Wow, that marble canyon is so cool Terry!! And no wonder you and Lisa are in such, good shape!! I just admire the heck out of you two doing all that stuff. I'm so happy for you guys to have each other to go with I admit I traveled a lot by myself (well, with my little dog) but so many places I wouldn't go because they were "out of the way" and I stayed as close to where there were other people. Maybe I will still meet someone to go more places with Love ALL the photos, and the foods, they just look so good!! Thanks for taking the time to share all of this with us denise
Amen to this Ina second best to being there with them, getting to see their pics I love the idea of going to Russia one day, and think it would be awesome to see it but sure have to do some "warmer" clothes shopping
Thank you for your kind comments @Ina I. Wonder , I am pleased to hear I have managed to convey some of my feelings, about this amazing country and it's people. I have found through travelling, how different the realities of the various countries I have visited are from the impressions I gained through the media, and what I have read or heard. For me the underlying truth is that despite some surface cultural differences, we are all part of the same human family, full of the same hopes, dreams, disappointments, joy and loss that we all experience.......Wherever I go I find for the most part, people are very kind and only too willing to help.......
Thanks @Denise Happyfeet .........yes the canyon was an amazing experience, impossible to convey in photographs really, we are both lucky to be fit enough to go on these trips, though how long for I don't know, because age will eventually slow us down ....... I hope you manage to find a companion to travel some more with .......
A Visit To Leningrad Zoo Though neither of us are really into zoos, we were pleasantly surprised when we enjoyed a few hours wandering around this one. I think because Miro was so excited by the visit it kinda rubbed off on us... Here are some of the photos I took all with my phone, because sadly my camera has a software glitch which needs the interior battery to discharge, which could take a while. A lot of the animals are now behind glass screens rather than bars, so there are often reflections as well. The first section is the aquarium which has some amazing fish, this one makes me wonder why nature evolved this complex creation.... A couple more shots ....a selection of random shots
Oh my God ! That poor bear stuck in that filthy den of a place The owner should live in those conditions for a good while - see how it feels !
A Trip To The Circus Unlike the UK circuses which are usually in a large tent (The Big Top) and tour the country, the Russian ones are housed in elegant 18/19th century stone buildings with chandeliers and artwork. Here are a few photos I took, with my camera which came to life suddenly yesterday, the lighting and effects at the circus would have been beyond my phones capabilities. They have a strict ban on all photography there, so it was difficult to get a good angle without being spotted The circus building Some of the acrobatics which were quite arty, the music was a mix of classical and rock, with a good sound system, before the recent refurbishment they evidently had a resident orchestra... This was rotating while the acrobat was skipping blindfold
Almost like cirque du soleil...almost . Nice seating though. I have a vague memory of being at a circus when I was about 5 in Pittsburgh, I was bored.
A Day In The Park Our day out in the sun was lovely, we ended up walking a lot more than we intended, but should sleep well tonight.......the journey started out as the No16 tram pulled in and off we went.... A quick snap from the tram window of a woman cleaning a window, a popular occupation here in all weathers ...half way there the tram ground to a halt behind another tram, because there had been a car accident across the tram tracks..... ...luckily we were close to a Metro station so we continued to our destination... Here are some photos in the park...
A church on the edge of the parkland being renovated The restaurant in the park... The food, both pork dishes.......... It was such a gloriously sunny afternoon, that we decided to walk back instead of taking the tram, it's about 5 miles so together with the walk in the parkland we must have covered some 8 miles.. A few photos I took on the way back..... This is the "Church of the Resurrection" which is devoted to recovering alcoholics where they hold meetings .....tomorrow they forecast rain snow and a cyclone, so we will stay in....
Of course I'm super jealous, all I have here is usual franchise of stores and restaurants! I have got to do one more trip to Europe before I die! Like the heart cucumber or pickle!
A Trip To The Dacha Our day in Sosnovo yesterday went well though it was tiring and we came back exhausted here are some photos I took.. The starting place one of many train stations in St.Petersburg, this one serves the north of the country.. From the carriage window en-route The effects of the wet winter on the road/track to the dacha ......part of the garden