So where do you think these pictures were taken?
In Moscow, yes, but where?
These are all photos from a single location.
These ones are big hints.
Have you worked it out yet?
Its a Moscow subway station!! Novoslobodskaya to be precise.
In the early Soviet Era, the government wanted to build beautiful cathedrals to Communism and to the masses, the Proletariat, the idealised people of Soviet Russia.
So they chose to make the places that the masses passed through and used every day places of great beauty, celebrating the writer, the factory worker, the composer, the farmer etc.
Its really very special and should be on your bucket list.
It made me realise that not everything about Communism was bad.
The USSR had some good qualities. Some, like this dedication to making public facilities beautiful, we in the West could learn from.
It was very easy to travel the subway with a 1 year old. They had anglicised all the signage of all the stations for the World Cup and there were maps and Apps to make it easy to get around.
People were friendly and it felt safe and secure.
Another unusual aspect of the Moscow metro system is the lack of advertising on the trains and in the stations - another vestige of communism? I wonder how long it will last..
I hope they continue the no advertising policy. It would be like putting advertising in a Cathedral - a Sacrilege!
You don't have to be communist to sympathise with the ideals represented in the beautiful stained glass windows. Its wonderful to see everyday heroes celebrated in this way