Travelog for: Peeta

Hey, mom!

Let me break my Thai photos with some common one – it’s Orthodox Easter today! In Russian it is named Paskha.
My host isn't too religious, but we visited her grandma and had a lot of fun.

It's religious feast at first, so the main action happens on a Saturday night - people put on their best clothes and come together in dark churches that symbolize a gloomy world without the light of faith. In the past, satanic creatures were believed to turn especially evil in the night before Easter. People didn’t dare to go outside after sunset as they feared every cat could be a witch and every dog a devil!
So, it’s interesting, that there is not Easter rabbit in Russia! They don't go search eggs; they just change them with their friends and family and kissed 3 times. My host’s grandma don’t paint eggs – she bought special plastic paintings and stick them with boil water. Looks so beautiful!


And there is special food on Sunday: Paskha and Culich
(Easter - is made from spesial cottage cheese, nuts and raisins
Little easter cake - is a bread with a lot of sugar and candied fruit.) Mmmmm, yummy!



Should pay more attention - what great embroideries are created by the grandmother! It’s her hobby and all walls of the apartment are covered with such “pictures”! And pillowcases on pillows too were embroidered by her. Super needlework!

Hi, mom!
Today we are visiting one of the most famous place in Russia – the Red Square. It separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia.

At first we will pass an entrance. Resurrection Gate is the only existing gate of the Kitai-gorod in Moscow. It connects the north-western end of Red Square with Manege Square and gives its name to nearby Voskresenskaya Square (Resurrection Square). The gate adjoins the ornate building of the Moscow City Hall to the east and the State Historical Museum to the west.

The State Historical Museum of Russia is a museum of Russian history, opened in 1872. Its exhibitions range from relics of the prehistoric tribes inhabiting present-day Russia, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty. The total number of objects in the museum's collection numbers in the millions. But my host tells me that she doesn’t like its color – pink or red… It cannot be compared with Kremlin.

Kazan Cathedral Russian: Казанский собор, also known as the "Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan", is a Russian Orthodox church located on the northeast corner of Red Square. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church, which was destroyed at the direction of then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, in 1936.

It is well known and extremely disputable place - Lenin's Mausoleum also known as Lenin's Tomb. It is the mausoleum that serves as the current resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since shortly after his death in 1924 (with rare exceptions in wartime). Aleksey Shchusev's diminutive but monumental granite structure incorporates some elements from ancient mausoleums, such as the Step Pyramid and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great.

The Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat also known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a Russian Orthodox church erected on Red Square in Moscow in 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible. It commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan.
St. Basil's marks the geometric center of Moscow. It has been the hub of the city's growth since the 14th century and was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.

There is a well-known statue, it commemorates Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who gathered an all-Russian volunteer army and expelled the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Moscow, thus putting an end to the Time of Troubles in 1612.

The Spasskaya Tower is the main tower with a through-passage on the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin, which overlooks the Red Square.
The Spasskaya Tower was built in 1491. The tower's modern name comes from the icon of Spas Nerukotvorny (The Saviour Not Made by Hands), which was placed above the gates on the inside wall in 1658 (it was removed in 1917) and the wall-painted icon of Spas Smolensky (Smolensky Saviour), which was created in the 16th century on the outside wall of tower (plastered over in 1937, reopened and restored in 2010). The Spasskaya Tower was the first one to be crowned with the hipped roof in 1624–1625. According to a number of historical accounts, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower appeared between 1491 and 1585. It is usually referred to as the Kremlin clock 

Near Kremlin there is "Zoo" of fairy-tale creatures. You can see "Princess-swan". Its' fairy-tales that every child in Russia knows - their famous poet Pushkin recreated it in poetry and made so excellent and funny!

2rd sculpture’s name is "Ivan-prince and frog-princess". It's a funny story about one king, who wanted 3 his sons to marry. They took a bow and arrows and each made 1 shot. 2 first arrows went into houses of princesses. But the 3rd son's arrow flow far far away and fall into a bog and a frog found it. So, he has to marry her (it was a rule of his father). But of course, it was a bewitched princess, and after some adventures they were happy 

This beautiful fountain is main in sculpture complex on Manezhnaya Square. The group of a fountain includes sculptural composition "Four seasons" Z.Tseretelli where each horse symbolizes spring, summer, autumn and winter. Now, unfortunately, the fountain is closed, but, I hope, I will see, how it works!

Hi, mom!

Today we visited one of my host’s the most favorite places in Moscow - the Novodevichy Convent! Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from an ancient maidens' convent within the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has remained virtually intact since the 17th century. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Novodevichy Convent was founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasili III in commemoration of the conquest of Smolensk in 1514. It was built as a fortress at a curve of the Moskva River and became an important part of the southern defensive belt of the capital, which had already included a number of other monasteries. The Novodevichy Convent was known to have sheltered many ladies from the Russian royal families and boyar clans, who had been forced to become nuns.

The Preobrazhenskiy church is constructed over a northern entrance of the monastery. It is well visible from the neighboring area.

We can get a bird's eye view of a monastery at the beginning of excursion.

The oldest structure in the convent is the six-pillared five-domed cathedral, dedicated to the icon Our Lady of Smolensk. Extant documents date its construction to 1524–1525; yet its lofty ground floor, magisterial proportions, and projecting central gable are typical of monastery cathedrals built at the behest of Ivan the Terrible. Most scholars agree that the cathedral was rebuilt in the 1550s or 1560s; it was formerly ringed by four smaller chapels, in an arrangement reminiscent of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kremlin. Its frescos are among the finest in Moscow.

The cathedral may be a focal point of the convent, but there are many other churches. Most date from the 1680s, when the convent was thoroughly renovated at the behest of the regent Sophia Alexeyevna (who, ironically, would be incarcerated there later). The blood-red walls and crown-towers, two lofty over-the-gates churches, a refectory, and residential quarters were all designed in the Muscovite Baroque style, supposedly by a certain Peter Potapov. In the old cathedral, a new bowl for holy water and gilded carved iconostasis were installed in 1685.

An arresting slender belltower, also commissioned by Sophia, was built in six tiers to a height of 72 metres (236 ft), making it the tallest structure in 18th-century Moscow (after the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin). This light octagonal column seems to unite all major elements of the ensemble into one harmonious whole.



Especially interesting story is connected with this tower. After Peter I dethroned his elder sister, tsarevna Sofia, and forced her to the nun in 1689, she lived in this Naprudna tower. The kind brother decided to entertain his sister, and hanged out dead soldiers and her guards on trees under windows of her cell.
But you cannot hang everybody. Even having become nun, Sofia found possibility to leave a wall of the dungeon for the purpose of love adventures. Today it is considered that the tower (or spirit of tsarevna Sofia) can grant the desires connected with love! It is enough to write it on a wall, to enclose a note between bricks or simply ask very strongly. Do you believe in it?

Like other Moscow monasteries (notably the Danilov and the Donskoy) the New Maidens' Monastery was coveted by the Russian nobility as a place of burial.  The Napoleonic hero Denis Davydov is also buried in the grounds. In 1898, the so-called Novodevichy Cemetery was opened without monastery walls. Anton Chekhov was one of the first notables to be interred at the new necropolis, and Nikolai Gogol was later reburied there too. During the Soviet epoch, it was turned into the most high-profile cemetery in the Soviet Union, with the likes of Peter Kropotkin, Nikita Khrushchev, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Konstantin Stanislavski, Boris Yeltsin, and Mstislav Rostropovich being interred there.

Especially I like figures of angels - often it is female graves,  the inconsolable spouse gave them a statue



Now we left the monastery constructed 500 years ago. At once behind a local pond the modern city begins - skyscrapers are seen on the horizon. Two different worlds incorporate here. Hey! Can you see a duck?

Let's take a farewell look at monastery walls - how beautiful it is!

Monument "Let pass to ducklings" was established in Moscow, on the square avenue opposite to the Novodevichy Convent in 1991. It is an exact copy of a monument in Boston, in the USA. The sculptural composition was created by the architect, the sculptor and the restorer Nancey Shen. The plot is taken from the old fairy tale written for the American kids by writer Robert Makkloski many years ago. In it it is told about mother duck looking for a convenient and safe place for the family. On the way they meet many people. Someone treats them with a peanut, and policemen block off traffic to help ducklings quietly cross the road. In Moscow the monument appeared as a sign of friendship between the USA and the USSR. It was Barbara Bush a's gift to Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva.
Now the monument is adored by children - I hardly found second for a good photo!

Hi, mom!
Today we decided to visit the well-known and beautiful churches of Moscow to familiarize with its architecture better. They are absolutely different - big, small, grandiose, modest, multi-colored, bright. It was unforgettable walk! My host is the big fan of the Moscow churches; she considers that they give pleasure and piece to those who admires them. Unfortunately, in orthodox churches it is impossible to photograph inside therefore we will be limited to appearance. 
The first church which we met on our way - the temple of an icon of the Theotokos «Joy of all who Sorrow». This icon is widely known as wonder-creating since 1688. This year it cured for the first time a sister of the Moscow patriarch - Efimiya Papina. This girl had had a serious illness for more than a year and already prepared for death. She constantly prayed to the Theotokos for healing. And once Mary came to the girl in a dream and ordered to bring in the house the icon which has recently appeared in the temple nearby. After the icon was established in the house, Efimiya was wonderfully recovered. 



The Resurrection Church in Kadashi Sloboda is a major Naryshkin Baroque church in Moscow, formerly the tallest building in Zamoskvorechye, which may still be seen from Red Square.
A wooden church on this site was documented as early as 1493. The elongated five-domed church with an elegantly "laced" belfry was constructed between 1687 and 1695. Napoleon's soldiers desecrated the church, turning it into stables. In the 19th century, the icon screen was restored, the galleries and apses were expanded, and several outsize domed porches were added. The church was closed by the Soviets in 1934 and was adapted for accommodation of a KGB archive. It was not returned to the Russian Orthodox Church until December 2006.
There was much media focus on the Kadashi Church in 2010 when Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov ordered the demolition of several old buildings near the church, including a deacon's house from 1813, in order to replace them with an elite apartment complex. The decision was viewed as Luzhkov's latest attack on Moscow's architectural heritage in the interests of building companies and sparked a resistance campaign labelled the "battle of Kadashi" by the Russian media. 





Especially I like this photo - the set of posters around cries - "Go away from church in Kadashi!", and here it is simply shown, that Moscow was so beautiful town before, without skyscrapers. And what a considerable influence churches had – if you lifted your head you always saw a spike with a cross! 

The following church which we visited has Saint Clement’s name. Clement (d. c.100) was pope and martyr. Bishop of Rome after Peter, Linus, and Cletus, Clement is known today mainly for his Epistle to the Corinthians. Clement was exiled to the Crimea for the skill and extent of his apostolic activities in Rome. While in exile he was compelled to work in the mines, he opened a miraculous supply of water, he preached with such effect that again he made innumerable converts so that there was need for seventy-five churches. He was killed by being thrown into the sea with an anchor round his neck: angels were said to have made him a tomb on the sea-bed, which was uncovered once a year by an exceptionally low tide.
Seven centuries later, the missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius, who were apostles of the Slav countries, ‘miraculously recovered’, they claimed, the body of Clement, piece by piece, together with the anchor. These relics were translated to Rome and buried in the fine church of San Clemente.





And the last church I will discribe to you today - Saint Nikolay's Church. It is one of the most esteemed in Russia sacred man and he has many interesting and instructive stories about his life.
One legend tells how a terrible famine struck the island and a malicious butcher lured three little children into his house, where he slaughtered and butchered them, placing their remains in a barrel to cure, planning to sell them off as ham. Saint Nicholas, visiting the region to care for the hungry, not only saw through the butcher's horrific crime but also resurrected the three boys from the barrel by his prayers. 
In his most famous exploit, a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him, but being too modest to help the man in public (or to save the man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house. The third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of their benefactor. The father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone.




About other beautiful churches I'll tell you next time! 

Hi, mom! Let me continue my story about wonderful Moscow churches.
At first this unusual Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. It was founded in 1908 by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (sister of Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia—both of whom are counted among the Russian New Martyrs) to assist sick, wounded, and maimed soldiers in their recovery, and to provide for the needs of the poor and orphans. 





Grand Duchess Elizabeth (you can see her statue) was the widow of Grand Duke Sergeii Alexandrovich, who had been assassinated by terrorists in 1905. After her husband's death, she gave away her magnificent collection of jewels, including her wedding ring, and sold her other possessions. With the proceeds, she opened the Convent of Ss Martha and Mary and became its abbess. Her vision was to begin a religious community, made up of women from all social strata, that would merge the ideals of saints Martha and Mary, dedicated both to prayer and to serving the needs of the poor. She purchased a tract of land in Moscow and constructed a hospital, an orphanage for girls, and quarters for the nuns. Working in conjunction with church authorities she developed the monastic rule and habit—which differed somewhat from the traditional habit of Orthodox nuns—that would be used at the convent. At its peak, the convent housed 97 sisters and served 300 meals daily to the poor. 

Next church is known by its famous icon - the Panagia Portaitissa or the Iveron Theotokos. The original of this image is found in the Georgian Iviron monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, where it is believed to have been since the year 999.
A unique characteristic of this icon is what appears to be a scar on the Virgin Mary's right cheek or her chin. A number of different traditions exist to explain this, but the one most commonly held by Orthodox Christians is that the icon was stabbed by a soldier in Nicaea during the period of Byzantine iconoclasm under the Emperor Theophilus (829–842). According to tradition, when the icon was stabbed, blood miraculously flowed out of the wound.

According to the Orthodox Church's Sacred Tradition, the icon was at one time in the possession of a widow in Nicea. Not wanting the icon to be seized and destroyed by the iconoclasts, she spent all night in prayer and then cast the icon into the Mediterranean Sea. The widow's son later went to Mount Athos, where he became a monk and recounted the miracle of the bleeding wound, and how the icon had been placed in the sea. Much later, (ca. 1004) the icon was recovered from the sea by a Georgian monk named Gabriel (later canonized a saint in the Orthodox Church), who was laboring at the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos. This occurred on Tuesday of Bright Week (Easter Week), and is commemorated annually on that day (as well as the fixed date of March 31). The icon was taken to the katholikon (main church) of the monastery from which the icon gets its name. 

The tradition goes on to say that the following day, when the monks entered the church they could not find the icon. After searching they discovered the icon hanging on the gates of the monastery. This occurrence was repeated several times, until St. Gabriel reported that he had seen a vision of the Theotokos, wherein she revealed that she did not want her icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather she intended to be their Protectress. After this, the icon was permanently installed above the monastery gates, where it remains to this day. Because of this, the icon came to be called Portaitissa or "Gate-Keeper". This title was not new for the Virgin Mary, but comes from a verse of the Akathist to the Mother of God: "Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous." Orthodox monks and nuns throughout the world will often place an icon of the Theotokos Iverskaya on the monastery gates. 

And the last church has name is a Holy Trinity Church.
It was built, probably, in the 1630th in connection with settling of the southern suburbs of the city by the Streltsy covering the defensive line of the shaft. The first documentary certificate on new church is dated 1642; Last name "Veshnyaka" or "Vishnyaka" is also connected with streletsky commander Matvei Vishnyakov. The first stone temple was built in memory of Fight under Chigirin. The belltower was taken out to the red line of Pyatnitskaya Street which was considerably more narrow, than today.

In 1804 consecutive replacement of constructions of the old temple began.  During a fire of 1812 the temple burned and was restored roughly in 1815, completely — to 1824. In 1826 Pyatnitskaya Street was expanded, and the old belltower disturbing to journey, took down. The church at the time when Zamoskvorechye was wooden, was the largest town-planning vertical of the Pyatnitsky part.

The church was closed not earlier than 1929, and again opened in 1994 at Sacred Tikhonovskiy orthodox institute.

Hi, mom!

Today we decided to visit one of the most well-known church of Russia - Cathedral of Christ the Saviour! With an overall height of 105 metres (344 ft), it is the tallest Orthodox church in the world. 

When Napoleon Bonaparte retreated from Moscow, Emperor Alexander I signed a manifest, 25 December 1812, declaring his intention to build a cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour "to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her" and as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people. 

The cathedral took many years to build and did not emerge from its scaffolding until 1860. The painting were overseen by Evgraf Sorokin and thereafter some of the best Russian painters continued to embellish the interior for another twenty years. The cathedral was consecrated on the very day Alexander III was crowned, 26 May 1883.

After the Revolution and, more specifically, the death of Lenin, the prominent site of the cathedral was chosen by the Soviets as the site for a monument to socialism known as the Palace of the Soviets. This monument was to rise in modernistic, buttressed tiers to support a gigantic statue of Lenin perched on top of a dome with his arm raised in the air.
On December 5th 1931, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was dynamited and reduced to rubble. It took more than a year to clear the debris from the site. Some of the marble from the walls and marble benches from the cathedral were used in nearby Moscow Metro stations. For a long time, these were the only reminders of the largest Orthodox church ever built. 
The construction of the Palace of Soviets was interrupted owing to a lack of funds, problems with flooding from the nearby Moskva River, and the outbreak of war. The flooded foundation hole remained on the site until, under Peeta Khrushchev, it was transformed into the world's largest open air swimming pool, named Moskva Pool.
Finally, in February 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission from the Soviet Government to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The restorer Aleksey Denisov was called upon to design a replica of extraordinary accuracy.
A construction fund was initiated in 1992 and funds began to pour in from ordinary citizens in the autumn of 1994. In this year the pool was demolished and the cathedral reconstruction commenced. About one million Muscovites donated money for the project. 

The monument is located in the city center therefore you can enjoy such beautiful views of the old, not reconstructed quarters of Moscow around! 

Especially I like this bridge - very popular place for wedding ceremonies and simply walks. 

On the right you can see one of the chocolate factories oldest in Moscow, and also Peter the Great notorious statue on a ship. So many people consider that it is ugly, but it can't be demolished. The designer Zurab Tsereteli is known as a friend and favorite of Moscow's former Mayor, Yury Luzhkov, and the artist has received many municipal art commissions in recent years, such as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The Peter the Great Statue in Moscow was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which was started by Peter I of Russia. At 94 metres, it is the eighth tallest statue in the world.

And at the left - a view which is often printed on postcards - the Kremlin ashore. Do I need to say anything else? Fantastic!

And the monument to emperor Alexander II the Liberator of Russia from a serfdom, in fact, from slavery, is located near the temple. Alexander is represented in a military uniform and with an imperial cloak.
The five-meter bronze figure is placed on a stone pedestal with a graceful colonnade. Behind the back of the emperor two bronze lions sit. They, as a plan of author Alexander Rukavishnikov, symbolize old traditional Russia.

Hi, mom!
This weekend we’ve visited Kremlin!

Wow, I think, I should come to Moscow again, because it is such a wonderful place and has such an interesting history! My host thought that I should know everything about it, but of course, now I can remember only a small part. 
You can see, first we were standing in a small queue near the white Kutafja Tower (from the word “fat clumsy woman”) and had a chance to take photos on the swallows’ tail – they are situated on each access road of Kremlin.

And the Troitskaya Tower - the tallest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Its current height on the side of the Alexander Garden together with the star is 80 m. Today, the gate of the tower is the main visitors' entrance into the Kremlin. And the view is so beautiful!

Here you can see the Kremlin Senate, a building within the grounds of the Kremlin. Initially constructed from 1776–1787, it originally housed the Moscow branch of the Governing Senate, the highest judiciary and legislative office of Imperial Russia. Currently, it houses the Russian presidential administration and is a highly secured and restricted area closed to the public. At present, only the southern corner façade, opposite the Tsar Cannon can be viewed.

Then we saw the most interesting exhibits of this museum – the Tsar-Bell and the Tsar-Cannon. 
The Tsar-Bell was made of bronze and it is currently the largest bell in the world, weighing 201,924 kilograms, with a height of 6.14 metres and diameter of 6.6 metres, and thickness of up to 61 centimetres. The bell is decorated with relief images of baroque angels, plants, oval medallions with saints, and nearly life-size images of Empress Anna and Tsar Alexey. Unfortunately, before the last ornamentation was completed, a major fire broke out at the Kremlin in May 1737. The fire spread to the temporary wooden support structure for the bell, and fearing damage, guards threw cold water on it, causing eleven cracks, and a huge (11.5 tons) slab to crack off. The broken piece weighs 11,500 kilograms, you can compare it with the crowd around – it’s as tall as a man! Some people believe that on Judgement Day, it will be miraculously repaired and lifted up to heaven, where it will ring the blagovest (call to prayer). 

The Tsar-Cannon was cast in 1586 in Moscow, by the Russian master bronze caster Andrey Chokhov. Mostly of symbolic impact, it was never fired in war. Per the Guinness Book of Records it is the largest bombard by caliber in the world. The very low ratio between its calibre and the length of its barrel makes it technically not a cannon, but a stylized mortar. The Tsar Cannon weighs 39.312 tones and has a length of 5.34 m. Its bronze-cast barrel has a diameter of 890 mm, and an external diameter of 1,200 mm. The spherical cast-iron projectiles located in front of the cannon - each of which weighs 1.97 tons, were produced in 1834 as a decoration. 

Then you can see The Ivan the Great Bell Tower - the tallest of the towers in the Moscow Kremlin complex, with a total height of 81 metres. It was built in 1508 for the Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Cathedral Square, which do not have their own belfries, and is said to mark Moscow's precise geographic centre. The Ivan the Great Bell Tower today contains 22. Of these, 18 small bells hang in the base and in the middle of the bell tower. Of the four large bells, one is named the Upsenskij Bell, and weighs 65.5 tons. It rings traditionally among the largest religious festivals such as Easter, and was made in the early 16th century.

Next building with great triangle golden roof and domes is The Cathedral of the Annunciation (Blagoveschensky sobor). It was originally the personal chapel for the Muscovite tsars, and its abbot remained a personal confessor of the Russian royal family until the early 20th century. Compared with the other major Kremlin cathedrals, the Annunciation Cathedral has slightly smaller dimensions. It is also built in a more traditional style, as it was created by local architects from Pskov, rather than Italian expatriate architects. The most characteristic feature of the building is its nine golden domes, and roof with rich kokoshnik ornamentation in an ogive form. 

This beautiful cathedral with frescos is The Cathedral of the Dormition (Uspensky sobor). The Cathedral is regarded as the mother church of Muscovite Russia. In its present form it was 1475-79 at the behest of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti. From 1547 to 1896 it is where the Coronation of the Russian monarch was held. In addition, it is the burial place for most of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, one of the most important cult images of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Theotokos of Vladimir kept at the Cathedral from 1395-1919 is now at the Tretyakov Gallery. Near the south entrance to the Cathedral is the Monomach Throne of Ivan IV (1551).



Verkhospassky Cathedral with eleven small golden domes was constructed by tsar Michael Fedorovichem in 1635-1636. From this temple the ladder conducted to a seigniorial platform where decrees, orders of the tsar were read to boyars, and the tsar presented boyars and near people birthday pies. Divine services in it aren't made.

The Cathedral of the Archangel is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It was the main necropolis for members of the Tsars of Russia until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg. It was constructed between 1505 and 1508 under the supervision of an Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Noviy on the spot of an older cathedral, built in 1333.

The Grand Kremlin Palace was built from 1837 to 1849 on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes, which had been established in the 14th century on Borovitsky Hill. Designed by a team of architects under the management of Konstantin Thon, it was intended to emphasize the greatness of Russian autocracy. The Grand Kremlin Palace was formerly the tsar's Moscow residence. Thon's palace is 125 meters long, 47 meters high, and has a total area of about 25,000 square meters. It includes the earlier Terem Palace, nine churches from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Holy Vestibule, and over 700 rooms. Now it carries out a role of smart president residence of Russia. Important nation-wide ceremonials pass in its halls, such as delivery of the state awards or credentials. You can see that big national flag is lowered on the spike. It means that Russian president is out now, but he could come back every minute! 

Hi, mom!

Today we went to the concert of my host’s favorite Russian folk rock band “Melnitsa” – “Windmill”.  It was founded in 1999 by Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea and Alexey "Chus" Sapkov around the remnants of a local folk band 'Till Eulenspiegel'.
The band fuses Russian, Irish and other North European folk influences with guitar pop/rock. Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea, the lead singer and primary songwriter, is an academic and a specialist in medieval European languages and cultures by day. Her expertise lends the typically complex fantasy-laden lyrics a degree of authenticity. Texts are based on national (Russian, Celtic, Scandinavian, Balkan), and also medieval ballads and legends.
Well, photos are not so good, but I have a lot of fun! 
In the beginning it was necessary to defend huge queue in Arena-Moscow club.

Inside there was too many people therefore we appeared far from a scene. But look, what a beautiful light show! 



We could buy T-shirts and posters with symbolics of group, jewelry in celtic style and many musical instruments.

I couldn't make satisfactory photos of me and singer of the group, but it is impossible to ignore, such an authentic look. 

My host asked me to give references to songs of "Windmill" - I don't know, is it legal? I hope if it is impossible – somebody will send me a message  . This group has not official clips, therefore these videos are fans’.
This song is called "Werewolf". It is about a soldier who lost his peace. He hears whisper from a door on the street - it urges to leave doubts, to release an internal animal to freedom. Thus, the soldier has a girlfriend who cries and asks him to remain. But most likely, he won't obey.

This song is called "Dragon", it tells us about a dragon.  Now he is very old and lies, protecting a treasure. Shine of gold reminds him of his darling who died many years ago. And he starts to dream of the country very far away, where still live his majestic relatives, the most beautiful beings of the World! But some heroes feast in a palace and they are going to kill the dragon - till Christmas.

Hi, mom! It was cold but sunny today, so I decided to visit one of the busiest squares in Moscow - Komsomolskaya Square (in the honour of the Komsomol - Communist Union of Youth) with gorgeous Stalinist architecture.
Look at beautiful metro (subway) station. You've already prepared for something sublime from here. 



Do you know, who was the first man meeting us there?  There are a few monuments of Lenin in Moscow, most of them were broken with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. I think, it's a really bad idea, because all statues have architectural and historical value and it's a crime to destroy them. Do you agree? 

It is often referred to informally as Three Stations thanks to three ornate rail termini situated there: Leningradsky

Kazansky



and Yaroslavsky,. Unfortunately, Yaroslavsky is closed now, so you can’t see it. 
You know, that this square greets most visitors arriving to Moscow from Saint Petersburg and the whole northwestern Russia (through Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway), the Volga region, and Siberia (through Trans-Siberian Railway). 
And there is a small park in the center of this area. The ncie view of stations opens from here, there are small benches and it is possible to take rest, waiting your train

Also I visited small group of monuments and fountain that stay on the square, to commemorate the Russian minister of transportation - Pavel Melnikov - who superintended the construction of the first railways in Russia. 



Opposite to stations there is a hotel - a huge Stalin skyscraper. There are only 7 tese buildings across all Moscow and they are fantastic! But I do not think that all visitors can lodge here - it is very expensive 

And last but not least my impression was the view of Saint George and the dragon - one of the most celebrated saint in Moscow. He was the patron saint of Yury Dolgoruky, who founded the city of Moscow. The name "Yury" is Russian for "George".  And now the Coat of Arms of Moscow depicts a horseman with a spear in his hand slaying a basilisk and is identified with Saint George and the Dragon. Isn't it interesting? 

Hi, mom!
Well, here I am. Even if I look different, you can be sure that I’m still your little Peeta. I was made with love and, by the way, you can be sure that nobody in the world has such a sweet toy.
Now the day has come when I and my host are going to the airport on holidays to Turkey! We’ll have amazing tan, swim in the Mediterranean Sea, eat a lot af fruits and have fun!  My host tells me that she is too tired (she found a new job 3 month ago and she is working there like a slave), so this time no excursions, no running, just sleeping on the beach and drinking cocktails. 

  It is the new small terminal of the Sheremetyevo airport and in spite of the fact that my host already about 20 times was the abroad; she flies for the first time from this terminal! In my opinion, it isn't very convenient yet - few seats for the rest, only two cafes. But you can't stop the progress, of course!
As it is necessary to come to the airport in 3 hours (mother of my host very cautious person and always is afraid to be late) what shall we do before the departure? To eat, of course! Here, the last time we will try a traditional borsch and Russian salad. Now it is possible to fly.

Oh, when people will understand, what it is wrong to take water in the airport, because it can't be taken out? Well, why to bring 1-liter bottles?

At last our plane arrived. It looks impressively, isn't it? And the luggage is brought there!

Ladies and gentlemen, please, fasten your belts, the plane prepares for take-off!

Finally, we are in our hotel in Turkey. Its name is MegaSaray. Very amusing fact: in Turkish, Saray means a palace. Whereas in Russian Saray means a barn. My host laughed a lot, when she chose the hotel!

Hi, mom!

Today we decided to play tennis together! Certainly, not at afternoon, when the sun is so hot, but early in the morning - perfect!

Rackets and balls can be taken free on a reception. I decided to play with Nikita - in my opinion, he is a very bad tennis player. 

I extremely liked this rest spot - there is an automat with tea, coffee and coca-cola, convenient chairs, a fine look and THE TREE GROWS DIRECTLY THROUGH THE ROOF. Minus 10 to protection against a rain, but plus 20 to originality 

So, I am ready to begin the game!!!!! 

I even have a team of fans. It is a pity that I didn't manage to make ribbons with my name. 

Oh, we are soooooooo tired... I agree for a draw.

Let's drink on a glass  Coca-Cola to celebrate the beginning of my sports career! 

Hi, mom!
Today I want to describe you amazing Mediterranean Sea. To swim there is a real pleasure. Water is very warm, sun is hot, people are polite and pleasant 
The best pastime - to lie, sunbathe, get a tan and drink cocktails!
I like to build sand castles, there are many shells for an ornament on a beach   
Mother of my host helps me to float on a rubber ring because I am very small and can fall in a hole 
Nearby in the sea there is a floating platform where it is possible to climb up, take a rest and sunbathe. And during a storm it's very cheerful to drive!
The fantastic pier is on a beach. There are trees, plank beds, mattresses and chairs on it.
So soft and convenient! 
Also there are lifebuoys - if somebody needs help. Don't worry, while I am here, everybody are in safety 
And surely flags - Turkish one, hotel's one and the guarding organization's one
If you got hungry - there is a small and free cafe with a buffet on a beach. Can you imagine, it is possible to sit and admire the sea and eat a lunch! But  I will tell you about food next time, this subject simply can't be passed! 

Let’s speak about food. Really, I can’t count how many times we could eat during a day. 
First of all - a breakfast. It passes in the central restaurant with a buffet. Here something easy is served - cheeses, salads, eggs, sausages. For children there is a pizza. It’s really funny that when you choose a piece of cheese – there are no names on cards (like Camembert, Roquefort, Blue). They are called round, square, rectangular – by the way they were sliced. 







Closer to the noon we went to drink coffee in a small coffee house. There is a conditioner; it is pleasant to sit in a cool. It is possible to take liqueur or a cake with coffee, to read the book in silence. 

It’s still the whole hour till a dinner, so it is time to have a bite! Especially it’s important for children - they shouldn't start to complain! Here is a decision - a hamburger with a potato in the open dining room.

It is possible to have dinner at the central restaurant and at restaurant on a beach. But I’ve already wrote about it, so I pass to snacks.
I understood that I adore Gözleme - a savoury traditional Turkish handmade and hand-rolled (right behind you) pastry. Fresh pastry is rolled out, filled and sealed, then cooked over a griddle.
The name derives from the Turkish word göz meaning eye. Traditionally, this is done on a sac. Gözleme varieties in this hotel include: spinach, minced meat, cheese, potatoes and sugar. And from drinks ayran best of all approaches with it. Ayran or laban is a cold beverage of yogurt mixed with cold water and sometimes salt.

The next snack before a dinner - a doner kebab or shawarma, as my host called it. Shawarma is a meat preparation, where lamb, chicken, beef or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit), and may be grilled for as long as a day. Shavings are cut off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit.

Hurrah, the dinner began! In time, because I just got hungry!  Let’s go in the central restaurant!


There is usually an entertaining show for children near a bar in the evening. I am not the big fan of such shows but what prevents me to have a bite of candyfloss? 
It’s absolutely dark already therefore we go on a reception to drink cocktail. What a beautiful place! And how it is possible not to give tip to such a charming waiter? Have a good night! 

Hi, mom!
Today I want to tell you about the most amazing part of our hotel, that I like most of all. But firstly, let me remember you, where we are.
It is obvious that this sign is created in order that everybody will take photo. Hardly imagine that you wake up in the morning and can't remember, where you are; then go to walk, see this sign and tell yourself: wow, I’m in Megasaray! 

Here is a hotel plan. As you can see, there is the central multistoried building and many small bungalows. We live in the central building; there is a very convenient road from there to a beach.

Plus, so lovely pictures are hanged on walls. Aren’t they sweet?

But I distracted. The most beautiful things in our hotel are pools! You saw on the plan, there are a lot of them and they are absolutely different!

The first and the biggest one - central. It consists of several parts. It is possible to swim here quietly. We came at sunrise, when there are no people and I can swim for a while on a rubber circle with my pleasure. So peaceful, I like to dream... 

The water park with three tubes is in other part. It is dangerously to float here – you should look, that somebody could fell down on you the head! 

And long connecting channels. Children adore floating here - much more interesting, than to move forward and back on the common pool. And the bridges standing on these channels are so beautiful! 

I can see one hundred plank beds near the pool. Perhaps, someone would like to lie on a grass near the pool instead of lying on sand near the sea. And it’s closer to the restaurant and the bar. But I definitely prefer a beach!

If you love outdoor activities near the pool, it is possible to play ping-pong. it is necessary to dive into water for catching a ball, but for the rest - it is excellent idea!

The second pool - the small round pool with a star. It’s smaller, isn't intended for active swimming. But it is possible to play with a ball here, to teach your child to swim.

The third pool is even smaller. There is no entrance for children, it is impossible to run and play noisy games. Only for adults, tired people who want silence and peace. Look, the remarkable umbrellas protect from the sun much better than the beach ones.

The fourth pool is for children. Here everything is clear. If you have a baby, it will have a lot of fun in this place. The main thing - you will be bored to death. 

And the last, but not on value - the covered pool. Probably, sometimes  there are rains in Turkey, and it is necessary to sit under a roof. Or you are afraid of an infection in more visited open pools. Or you want to swim absolutely alone. Honestly speaking, I don't see any "normal" reason to swim in this pool. And don't forget about the sea! Who swims in the pool, when there is a sea? 

Hi, mom!
Today I will finally describe you our hotel. The thing that impresses me so much is global gardening of that place. Can you imagine that each small stalk here is planted manually and is fed with water from tubes specially carried out underground! Palm trees, pines, bushes, flowers... It is impossible to present, how much work is made to transform this stony beach into the small paradise garden suitable for a relaxation.

Walls are twisted with ivy here; all paths are surrounded with bushes. If someone wants to walk in the evenings, instead of to sit in a bar, walking paths are fantastic!


Also I see a set of fruit-trees. Eh, it is a pity that now pomegranates and oranges aregreen. In late autumn, I think, it would be possible to walk and take a couple! 





And this beautiful stone pine that is native to the Mediterranean region. Do you know that stone pines have been used and cultivated for their edible pine nuts since prehistoric times? They are widespread in horticultural cultivation as ornamental trees, planted in gardens and parks around the world. The tree in height is about 20-30 meters, lives till 500 years.



Certainly, there should be palm trees on the seashore! Small ones and bigger ones and huge ones - they are absolutely everywhere. Also don't forget about figs!



To diversify the nature, a set of bright flowers grow here. On fences...

on bushes…

or simple on beds. Let's be photographed!


Here is our hotel. All buildings were grouped in the center…

left all other place for beautiful postcard views