@Terry Page, your photos made me shiver, brrr, and they also made me want to go to Russia. It is a fascinating place for me since what I learned from school was about Russia's great people. Until now the Czar (or Tsar) is still being talked about although their politics is mostly about their leader Putin. But I think I wouldn't go to Russia during winter since we are in the tropics and I may not survive the harsh cold that your photos depict. Maybe summer time in Russia would be more hospitable.
A couple of photos of Pavlovsk the former Summer Palace of the Tsars, one in winter the other in summer http://www.saint-petersburg.com/pavlovsk/
A few summer photos, to prove Russia is not all ice and snow, these are of Lisa's Dacha (Summer House) which is about an hour by train from St.Petersburg. The garden/yard is about 1/2 an acre and full of old trees and shrubs, the wooden house is due for renovation next year. Its a very quiet and tranquil spot in the middle of a forest. A nearby lake we often go to for a walk A short walk away is an inland beach on a lakeside where locals sunbathe and swim.
I didn't get to see the Pavlovsk Palace when I was in Russia last year, but did visit the Catherine Palace at Pushkin. The place is extraordinary, a mass of over-the-top Rococo everywhere you look. It's advisable to have something to hold your jaw in place throughout the visit...
Yes I went to Catherine's palace a couple of years ago, the Rococo is OTT and a sight to behold, not my style but impressive nevertheless. Must look out some photos of it.
I believe that Russia is not all ice and the photos show nice flowers and a green surroundings. I love that small wooden house in the forest. I wonder how it feels to sleep in it and to wake up to that colorful environment. Naturally there is fresh air, the freshest you can get. That snapshot of the wooden house is like an excerpt in a fairy tale. I wonder how they can maintain the greenery that looked so clean, trimmed to be neat and healthy with flowers.
I won't try to steal your thunder, but I can add a few pictures of the Catherine Palace, with a bit of bird-life added:
On the contrary Tom thanks for posting the photos, in my usual disorganised way, it will take me a while to find mine amongst the several thousand photos I have taken in Russia. Looking at your pictures I had quite forgotten the sheer size of the place, it brings back the memory of when I was there on a hot summer's day in June some years ago. It always surprises me how many of these palaces and the churches survived during the Soviet period. Many of the churches were destroyed of course, but they are renovating and rebuilding many nowadays as well as the palaces. To be honest I have been to so many palaces now, that I get confused and have to ask Lisa which one it is when looking through my photo collection.
Yes Corie, during the summer Lisa and I always sleep in it at weekends, its cosy and very quiet, always cool inside so we have a fire even in summer to take the chill off the air. Lisa does most of the gardening and mowing the lawns while I sit in a deck chair drinking beer Lisa enjoys it so I feel ok about about being lazy. Its quite primitive with no running water inside the house and a pit toilet in the garden so its a bit like camping. We often get up early and go into the forest to pick mushrooms, all Russians tend to be experts on mushrooms, so know the ones to avoid. There are plans to modernise it and we had estimates this summer to put a new roof on and clad it with insulation, install new double glazed windows and inside toilet etc., A photo of my room below and pics of some mushrooms we gathered and cooked. ]
Oh, it is surprising to know that the wooden house is owned by you, @Terry Page. I'm speechless upon learning that you stay there for a vacation. Gee, it would have been nice if we can go there someday, hahahaaa. Your photos bring me to fantasy land with the mushroom, the fruiting trees, oh, I really wish I could visit that place someday. I cannot say more, just looking at the photos makes my mind full. So nice to know about that wooden house.
I know the feeling...I was counting up the European countries that I have visited and found that it was 32. Naturally, there are lots of photos and there are times when you're thinking, "Mmm, what palace (or church or municipal building) is that?" There are occasions when I've had to do a Google image search on a photo to be sure.
Gee, @Tom Locke, you've been to 32 countries? That's a huge number to duplicate. Last month, a colleague was inviting me to join a European tour - $3,000 for the entire 11 days tour. I was tempted but my husband said that it is exorbitant. Besides, I cannot take a leave from the office for that long. So I have to be content with the Asian tour for now. But someday, when my budget permits, we will take the European tour. Hoping....
No Corie my Russian partner Lisa owns it, I just do the odd jobs, and enjoy the peace of being in the country. A couple more pics of the garden:
I've been to 46 countries in total, so the majority of my travelling has been in Europe. The generally accepted number of European states is 51, which includes Vatican City and Monaco among others, so I've got some way to go to visit all of them. Of course, these things change over time, with borders moving, countries disappearing, countries reappearing and new states such as Kosovo coming into being.