Russian diary - Peterhof.

Near St. Petersburg, are the spectacular parks at Peterhof.  Representing nearly two centuries of European aristocratic fashion that was built to the very highest of standards, these parks are remarkable for the variety of style encompassed in their layout and features.

One of the most amazing features of Peterhof parks is the unique fountain system that requires no pumps.  The fountains are supplied by a gravity fed water system.  The water follows a 22 kilometer system feeding fountains along the way and

skillfully placed to exploit the natural slope of the terrain.

Today, Peterhof with its 150 fountains and 4 cascades is known as “The Jewel of Russian Art”.

Russian diary- Tsarskoe Selo.

One of the places I really wanted to visit while staying in St. Petersburg was Tsarskoe Selo. I spent so much time there with my parents, and after becoming a parent I spent time there with my kids. But this was the first time when I was able to see the Amber room, one of the wonders of Catherine Place.

The palaces and parks at Tsarskoe Selo (Tsar Village) were established as a country retreat by Catherine I, in 1717. Originally a modest two story building, later it was completely redesigned on a scale to rival Versailles. The resultant palace, completed in 1756 is nearly 1 km in circumference, with elaborately decorated facades and interiors which are no less spectacular.

The landscaped gardens, created in the late 18^th century, were the first of their kind in Russia.

During World War II, Tsarskoe Selo suffered extensive damage. 

The view of the Palace after Nazi occupation.

The Amber room was dismantled by Nazis and to date, its fate is unknown. The original Amber room was decorated with amber mosaics panels, surrounded with gilded carving, mirrors, Florentine mosaics and further mosaics of Ural and Caucasus gemstones.

The recreation of Amber room took over 20 years, the restored room is a truly unique monument, and a testament to the painstaking care of the craftsmen who worked on it. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the room. These, found on Google, give you an idea of its grandeur.

You may see more pictures here.

Russian diary: Moscow- the Kremlin and Red Square

The Kremlin of Moscow is directly associated with every major event in Russian history.  The Kremlin sits in the center of the city, on Borovitsky Hill above the Moscow River.  

Since the beginning of its construction in 1156, it has been the center of both temporal and spiritual power. In 1367-68, skilled artists and architects from across Europe were employed to rebuild the Kremlin. They shaped the site into roughly its modern form and appearance. The Kremlin’s tower-studded, walled complex contains an ensemble of monuments of outstanding beauty.

The Arsenal

Assumption Cathedral

Kremlin Guard

Bell tower Ivan the Great

Red Square is closely associated with the Kremlin, lying beneath its east wall. The square used to be a market square adjoining the merchants area in Kitay Gorod (part of Moscow).It has always been a place where occupants of the Kremlin chose to congregate, celebrate and castigate for all the people to see.

At its south end is the famous Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed.

The Cathedral was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the 1552 capture of Kazan from Mongol forces. It was completed in 1560. Nothing is known about the builders, Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, except their names and the dubious legend that Ivan had them blinded so that they could not create anything to compare.

During the Soviet era, Red Square became a focal point for the new state. Military parades take place here since 1919.  Lenin’s Mausoleum is the part of the square complex.

Red Square is closed to traffic and filled with tourists snapping photos and marveling at their surroundings.

Kremlin tower

Marshall Zhukov against Samsung

Red Square getting ready for the Victory day parade

World's famous mummy home

Hmmm... a competitor or a soul mate?

History museum

You may see more pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elka-igolka/sets/72157630035809599/

Russian diary: The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood

This marvelous Russian style church, built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded in March 1881. The church was built between 1883 and 1907 and was officially called the Resurrection of Christ church (a.k.a. The Church of our Savior in Spilled Blood).

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture. The church is only a block away from Kazan cathedral which was built in traditions of Classical architecture. It is a western church in a western city, and although the cathedral held Russian Orthodox ceremonies and featured icons, it is still laid out much like a Catholic Cathedral.

Kazan Cathedral

As a result, it becomes a symbol of the liberal European influence, which Alexander III so despised and blamed for his father’s death. Alexander III insisted that his church be line of sight to the Kazan cathedral to remind his citizens of the dangers of liberalization and reform.

The glazed brick and polychrome tiles are trimmed with shining marble.

However, it is the mosaics that are the real treasure. The flamboyant exterior of the building is adorned with icons in a riot of color and becomes more mind boggling the closer you get. Inside there is almost 7,000 sq. meters of Italian marble and over 20

different Russian minerals, that embellish the opulent mosaics based on paintings by Nikolai Bruni, Mikhail Nesterov, and other religious artists of the late 19th century.

Christ and the Apostles are portrayed within the cupola, while the walls and pillars are totally adorned with other Biblical scenes or images of saints.  Mosaics fill the niches, crevices and cornices and no surface is left bare of embellishment.

In the aftermath of the Russian revolution the church was ransacked and looted of the fine wooden icons and religious alter facades.  The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s.  During the Second World War when many people starved to death during the siege of Leningrad, the church was used as a temporary morgue for those who died from combat, starvation and illness. It was hit by many German shells, at least one of which went through the roof, but failed to explode saving irreplaceable interior art.

After the war, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Savior on Potatoes.  Later, it was used for many years as a storage space for a local opera company.

In 1968, the church was recognized as a heritage asset. It was reopened in August 1977, after 27 years of restoration (it took more time to restore it, than to build), but has not been consecrated and functions as a Museum of Mosaics. Even before the Revolution ut never functioned as a public place of worship, having been dedicated exclusively to the memory of the assassinated tsar.


The Church is now one of the main tourist attractions in St. Petersburg. Not only does it look like what the rest of the world has become to expect fron the Russian Ortodox church, but does so in a breathtakingly beautiful and picturesque way.

You may see more pictures here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/elka-igolka/sets/72157630006407322/