RUSSIA
MOSCOW
Soldiers stand at attention at a World War II Memorial outside the Kremlin.
Our 3000 room Hotel Russia (spelled out in Cyrillic letters across the top) along side the Kremlin.
The Kremlin, with Palace & Cathedrals visible from a bridge across the Moscow River.
The sign on the front of this building is TASS in English! Russian 'C' is an English 'S'. In Russian, Tass means "Truth." This was the main news organization during the Communist years, spreading the truth, as they wanted you to hear it.
This is the infamous TV tower that burned out of control for three days because Russia has been unable to keep up with new technology or properly maintain it's aging infrastructure in recent years. The tower, built in about 1960 is still the tallest structure in the world. Needless to say we had no TV service while in Russia, but there may not have been any English broadcasts anyway.
This fabulous monument is dedicated to the Soviet Space Program and Russia's achievements in space. At the top is a sculpture of a rocket ship. The base is beautifully designed so that it looks like an actual lift off.
ST PETERSBURG
Church of the Sacred Blood, in St. Petersburg is a few hundred years newer and in some ways more beautiful than St. Basil's in Moscow. The exterior is completely covered with ornate mosaics tiles telling the stories of Christianity.
Close up detail of a mosaic picture of the Christ child on the Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
This former Winter Palace of the Tsar's became The Hermitage under Cathrine the Great.
The Summer Palace of Cathrine the Great.
Summer Palace built by Peter the Great, about 25 miles outside of St. Petersburg, right in the Gulf of Finland, which goes out to the North Sea & then connects to the Atlantic Ocean. We rode a powerful hydrofoil across the Gulf of Finland, up the Neva River & back to the dock in front of the Hermitage.
This is the Square at the Winter Palace where in 1905 many demonstrators where killed for protesting the policies of the Tsar. The buildings across the square housed the General Staff (Military Headquarters) in the time of the Tsar.
THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM
The former Winter Palace of the Tsar's, this fabulous building and 4 others were turned into the Hermitage Museum by Catherine the Great, initially to house her magnificent collections of art. Later taken over by the State it has been expanded and developed into one of the world's most renowned displays. This ceiling display is in the "Blue Room."
Here is a sample of one of several round tables decorated by miniature mosaic stones, so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see the lines. The original jigsaw puzzles.
This delicate sculpture of a drowned boy carried ashore by a dolphin, is the work of Michealangelo. Note the floor of the room in the background is made of hand carved wood inlaid from four different types of trees.
Rembrandt, considered the master of light, has made this scene from the crucifixion seem to glow from a candle within the painting.
One of Picasso's classic, cubist paintings: "Table in Cafe" 1914.
In the mid 1800's Catherine added a small intimate theater to her Hermitage, seating only about 100 guests. Today, performances of the famous St. Petersburg Ballet can still be seen there, this one is "Giselle."