from a bird's eye view the oddly shaped triangle formed by moscow's kremlin could be seen as to heart of. a small state within a state these red walls have been protecting moscow's kremlin for more than five centuries so to give you an idea of its size so we decided to actually go around it before going inside we have to start right here at the tower so time you watch. the extent of the kremlin walls is over two kilometers and if you want to go around it you gotta go real fast because the winters in russia a really cold it's minus ten today. the first kremlin was built out of woods poured out

a couple of times before being rebuilt in white stowed. three hundred years later the walls of the tower square faced off with the famous red rake but if you actually pulled away the red brick you would see a wall as white as a bridal gown and some of those walls are almost six meters thick. right here on the red square was a depend moat filled with water and together with a ring of twenty towers it made the kremlin and inaccessible fortress known around the world. to stop the watch now the tower clock wears the witness it took us twenty seven minutes to go around the kremlin walls but what was behind them. join me on a journey to the heart of the kremlin. two places him from the tourist he's going

to meet some real criminal insiders although they may not be the usual news makers you see on t.v. . so that you're going to meet true kremlin scholar this man is practically saturated with kremlin history so good to death of the day like and finally we meet good to see you sir couldn't ask a gate is the major passage into the kremlin and traditionally it has always been open for arriving visitors during the day since the time of ivan the terrible sars an emperor has used it when visiting moscow there were anyone entering the gates take off their heart out to all of the savior of smaller whose image can be seen above the gate. and tearing through games on horseback was probation a legend has it that when napoleon passed through the gate in moscow in eight hundred twelve the winds tore his famous by calling from his head confront the

cedar. in nine hundred forty five the saudi cuny and martial. broke both rules in one moment he entered dressed square through spassky gate to receive the first victory day parade on horseback and wearing his service cap. athlete to female so when did the i can appear here. i call him has been here since the sixteenth century but disappeared during the soviet era it was only a year ago that restores discovered the icon under a layer of plaster while examining them a story almost thanks to them it was saved. in the name of the father. the son. and the holy spirit. is busking agape. was open for passage until the late ninety's but motor transport

to and from the kremlin disturbed tourists walking along the red square and the kremlin walls and with the new millennium came the decision to close the gate. now it opens only on special occasions during the ninth of may victory day parade for example or on inauguration day to receive the presidential motorcade. the only other visitor to pass through the gate is a giant christmas tree put up earlier celebrations. could you lead me through those gates no but we can enter the kremlin through the private entrance a secret entrance for a closed circle is just around the corner. is very easy to get inside the kremlin together with you. as for me i've always wanted to get to the kremlin clock and especially to the bells what was it seems a child i always stood outside looking at the clock and i thought

a magician lived there who manage the clock and also when the bells rang i was simply rooted to the ground. can i get inside was more to the us but you're not dressed warmly enough there's a strong wind up there i mean it's very cold i think you'll have to put on something warmer. this boss could tell were once the heart of the kremlin's defensive line it wasn't to suppose that any offensive would come from the southeast and that the tower would be to first attacked as a result of house trifle and artillery units in the seventeenth century spassky tower was the first to bear the team who had eight eagle emblem of russia during soviet times they were all with one of the five pointed star so. but the towers true jam has its chimes its clock face has a six meters diameter the rim numerals and clock hands are all gold plated a total of twenty eight kilograms of gold is needed just to coat them. inside

this basket are right now we're going to meet a true tower wizard she gave us our of knows all about how to keep titans tower. which was so good to meet you so wanted to clock appear in the tower. we see today have been here since they seem fifty two. clocks appeared on the spot sky tower during the time of zometa while romanov let me tell you more about them at the top of all that i'm following you. to reach the clock one has to climb nine floors of spiral stairs. hear the clock your stern steadily waking every fifteen minutes to signal the bells to strike every quarter hour for one big hit on the hours and.

fifty two or you know the purpose of the bells ringing previously when few people had watches the chimes informed everyone of the toy. previously the clock course operated manually but since nine hundred thirty seven three electric motors to go over everything else has been preserved in its original form. especially a tower clock is the oldest one in the. meter what can you see the pointer at the end yep it's going to regulate the speed of the clocks motion if the clock blocks behind it increases the speed if it's fast the pointer slows it down so they do lag behind where you never notice it because once it starts to pick up specialists quickly eliminate the problem acting like an ambulance so far we haven't noticed it but we're close to revealing that's right. this is an ancient bell ringing

mechanism for setting up melodies at this basket tower it's almost two and a half meters in diameter and what is this saying it's the national anthem of russia. yes yes. they'll strike the melody of russia's national anthem every six hours cables run from the drum below to the very top where the chime in the bell tower. well here are the bells yes we're in the bell tower. if you look over there see it's still house a wooden sealer. forty eight bells hang here in imperial times but were lost during the soviet era today the chimes sing the russian anthem with ten bells and a few metal beats up here attempt stories of the ground it's always very windy. we've got to go now because the main bells and us are ringing and we are risking the carriage death and also it's very cold so we're getting out of here.

skating from the noise of the bells just a few minutes later i find myself near the kremlin central square where people are preparing for especially that so right now we're in a cathedral square where a giant fir tree is being decorated for newer celebrations these three strands between the palaces a warship and the palaces of the stars and can just tell you something one hundred years old which basically means that it was worn when the last star was still alive . one can see that this russian christmas tree has won a very demanding seasonal beauty pageant. gardner spent several months searching

moscow regions for the right candidate at least thirty meters tall pyramid shaped and displaying ample flowing each once these criteria is where match the judges ignored the weight and. is especially ordered for this christmas tree and it's scary to straight into the kremlin. it's not there any more mirrors high it's like twenty times my height and in no time base three is going to be wearing at department store walls jewelry and decorations about two thousand. one thousand five hundred meters of garland that's like almost enough to surround the kremlin into. the trees decorations from top to bottom to begin with a large star of bethlehem on top it is a quarter of the size of the rugby stars atop the kremlin towers but during the holiday season it is the most important one of all. though they look

oversized the ornaments are light kremlin old timers believe that if you have a chance to hang at least one piece on to the tree and make a wish balance to come true. so now we're going to talk to any fellow just like me decorate this gravely you or your tree. i wonder how long he's doing or not need us so sergey brin long have you been decorating christmas trees. well this is the first time that i'm decorating this tree for the past four years i've been working with christmas trees at cathedral square so who decides how to decorate a christmas tree which is a design project is drawn up to clearly define how to hiring all these decorations by the way the total weight of the decorated christmas tree is thirty tons and four hundred kilos. well if there's signs of the tree is an indicator the presence under is also promised much.

to me speak your language. programs and documentaries in arabic it's all here on all t.v. reporting from the world talks books fifty yard p. interviews intrigue school. so you. live in trying. to find out more visit or a big t.v. dog called. the government no longer represents the people the people are going to take such as. we.

please in the traditional split in the revolution along. the way our economic system currently is not going to. live at. least. i. hope it. goes. live.

the speed. limit. i wish i. could. just sleep. and. live. the next point of my journey is the grand kremlin palace usually it is divinely for important state ceremonies mostly dignitaries are invited here but in the past

children were also received thousands of them came to celebrate. the tradition overreaching holidays for children in the kremlin dates back to more than fifty years the first reception was in a grand kremlin palace his largest whole st georges in one nine hundred fifty four . back then and christmas tree most tracks directly up the stairs through their front door without much thought for the ancient interior over sixty meters deep st george's hall is the size of a football pitch a giant fir tree used to be mounted right here in this massively have the object is to be dragged across this park here for that was originally late in eight hundred forty five. when it's scraped chanda leers each one weighing three tons by the way and it's tinkling produced an almost surreal eerie chime also large nails were hammered into this floor to fix this huge christmas tree they can't sue danced and

sang in this hall where we're asked not to shuffle because it would ruin the floor nevertheless the interior was heavily damaged even i was asked to come in with soft indoor shoes and i tried my best. these wrongs honor the memory of heroes who received the order of st george for their courage and this is a second generation. he's also a fine but a fighter to preserve the homes reconstruction stood one has changed after the reconstruction but i still support the park it has definitely changed do you suppose most because we did it with high quality brownish to make it bright and it's very rare is that in two percent of the park it survived eighteen forty five when it was played. this it percent of the flooring was it plays during restoration in one thousand sixty eight thousand nine hundred sixty nine it took. to restore.

the. children's parties were moved to a new building in the early sixty's the kremlin palace of congress built on the shelf it's obvious that this building is from the soviet era and it stands in stark contrast with the kremlin's architectural character the palace used to be a key side for communist forums and now it's the most prestigious musical venue in this country and also a stage for the world's greatest artists as now or staying elton john tina turner here they made they've all been here. right now we her stories are under way in the state kremlin palace for a new year's performance for thousands of kids. inside we have an appointment with the kremlin oldtimer children's writer alex on the script at the very first so the children story we were party from mt fifteen through newton when the i think we've

broken the soviet tradition of staging performances here at the kremlin before a boat with. the tree would light up then kids would be shown to play with the revolution we speak. with one change the plugs for what it was about a boy toy out of his current situation we were so in the story we sent him to a different time. but on one occasion when i came to the new year policy there was no carpets on the floor i also had just gone through the roof it turned out to the during the show some of the children had wet and selves on the carpet out of fear. to be washed and hung out to dry off to prove. how one day stay or your performances are more predictable but still very colorful nevertheless. by tradition at the end of the show the main character of the new year celebrations makes his grand entrance was not in the.

case. children always leave kremlin with gifts however the greatest drama is after the show when parents surround the new year straight to pick the children up who risk to disperse like ants in kremlin inner sanctum. she so how did you like this show was it a kid did it give you a shock. all right so now it's about time to find out where one can even hear it in the kitchen is not far on the fifth floor of the state criminal palace and we're on our way to meet with a sam kremlin chef foot. high you know so you've got us most to meet you say within earshot for once talking about just what's here so this is the sacred where we prepare most of you were the. order of fruit vegetable wars i can show you short let's go let's over there this is our secret

that's where we lose you put the hots for me cools. it with you so if you fake people that so you're the chef and you're thirty five boys are they scared of you. you did yeah. so this is where all the sugar sins take place on the week before last week. so good and they want to show you where i have the privilege to work for all. this usually you told me the kitchens are in the basement you can have promised me to teach how to cook one of president favorite dishes. and i want you to make some kind of mini. european such i look who is russian troops in make you turn your french. but this stuff. is mixed with vegetables and salad cream

than it is. in the world circles or. shaping them by hand art. i don't think i'm doing a very good job closing it she says recent russian presidents prefer healthy food and smaller portions to cram in shefford meats that dimitri may be. it is very fond of fish and seafood for example lobster salad. also prefers fish or meat in the kitchen they told us that he loves unsophisticated dishes like red herring never refuse his local delicacies on a business trips so when someone in the countryside street scene with pickles cucumbers also a traditional russian delicacy his security officers break into a cold sweat as a room only you are very carefully checked before it reaches the presidential mouth . so when you when you heard the person you like secret service guy

you do that flow with the goggles x. raying your food. they call him and take you. to just some basic and that is make sure that most news. in this full of v.a.p. people. alcohol is served only on festive occasions and me to be a little on holidays they prefer beer and wine but he's yeltsin was a lover of liquors and cognac secretary of state of the soviet union. personally promoted vodka at international receptions thanks to him. prepared cream sauce with parmesan cheese to go with ravioli i guess i can say that i can feed the president now are you going to have some. i only live in crime when this is so good. after lunch and there is an order

perhaps in sars spared from us i decided first to acquaint myself with those who watch over the peace and quiet in the kremlin. a whole regiment of young soldiers live here guarding the kremlin and the president the bandits. presidential regiment is rehearsing a performance with weapons denise and kim are not only soldiers but also honor guards they protect the tomb both the unknown soldier at the eternal flame but i thought you can please show me some special tricks that i can teach you if you want all right let's do it like a pro commander is. going to unfold the bayonet to go let me show you the superman then the to the shoulder. to the foot hold the carbine with your right turn i'm not going to cut myself and my you won't cut yourself and i fold it which was

almost a year ago now shoulder the web show but could do with a little bit you're told with your left. arm holding it if you're going to be careful it should not lean on the left shoulder. this is the position in which we start the honor guard on the fourth. young man between eighteen and twenty or selected across the country for the presidential regiment. one can say that they are russia's elite in perfect health was a good background and professional appearance. for the guards there we handsome young men of similar hates are chosen so that they look like twins. for their emergency situations when people break the existing growth for example if people step over the chain we warn them with this kind of signal where they're going with signal and tapping the rifle on the ground the public immediately understands what this noise means and don't go any further. than most frequent

violators of the roofs are young girls they always try to flirt with the guards. but this is to no avail the guards are not allowed to move never mind smile. here's your signature move it is about the leg about seventy eighty degrees move the body forward and put the full foot on the ground this makes the foot you step with a little. quick march. doing it well you could join our company in a couple of months. to the writes. it's time for the guys to prepare for the changing of the guard but i couldn't miss a chance to take a look at their uniform wardrobe. when it is cold we wear ceremonial overcoats the overcoats are very warm with a strong color of. course you can. when the temperature is twenty degrees below

zero we were warmer uniform cold the because. it is made of dense fabric plus it is very warm for it feels hot and it even when it's minus twenty. hard journey into the heart of kremlin is coming to an end thanks time for me to move behind the kremlin walls so i can make it for the changing of the guards. cigar change every hour daily from eight am to eight pm these guys rape me why they're minus thirty winter torrential rains outrageous hits in the summer but of course the hardest part is to stand there motionless no matter what but hey that's the price you pay to live rent free inside the kremlin.

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a must and if you're lucky enough. you'll never forget your experience we only need them a screen that's going to be heaven. in the white see up close and below the ice on our t.v. . i

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