We booked a tour for our Russia trip and headed over with Joel and Emma. We had 3 days in St.Petersburg, an overnight train and then 3 days in Moscow. Great weather, 35 degrees and sunshine. It wasn't too difficult to get around, public transport is really cheap. The locals are keen to help out, even if they don't speak English. It was interesting to learn a little about Russian history, and the buildings are amazing!
The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. It was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory.
The Hermitage/Winter Palace. Former home of Russian Emperors, is now one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. We visited it after a big night sampling Russian vodka, so it was a bit of a struggle.
Saw plenty of paintings, including this one by Da Vinci, Madonna with a Flower.
I really liked the mosaic room. This is a able top, with tiles approximately 1x3mm in size, the detail is amazing! It shows many different views of Rome.
I wasn't a massive fan of the food in Russia.
Mainly meats, which of course kept Sean very happy. Check out the size of that kebab.
Plenty of Russian (Matryoshka) Dolls for sale at the markets. Traditional versions are very popular, however you can also get ones with Football Teams, Bart Simpson and Barak Obama on them, didn't see any with Julia Gillard on them.
One of the days we went out to see the gardens and fountains at Peterhof Palace. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, laid out on the orders of Peter The Great in the 1700s.
There are many fountains there and beautiful gardens. Well worth the trip out there.
The overnight train was actually quite nice. We had a cabin between the four of us, easy to get some much needed rest. First stop in Moscow was Red Square, which was definitely a trip highlight. The name Red Square is derived from the Russian word for the location, which can mean 'red' or 'beautiful'. I loved the onion domes and colours of St. Basil's cathedral, built in 1551. Rumour has it that at the completion of works, Ivan The Terrible blinded the architect, so as he could not re-create anything similar anywhere else.
The State Historical Museum on the right and the Kremlin walls and towers on the left. While at Red Square we also went into Lenin's Mausoleum to see the body of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union.
Russian Orthodox Church
The view of the Kremlin and the Moskva River from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Our Hotel in Moscow was quite large...Hotel Cosmos.
Joel, Emma, Shannon and Sean in front of St Basil's one evening.
The underground stations in Moscow are quite impressive. It can take over 5mins just to get down there on the escalators!
The stations are decorated with mosaics, paintings and chandeliers. Quite different to the London Underground.
The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. It was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory.
The Hermitage/Winter Palace. Former home of Russian Emperors, is now one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. We visited it after a big night sampling Russian vodka, so it was a bit of a struggle.
Saw plenty of paintings, including this one by Da Vinci, Madonna with a Flower.
I really liked the mosaic room. This is a able top, with tiles approximately 1x3mm in size, the detail is amazing! It shows many different views of Rome.
I wasn't a massive fan of the food in Russia.
Mainly meats, which of course kept Sean very happy. Check out the size of that kebab.
Plenty of Russian (Matryoshka) Dolls for sale at the markets. Traditional versions are very popular, however you can also get ones with Football Teams, Bart Simpson and Barak Obama on them, didn't see any with Julia Gillard on them.
One of the days we went out to see the gardens and fountains at Peterhof Palace. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, laid out on the orders of Peter The Great in the 1700s.
There are many fountains there and beautiful gardens. Well worth the trip out there.
The overnight train was actually quite nice. We had a cabin between the four of us, easy to get some much needed rest. First stop in Moscow was Red Square, which was definitely a trip highlight. The name Red Square is derived from the Russian word for the location, which can mean 'red' or 'beautiful'. I loved the onion domes and colours of St. Basil's cathedral, built in 1551. Rumour has it that at the completion of works, Ivan The Terrible blinded the architect, so as he could not re-create anything similar anywhere else.
The State Historical Museum on the right and the Kremlin walls and towers on the left. While at Red Square we also went into Lenin's Mausoleum to see the body of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union.
Russian Orthodox Church
The view of the Kremlin and the Moskva River from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Our Hotel in Moscow was quite large...Hotel Cosmos.
Joel, Emma, Shannon and Sean in front of St Basil's one evening.
The underground stations in Moscow are quite impressive. It can take over 5mins just to get down there on the escalators!
The stations are decorated with mosaics, paintings and chandeliers. Quite different to the London Underground.
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