Anticdote

St. Basil’s Cathedral is my favorite piece of architecture in the world.  The beautiful colors and design are very unique.  

I don’t believe people realize how colorful Russia really is.  I remember before I left for Russia, people asked me why I wanted to go to such a cold, drab country.  I hope this photo I took changes the minds of these people.  Russia is a beautiful, colorful, interesting country – it is truly one-of-a-kind.  

St. Basil’s is unique in and of itself.  When one enters most cathedrals, she is faced with a large room with rows of seats and a large alter or pulpit at the front; this is not the case in St. Basil’s.  When I entered St. Basil’s for the first time, I was speechless.  I entered through a small room with golden, painted icons.  This room led to a series of stone passageways.  The walls of some of the passageways were painted with simple floral patterns.  They led to tiny rooms with tall, ornate icons and high ceilings.  St. Basil’s is a cathedral like no other.  Entering this holy place is entering a beautiful adventure.  Truly an amazing experience.

Russia is a very traditional country.  There are so many holidays, customs, and beliefs unique to Russia.  One tradition, which is not be entirely unique to Russia, is as follows: when a couple gets married, they sign their names and anniversary on a padlock, lock it to the railing of a bridge, and throw the key into the water below.  I find this custom beautiful.  Not only is it sweet to see all the locks covering the bridge, reading the names, and imagining their stories, but this tradition is so incredibly symbolic.  The couple locks their love together on a bridge, which represents crossing into a new stage of life, and they throw away the key, vowing to never unlock the love, try to escape and leave the other, and they never look back.  Love is beautiful.