64th Anniversary from Great Victory

Victory Day in Russia, 64th anniversary from the final surrender of Nazi Germany to the USSR

Today on May 9th, 2009, the weather in the capital of Russia was a real treat for both citizens and visitors of Moscow during the celebration of one of the main holidays in our country, Victory Day. This is the date of the final surrender of Nazi Germany to the U.S.S.R. in 1945, marking the end of World War II. It is a day of memory and sorrow because millions of people died during this terrible war (only in the U.S.S.R. approximately 27 million people of different nationalities perished). This war became a harsh trial for our country and a great test of our national spirit, our unity, and our armed forces.

Almost every family in the U.S.S.R. lost relatives during the Great Patriotic War (as WWII is called here). We know about this war from hearing real stories passed down from our parents and grandparents. This terrible war and the people who died defending our motherland will never be forgotten.

It is known all over the world that one of the major events for the celebration of Victory Day in Russia (one of the main republics of the former U.S.S.R.) is the Victory Parade in the Red Square. Although the history of the military parade is quite interesting, it is a bit too long to fit into this news article. I would, however, like to mention several important facts that in my opinion are interesting and important to know. The national holiday of Victory Day was established right after the final surrender of Nazi Germany to the U.S.S.R. on May 8th, 1945. It was evening in Berlin, but in Moscow it was already the early morning of May 9th and this day became the Day of the Great Victory. The first military parade in the Red Square occurred with the destruction of symbols and flags of Nazi Germany near Lenin's Mausoleum on the rainy day of June 24, 1945, when all the divisions of the Soviet army were able to return back from Germany.

My repeat clients from Belgium and I spent this great day walking around the major sites of Moscow where there were street festivities. My clients had decided to stay one extra day after their last 3 business work days in order to have the chance to see the celebration of Victory Day in Moscow and to breathe in the atmosphere of this national holiday in Russia. During this splendid day we were in the center of the street festivities, walking around the area of Tverskaya Street and Pushkinskaya Square, trying to have a chance to take a picture of the military hardware that was waiting for the signal to begin the military parade. But security this year was very high, which did not give ordinary people the opportunity to view the tanks and armoured vehicles. At the beginning of the parade at 10:00 a.m., it was very overcrowded on Pushkinskaya Square when we realized that we would only be able to view the aircraft and not the military apparatus. So we then decided to take the metro, the fastest and easiest way to move around, especially during this day when the entire center of the city was cordoned off by the police and military. On the way to New Arbat I showed my clients a few of my favorite metro stations that I usually include in the "metro tour." We were quite fortunate to be able to find a place at the end of New Arbat Street to see and take photos of the weaponry as it returned back from the Red Square. My clients and I were very excited about this, so after a short walk up and down the Old Arbat, a famous pedestrian street in downtown Moscow, we stopped for a short break to have a drink in a local cafe. Then we decided to visit Victory Park, the main memorial complex dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. In Victory Park my clients were very impressed by the peaceful atmosphere and the friendly people all around. There were many veterans there and most of the people held flowers to greet participants of the war and were taking photos together. Before visiting Victory Park we had planned to visit other sites, but we were so relaxed there and so fascinated taking pictures of the veterans and other people, we only had time to return back to the place where I parked my car and have a quick dinner before their flight back to Belgium. The trip to the airport was a bit tense for my clients and me because of the limited time we had before the departure of their flight. As usual on the Lenigradskoe Highway, the way to SVO-2 airport, there were several traffic jams. But don't worry, we were able to make it and I saw my tired but very happy and excited clients off at the airport on time and ensured that they passed through the registration at the check in counter.

Happy Victory Day to our veterans, long life and happiness to you!

Have a look at my photo album "Victory Day, 64th anniversary" with best photos that I took with my clients from Belgium walking around the major sites of Moscow during this great holiday in Russia.

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