The land of fairytales

Stepping onto the Red Square is a bit like stepping onto the set of a fairytale.

At one end sits the Kazan Cathedral, its mouth-wateringly delicious architecture resembling an armadillo’s shell, intricately sculpted from generous scoops of vanilla, mint and strawberry ice-cream.

Next to the cathedral, the State History Museum looms. Its snow-capped, jagged spires pierce the dull grey and the helter-skelter turrets, stretching tall as they assume their stand to attention, provide the perfect prison for Rapunzel to spend her days lusting after the lives being lived out below.

On one side of the square, the Kremlin Wall gobbles up the horizon, broken only by the cold slabs of Lenin’s Mausoleum. Its soaring brick walls pin down the cloak of secrecy that hides the opulenent mini city that sits comfortably on the other side.

Then there’s the fit of arches, towers and giant candy-coloured onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral. Just like the house that lured Hanzel and Gretel into the clutches of the wicked witch, the striking architecture and bold-coloured baubles are a feast for the eyes. One glimpse and you’re under its spell, drawn in for a closer look and left wondering if anything else will ever compare.

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