Total Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Tradewinds Transatlantic crossing 2015

[scubacruiserx2]

I am finally catching back up here.

First off, I hope for a speedy recovery for Pat. What an awful accident!

I am just loving all the pictures and the history lesson about Russia. It really is a beautiful place. I think going there would make me nervous...I would need a 24/7 guide! ;)

You got some amazing pictures and have seen so many amazing sights.

 

 

 

Thanks Jen , yes things can change in a split second ! :eek: But some good news ! Pat came home this morning @ 1: 30 AM ! Today I've got to learn some new medical procedures for a PICC line , IV antibiotics X 2 and a blood thinner injection daily , for the next 2 weeks .

 

 

St. Petersburg is a photographers dream and the best places are yet to come . We're loveing your thread , and looking forward to seeing some Alaskan photos . And thank you for the good advice about the computer . ;)

[scubacruiserx2]

Fantastic subway station in St Petes, they are all so ornate.:D

 

I think my favorite is coming up next , Avtovo . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

They are wondetful. I have heard them ( the metro stations) called "The palaces for the people".

Denise

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

Yeah , I have heard that . A number of people prefer the Moscow Metro , and they also call it that . We will also take a look at the Moscow Metro in the future . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Pat, I hope your recovery is progressing well and you aren't dealing with too much pain.

 

Joe, those Metro pictures were beautiful, and hardly any people in them!

 

The early bird gets the empty shot ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Avtovo is a small , domed building but is very nice inside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has some marble columns

 

 

 

 

 

And some glass - like columns

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of this station is a mosaic which says - World Peace . This station was made just 10 years after The Great Patriotic War .

 

 

 

 

Many people consider this to be the prettiest Metro station . What do you think ?

 

 

I found this video from a local guide that gives a good feel of the station:

 

[MicCanberra]

Fantastic. Great news about Pat as well. Hope you are able to handle the nursing techniques okay.:D

[Gracie115]

Avtovo is a small , domed building but is very nice inside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has some marble columns

 

 

 

 

 

And some glass - like columns

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of this station is a mosaic which says - World Peace . This station was made just 10 years after The Great Patriotic War .

 

 

 

 

Many people consider this to be the prettiest Metro station . What do you think ?

 

 

I found this video from a local guide that gives a good feel of the station:

 

 

I think ALL your pictures of the metro are wonderful!! I'm pretty bold, but would be hesitant to wander all over there on my own! But I'm so glad you did and we can see it all from your point of view!

 

Also SO GLAD Pat is home, I'm sure she is too....healing almost always is better at home, in your own bed!! Wish her luck for me!!

[jenseib]

That is quite the metro station...all are really fabulous though

[perfect match]

Those Metro stations are all beautiful. It's hard to decide which one is best. I hope the locals in St Pete appreciate what a beautiful commute they have.

 

Pat, so glad to hear you're home. You must be feeling better already. I am sure Joe has already mastered all the necessary medical proceedures, and will take excellent care of you.

[scubacruiserx2]

Those Metro stations are all beautiful. It's hard to decide which one is best. I hope the locals in St Pete appreciate what a beautiful commute they have.

 

Pat, so glad to hear you're home. You must be feeling better already. I am sure Joe has already mastered all the necessary medical proceedures, and will take excellent care of you.

 

Yeah they are . And the Metro is really cheap . With 1 token , you can ride all day , as long as you stay underground . And there's still several stations to show . :cool:

[MicCanberra]

Looking forward to them.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

The end of the line is Leninskiy Prospect

 

 

 

 

 

On the left - The Revolution . On the right - The Great Patriotic War

 

 

 

 

From here I would return to Narva , to see the Narva Gate . I wanted to blur the train by using a slow shutter speed

 

 

 

 

Interior of the Narva station

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Wonderful décor and variation at the differing stations as well.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Wonderful décor and variation at the differing stations as well.:D

 

I was impressed to see so many talented artists , designers and workers . In many of the imperial buildings , mostly what tourists would see , it seems that craftsman are always at work , replacing or restoring . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

We first saw the Narva Gate decorated for Victory Day in 2011 , while en route to Peterfof in a car with our guide .

 

 

And so I wanted to return there and take some more photos of this years decorations . The gate has an interesting history : http://www.saint-petersburg.com/monuments/narva-gate/

 

I had heard an good story about the gate . After Napoleon's victory over the Russians at Austerlitz in 1805 , an arch was constructed in Paris to commemorate the victory .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe_du_Carrousel

 

 

 

 

In 1812 Napoleon's Grande Armee invaded Russia with 680,000 troops . And 6 months later , Voila only 27,000 left Russia . :eek: The Narva Arch was constructed to greet the returning victorious soldiers , and to tell France - we can build victory arches too . :p

 

 

The Narva Metro station

 

 

 

 

And at the gate , all of the decorations - were gone !!!

 

 

Edited August 21, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[MicCanberra]

Fascinating histories, although the one big thing is such a huge loss of life in all the wars.

 

Anyway, Joe, I will have to catch up later as I am off in a few hours for you know what. Will be drinking to you and Pat soon (a few weeks) and will be missing you both. Hope Pat mends quickly.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Fascinating histories, although the one big thing is such a huge loss of life in all the wars.

 

Anyway, Joe, I will have to catch up later as I am off in a few hours for you know what. Will be drinking to you and Pat soon (a few weeks) and will be missing you both. Hope Pat mends quickly.:D

 

 

Have an amazing time doing you know what . And don't you and Rosie be strangers !! :) :D

[MicCanberra]

Cheers.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Cheers.:D

 

Vashe Zdorovye !! ;)

[MicCanberra]

Vashe Zdorovye !! ;)

 

Spah-see-bah,:D

[scubacruiserx2]

With our back to the Narva Gate , we see a building with a large painting on the side . We also see an underground passage for people to cross the street safely and to keep the traffic flowing around the circle . There are many of these tunnels in SPB .

 

 

 

 

This one has a number of small shops , but they were closed at this early hour .

 

 

 

 

 

The painting glorifies the communist revolution of the workers .

 

 

 

 

Heading back down to the trains in the metro felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole .

 

 

 

 

 

Above the tunnel to the underground was this objet d' art glorifying the people and deifying Lenin .

 

 

 

 

This statue in the metro of a girl giving flowers to a soldier should be called guns and roses .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

If you have been to or plan on going to Catherine's Palace in Pushkin , you will see the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad , near the airport . It's usually decorated for the holiday . But I needed to change from the red line to the blue to get there .

 

 

The station that I used is " Victory park " and the subway has doors like an elevator , separating the waiting passengers from the train , instead of an open track

 

 

 

 

The metro station above ground

 

 

 

It's a major street with the House of the Soviets on it

 

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/buildings/house-of-soviets/

 

 

 

 

The first time that we ever saw this building was a grey , drab day and it really looked like the evil empire .

 

 

 

 

But now it seems more like a place where friendly young ladies , who speak English and give out free coffee samples , will smile for an American tourist's photograph !

 

 

Edited August 22, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[perfect match]

I'm not sure I've ever seen references to both Alice in Wonderland and Guns n Roses worked into the same string of pictures, especially pictures of SPB, Russia! :eek: I feel like I'm taking the best tour ever of SPB! Although I've said this before, I will repeat myself and say I am thoroughly enjoying the tour. I know you have a lot to do now with taking care of Pat being your #1 priority, so thank you for taking the time to keep up with this review.

[scubacruiserx2]

I'm not sure I've ever seen references to both Alice in Wonderland and Guns n Roses worked into the same string of pictures, especially pictures of SPB, Russia! :eek: I feel like I'm taking the best tour ever of SPB! Although I've said this before, I will repeat myself and say I am thoroughly enjoying the tour. I know you have a lot to do now with taking care of Pat being your #1 priority, so thank you for taking the time to keep up with this review.

 

Thank you Nancy , your kind words mean a lot to us . We have developed a greater appreciation for what leg injuries and the recovery process entails . But there's still a lot to see and do in SPB , so let's move on , shall we ? :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

The first part of our visit to SPB , because of the holiday , was more about the post revolution , soviet epoch that we grew up with , and feared when we were young . We still had a couple of soviet stops to see before turning to the pre - revolution , history of imperial Russia . The next photo stop was the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad .

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/monuments/heroic-defenders/

 

 

The monument is on a busy , store - laden street that leads to the airport .

 

 

 

 

It's in the center of a traffic circle and you can see the underground passage on the left that leads to the monument .

 

 

 

There is a stairway on the right taht leads to the center of a large ring overhead .

 

 

 

On the left , you can see the ring broken after 900 days

 

 

 

 

The ring represents the blockade during WW II , when the German army encircled Leningrad ( SPB ) for 900 days in an effort to starve the entire city and it's people .

 

 

There are a number of HUGE statues there and is seemed incongruous to see the hotel , in English , behind it .

 

 

 

 

When the clouds made a more artistic background .

 

 

Edited August 23, 2015 by scubacruiserx2