Era. We feared the Soviet Union, We feared nuclear war, we were told to fear Russians and not to trust them. I was 7 years old when the Soviet Union broke apart and can remember the news. I obviously did not understand what that meant but I knew it was big whatever it was. Even after the 1991 breakup, it didn't mean the fear was over. I can remember my 5th grade teacher talking about duck and cover drills. 

So to be here, in Moscow, admiring this city, waiting in line to see Lenin, standing on this grave was unbelievable actually. 

I didn't really know what to expect when I entered the mausoleum. Again, one of those weird feelings like "I am an American, I should naturally not want to have anything to do with this" but at the same time I was more drawn to it because I am an American. I have read so many books on Lenin and understanding his psyche is interesting. Almost as interesting as Hitler actually. What if Hitler was never denied entrance into Art school in Vienna? Would WWII have happened? Same could be said for Lenin. What if he never became involved in the Marxist Revolutionary Movement in the late 1890's? How much different would Russia be today? Strange to think about huh?

We enter the building and its dark, cold and various hues of red. Thenthere he is. Lenin, laying in a open coffin, preserved, and visible for all to see. I did not expect to actually see his body right there to view. Very creepy and cool at the same time. He was so small and petite. I was expecting a portly stocky man since all his pictures make him look larger. His statue here in Yuzhno also makes it appear that he is a larger man. Nope.. itty bitty little man. 

So since Photography is strictly forbidden in the mausoleum, these pictures come from google images and since I have seen this first hand I know them to be legit. 

That's it. That's what he looks like. Lenin at peace.

One other attraction we saw while in Red Square was the Armory Chamber inside the Kremlin. If any of you readers head to Moscow and plan to visit the Armory be sure to give yourself at least 2 hours to get through it. We had a recorded English tour taking us through and it was 1 hour 40 minutes I believe but the recording can not tell you absolutely everything, You'd be there all day. But some things you may want to go back and take a look at previous rooms. 

For whatever reason, photography was strictly forbidden and all the information I am about to tell you comes from the book that I bought on the Armory that have read cover to cover. Yes... I am a nerd and I am perfectly OK with that :-)

The Armory is the oldest Museum in Russia and houses the elaborate treasures of the Dynasties. It is preserved by UNESCO and a World Heritage site now. Everything in this museum dates back to 12th Century to 20th Century. The rooms are broken up into different categories ranging from Russian gold and silverware, European ceremonial weapons, Russian Arms, West European Silver, Precious fabrics, Coronation Gowns, Every type of crown and scepter worn, every throne the different Czar's sat in, harnesses for the horses, carriages, State Regalia, secular dresses, wedding dresses. This place was amazing. Wish I could have taken pictures. 

I have never seen so many fine jewels. I am talking Emeralds the size of tea saucers, baseball sized Sapphires and Rubies. Every gospel was encased and adorned with precious jewels and gold. There were cases dedicated to Peter Faberge who created the famous Faberge Egg. I was truly blown away. 

Every gift a Czarina ever received was in here. 

If your every in Moscow and tour the Kremlin, be sure to check out the Armory Chamber. Definitely worth the time.