The Lenin Mausoleum – Moscow Russia

What is the best way to remember the father of communism? Embalm his body and put him on display in the heart of the capital city. It sounds a bit extreme but that is exactly what the Russians did with the body of Vladimir Lenin. During our 2010 trip to Russia I couldn’t wait to go and experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Lenin's body. The Mausoleum itself sits right in the middle of Red Square and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful Russian/Classical architecture I have ever seen. However, the Mausoleum Structure itself is built in classical modernism architecture with straight lines and larges square pieces of granite. This juxtaposition of architectural styles is actually very cool. Lenin's body has been on display here since shortly after he died in the 20’s. There used to be extremely long lines to see his body but nowadays you can simply line up early in the morning on one side of the square to get in. After an intense security checkpoint (they do not want any cameras) you end up walking the path that leads up to the Mausoleum which is lined by numerous statues of the great communist leaders of Russia. When you eventually reach the Mausoleum you end up walking down numerous steps before reaching the embalmed body of Lenin. It is dark, cold and extremely quite inside the tomb. His body, which looks very much like plastic, lies inside of a large glass case. Within a matter of minutes we were in and out of the Mausoleum as there are guards making sure you don’t loiter. These guards are extremely intense and the only thing we ever heard them say is “SHHHHH.” Any time someone would attempt to talk, or step to loudly, you would hear a very stern “SHHHHH” out of one of the guards. The entire experience only lasted about an hour but it is something that Lindsay and I will never forget.