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

[scubacruiserx2]

You have too visit Scotland. We have a beautiful country so full of history and wonderful friendly people but the most unpredictable weather! :(

 

Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth games last year. We were at the opening and closing ceremonies. In the opening ceremony we raised £3 million for SCIEF. :D at the closing ceremony we handed the honour of the 2018 commonwealth games to Australia and Kylie closed the show! Alex was sooooo happy. He even bought a new camera with a super duper zoom to see her better! Lol

 

I like Alex's style , why didn't I think of that ? A new camera and a Kylie concert , brilliant Lol . One of our favorite singers , songwriter and performers is Al Stewart who as born in Glasgow , and we did stay on in London , after Russia , to see him perform at the Royal Albert Hall .

 

 

 

 

We had seen him perform locally with Dave Nachminoff , before our TA .

 

 

 

 

 

They do a great job as a duo

 

 

 

But seeing them perform , with Peter White and the band , at the Royal Albert Hall was a dream come true !

 

 

 

The Year of the Cat album can out the year that my DW and I met . And who knows , perhaps Scotland is in our future. :) :D

Edited September 21, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Just a couple more photos of this beautiful church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the fall

 

 

 

 

Across the canal with the souvenir area ( don't forget to bargain )

 

 

 

 

And lastly , we found this miniature version in a park .

 

 

 

 

A quick video clip:

 

Next time : St. Isaac's Cathedral

Edited September 22, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[Issyalex]

I like Alex's style , why didn't I think of that ? A new camera and a Kylie concert , brilliant Lol . One of our favorite singers , songwriter and performers is Al Stewart who as born in Glasgow , and we did stay on in London , after Russia , to see him perform at the Royal Albert Hall .

 

 

 

 

We had seen him perform locally with Dave Nachminoff , before our TA .

 

 

 

 

 

They do a great job as a duo

 

 

 

But seeing them perform , with Peter White and the band , at the Royal Albert Hall was a dream come true !

 

 

 

The Year of the Cat album can out the year that my DW and I met . And who knows , perhaps Scotland is in our future. :) :D

 

 

I see he was born in Glasgow but brought up in Dorset, England. So glad that one thing from your bucket list has been realised.

 

Alex only bought the camera so he could zoom in on Kylie's bum/butt!!! Lol

[Gracie115]

The church was built by Tsar Alexander III after the assassination of his father Tsar Alexander II . His father had liberated the serfs in 1861 , but some people were not happy that they were not given land and so multiple murders killed him with bombs on March 13 , 1881 . It took 24 years to complete the building .

 

 

 

 

 

The church is beautiful from the outside .

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we would recommend and inside visit or you will be missing a lot !

 

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/cathedrals/church-resurrection-jesus-christ.asp

 

 

 

 

The interior is covered with 7500 sq. meters of eye - popping mosaics !!

 

 

 

 

The 2 previous photos required multiple photos stitched together to show the full 81 meters from the floor to the highest point .

 

 

 

 

 

If you look closely along the canal photos , you will see a place where the building juts out into the canal . This is to cover the spot where the Tsar's blood was spilled and is marked by this shrine .

 

 

 

 

Many people have tried to compare the death of the Alexander II to that of Jesus , dying for his people . And you can see the mosaic of Jesus in the tomb , behind the shrine marker of the Tsar .

 

What an amazing church, inside & out......your photos really do make it come alive.... I can't wait to visit there....

[perfect match]

I'm caught up once again. The buildings in SPB are beautiful. I love all of the details. I also loved the art. I do think you should be publishing a travel guide, or maybe do a seminar on a cruise going to SPB because I'm sure you would do an excellent job.

 

We're glad that you are with us on our slow tour ! ;) The museums (Hermitage after the Russian Museum) are an amazing place to me . Unlike photos and memories which fade rapidly sometimes , the statues and paintings require great skill and last for hundreds or sometimes thousands of years ! We did enjoy our stays in Russia and were quite surprised how different is was than what we had first expected . We hope that the photos and narrative will help future visitors to narrow their choices as to what to see and do when visiting Russia .

 

Pat's rehab is a slow and steady process as they want her to continue to use a walker and a fixed leg brace for 3 more weeks . How about you , are you able to dive yet ? :cool:

 

I'm glad to hear that Pat's rehab is moving along well. Slow and steady is good when it comes to rehab.

 

I did my first pool test with fins the other day, it went well. I'm not sure I want to try scuba yet, though. When you add all the weight of the dive gear, I don't think I'm ready to deal with that yet. Mostly because my knees still need to be fixed.....

 

I go back to my surgeon on Thursday and expect to find out when he wants to do my knee replacements. Hopefully, he will want to do them soon because I'm so ready to get them done, get through that rehab, and get on with my life. Of course, that is assuming the surgeries will go well, I have faith in my Dr and am willing to do whatever post surgery rehab he deems necessary.

 

We will be heading south to Ft Lauderdale for a week next month for a little vacay before any surgery can take place. I plan to do some snorkeling on our trip, but no scuba. I am also planning our activities with far less walkimg than we would normally do so my knees make it through the week. We will be doing some bike riding so I can cover some ground that I'd have problems doing on foot right now. I am looking forward to some fun time before I get back down to the process of surgery and recovery.

 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled review, with my apologies for going off topic.

[scubacruiserx2]

We will first view the cathedral from the world's largest bridge , the blue bridge .

 

 

 

 

And now from St. Isaac's Square with it's statue of Nicholas I .

 

 

 

 

 

This is the fourth St. Isaac's cathedral and it was commissioned by Alexander I in 1818 , to celebrate the victory over Napoleon . It took 40 years to complete .

 

 

 

 

It first required thousands of upright tree trunks to be driven in the marshy ground to support it's massive weight . They used a French architect Auguste de Montferrand , who died in the same month that it was completed in 1858 .

There is 200 pounds of gold leaf on the dome and 60 workers died of mercury poisoning while applying the gold .

 

 

 

It has 48 of these marble columns , each weighing 114 tons !

 

 

 

 

These doors are bronze covered oak and weigh 20 tons !

 

 

Edited September 23, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

I see he was born in Glasgow but brought up in Dorset, England. So glad that one thing from your bucket list has been realised.

 

Alex only bought the camera so he could zoom in on Kylie's bum/butt!!! Lol

 

That's funny , a case of Kylie Fever ? ;)

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Ramsey was at this performance at the 2:30 mark .

[scubacruiserx2]

What an amazing church, inside & out......your photos really do make it come alive.... I can't wait to visit there....

 

It will be well worth the wait . We hope that this section will help you and others to choose which sites to visit because , the standard 2 day visits go very fast and thus , priorities are essential . We booked a custom tour on the first time that we visited ( fewer people but greater cost and flexibility ) , because most of the off the rack tours didn't include interior visits at Spilled Blood , St. Isaac's or the Metro . After that visit , we felt like we had missed a few things and would have managed the time differently , if we ever visited there again . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

This article was in the Moscow Times today

 

 

Russia's Last Tsar Exhumed as Murder Case Reopened

By Vasily KolotilovSep. 23 2015 21:52 Last edited 21:53

 

 

 

Photo from wikipedia commons

 

The Romanov family picture .

Russian investigators on Wednesday exhumed the remains of Russia's last tsar and his wife, who were slaughtered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 together with their children and servants, after reopening the investigation into the century-old murder.

 

The Investigative Committee said in a statement Wednesday it was reopening the probe in order to confirm the identity of remains believed to belong to two of the royal children: the Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna.

 

A previous investigation concluded that the remains were indeed those of Maria and Alexei, but a working group set up at the instigation of the Russian Orthodox Church insisted that further tests be carried out, the statement said.

 

On Wednesday, the bodies of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra were exhumed at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg and samples taken from them, Interfax reported.

Investigators also took samples from a blood-soaked coat that Tsar Alexander II — Nicholas' grandfather — was wearing when he was fatally injured by a terrorist's bomb in 1881, Interfax reported.

 

They are also seeking access to the remains of the empress' sister, Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Russia, the Investigative Committee statement said, adding that her remains are in Israel and have never been examined by Russian investigators.

 

The remains of Maria and Alexei were planned to be buried with those of the rest of the family on Oct. 18, TASS news agency reported earlier this month. But the Russian Orthodox Church protested, saying additional research was needed.

 

Nicholas and Alexandra were killed together with their five children, four servants and family dog in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks in 1918, the year after revolution ended their rule.

 

The remains of all the members of the royal family except for Alexei and Maria were found in woods outside Yekaterinburg in 1979. A criminal investigation into the murder of the tsar and his family was opened in 1993, but in 1998 the investigation was closed on the grounds that all the suspects were already dead. That same year, the remains of Nicholas, Alexandra and their other three daughters were finally laid to rest at the Peter and Paul Fortress.

 

In 2007 the remains of Alexei and Maria were discovered close to the first burial spot.

 

 

Here's where the remains of the rest of the family are , the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg .

 

 

[upwarduk]

-------because most of the off the rack tours didn't include interior visits at Spilled Blood , St. Isaac's or the Metro . After that visit , we felt like we had missed a few things and would have managed the time differently.

 

We did the De Luxe 2 day SPB tour.

We went inside all the above.

[scubacruiserx2]

We did the De Luxe 2 day SPB tour.

We went inside all the above.

 

You make a great point that now many tours companies include these stops . But at the time we first booked in early 2006 , DenRus and Red October were # 1 and # 2 as the established companies , and Alla and SPB were just beginning as companies . Thus , we told DenRus that visitors want to go inside the churches , take metro rides , walks on Nevsky Prospect and visit the Gold or Diamond rooms in the Hermitage . In order to do those things required a private tour at that time . But with over 100 tour companies in SPB now , the competition has been good for the consumer with those stops now considered the norm instead of the exception and private tours now having better prices .

Edited September 24, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

St. Isaac's had a full parking lot on a cold , gray and windy day when we entered . On days like this , people go indoors to museums and the like . Seeing the crowd inside , we choose to wait for them to leave by doing something that we had never done before - climbing the stairs to the colonnade . It costs about $ 2 and is about 300 steps to reach the top .

 

 

 

 

Including the bridge

 

 

 

 

 

Are the views worth the climb ? Looking East toward the Neva River and the bronze Horseman .

 

 

 

 

Looking South from left to right and across the river in the distance , is the Cathedral of Peter and Paul . Next is the Admiralty spire and then , the green Hermitage building and Palace Square , with the Alexander Column standing tall . On the far right is the Spilled Blood Church .

 

 

 

Facing West is the Hotel Astoria with the Red window shades

 

 

 

 

And finally , St. Issac's Square where all of the vehicles are parked . The Building is the Mariinsky Palace , a gift from Tsar Nicholas I to his oldest daughter Maria , on her wedding day . It is now home to the City Council .

 

 

 

From the red arrow to the blue arrow is the Blue Bridge , at about 100 yards wide , is sometimes claimed to be the widest bridge in the world .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bridge_(Saint_Petersburg)

[scubacruiserx2]

I'm caught up once again. The buildings in SPB are beautiful. I love all of the details. I also loved the art. I do think you should be publishing a travel guide, or maybe do a seminar on a cruise going to SPB because I'm sure you would do an excellent job.

 

 

 

I'm glad to hear that Pat's rehab is moving along well. Slow and steady is good when it comes to rehab.

 

I did my first pool test with fins the other day, it went well. I'm not sure I want to try scuba yet, though. When you add all the weight of the dive gear, I don't think I'm ready to deal with that yet. Mostly because my knees still need to be fixed.....

 

I go back to my surgeon on Thursday and expect to find out when he wants to do my knee replacements. Hopefully, he will want to do them soon because I'm so ready to get them done, get through that rehab, and get on with my life. Of course, that is assuming the surgeries will go well, I have faith in my Dr and am willing to do whatever post surgery rehab he deems necessary.

 

We will be heading south to Ft Lauderdale for a week next month for a little vacay before any surgery can take place. I plan to do some snorkeling on our trip, but no scuba. I am also planning our activities with far less walkimg than we would normally do so my knees make it through the week. We will be doing some bike riding so I can cover some ground that I'd have problems doing on foot right now. I am looking forward to some fun time before I get back down to the process of surgery and recovery.

 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled review, with my apologies for going off topic.

 

You are too kind, that would be a sweet gig on a cruise ship.

Glad your "pool test" went well. Hope your doctor's report today is positive. Totally understand getting rehab behind you. Sounds like the biking is the way to go. :) :D

 

Okay. as perfect match said," Now, back to our regularly scheduled review."

 

 

Next time : The interior of St. Isaac's Cathedral

[cruise47]

To the OP, you seen to have so much freedom in taking so many outstanding photos of Russia. Is this a major change from your first visit to Russia many, many years ago? This city is just a dream for a person who love to take photos of outstanding sites in my opinion.

Edited September 24, 2015 by cruise47

[jenseib]

That's interesting about the Romanov family. I didn't realize it took so long to discover the bodies. I thought they were all found except the 2 children right away.

[perfect match]

Joe, I keep thinking you are going to run out of fantastic architecture to show us in Russia - but you don't! It just keeps getting better! I did wonder, though, as cruise 47 did if it was unusual for you to have so much freedom to take all those pictures, and if there were any changes in the freedom you experienced during your different visits.

 

I had seen the article avout the Romanovs. I have always found their story fascinating. It would be interesting the site where their remains are.

 

A very brief update on my knees. No surgery date until after our trip, but some cortisone injections to get me through until then.

[scubacruiserx2]

To the OP, you seen to have so much freedom in taking so many outstanding photos of Russia. Is this a major change from your first visit to Russia many, many years ago? This city is just a dream for a person who love to take photos of outstanding sites in my opinion.

 

This is a great question , thanks for asking ! Like the tours offering more bang for the buck and more options , photographic options have dramatically improved since 2006 for a number of reasons :

 

1. Better cameras - I shot film in 2006 . With the newer digital cameras , you can shoot low light photos like museums or the metro . Because they still don't allow flash or tripods , the faster , and higher ISO cameras will get the photo .

 

2. The Russian people have grown more accustomed to tourists , and with the sanctions in effect , they welcome the tourists money .

 

3. Russia , and St. Petersburg , have invested a lot of money repairing the old and creating some new venues like the new Cruise port and the Faberge Museum 2 years ago .

 

4. In 2006 , seeing someone with a camera identified you as a tourist . But now it seems everyone at the tourist areas have cameras - including the Russians . It was funny to see this teacher , teaching her student how to pose . What we found to be amazing was that this public school class was on a field trip - to a church ! We found out later that the students are required by law to study a religion of their choice .

 

 

5. In 2011 , photography in the Metro became legal . In May , I saw a large group from the Regal Princess taking photos in the Metro . When I spoke to the guide in Russian , and she allowed me to informally join the photo shoot .

 

6. We try to blend in with the locals in dress and speak a little Russian , and they usually encourage our feeble attempts . We respect them and their rules (including not taking photos , where posted) and their history and culture and that really helps . But the best phrase to photograph people is mozhna pozhaluysta ( may I , please ) and hold up your camera . Finally , use some common sense , would you really photograph a police officer or a TSA agent without their permission ?

 

 

 

Therefore , I would't say MAJOR changes , because it was good then , but it's better now !

[scubacruiserx2]

That's interesting about the Romanov family. I didn't realize it took so long to discover the bodies. I thought they were all found except the 2 children right away.

 

The story of finding the remains of Prince Alexei and Princess Maria can be found here :

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/25/russia.lukeharding

 

 

And the story of the death of the Romanov family here :

 

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

 

 

It's not really a bed time story though .

[cruise47]

To the OP, Thanks for your candid answers. You are an outstanding photographer & an outstanding American History spoke person for the Russian tourist industry. Times are changing in Russia.

[scubacruiserx2]

Joe, I keep thinking you are going to run out of fantastic architecture to show us in Russia - but you don't! It just keeps getting better! I did wonder, though, as cruise 47 did if it was unusual for you to have so much freedom to take all those pictures, and if there were any changes in the freedom you experienced during your different visits.

 

I had seen the article avout the Romanovs. I have always found their story fascinating. It would be interesting the site where their remains are.

 

A very brief update on my knees. No surgery date until after our trip, but some cortisone injections to get me through until then.

 

I did want to become an Architect in high school and when I began college but life gave me an abrupt change and I never finished . I wanted to design houses for working people , but I am really humbled by the work of some of the true master's work seen there - way beyond my my abilities and thinking ! And the art , amazing !!

 

I'm not sure if I fully answered cruise 47's question about photography or it's is more about politics . There is certainly more openness now with the younger people . The older people who lived during the war or Soviet era are more reluctant , understandably so , to be photographed or speak openly unless they know or trust you . Most public areas are open to photos , and even the warships , because everyone was taking photos . It does help to be connected though . Our guide to Lenin's office did used to work in security there and so we walked right past the guys with the guns . Another time we asked him to take us to Kronstadt to see the Cathedral and museum there . This is the area that you will pass through when entering or leaving St. Petersburg on cruise ship . It used to be closed to visitors because that is where the Baltic fleet was and we wanted a guide's help and insight . But we did notice on this trip that our SPB card gave a free pass to the museum and a reduced price on the hydrofoil to get there , so it's open to the general public . So yes , things are more open than ever to everyone in St. Peterburg . :) :D

Edited September 25, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[cruise47]

To the OP, my questions was gear toward the taking of pictures in Russia freely, compare to say 1995.

 

Thanks again I have enjoyed all your outstanding photos of SPB.

 

No! Politics. Please!!!!

[scubacruiserx2]

To the OP, Thanks for your candid answers. You are an outstanding photographer & an outstanding American History spoke person for the Russian tourist industry. Times are changing in Russia.

 

Thanks for your very kind words and I'm happy that you and others enjoy the photos of this beautiful city . And thank you for contributing to this thread .

 

 

 

To the OP, my questions was gear toward the taking of pictures in Russia freely, compare to say 1995.

 

Thanks again I have enjoyed all your outstanding photos of SPB.

 

No! Politics. Please!!!!

 

 

And thanks for clarification , it seem that current policy toward photography is similar to that of London , a couple of major churches and palaces do not permit photos and so it is in SPB and parts of Moscow . Politics unfortunately are a necessary evil sometimes to protect people and prevent anarchy , but we will try to keep them in their historical context . And yes , the times are changing in Russia , and we think that they are currently better , for most people , than under the Imperial or the Soviet times . :cool:

Edited September 26, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

As you walk to the cathedral , it's hard to imagine the size and beauty within

 

 

 

 

It will hold 10,000 people standing up and it's 100 meters from the floor to the dome .

 

 

 

 

It took 2 overlapping photos to show the floor to ceiling . In the distance you can see the 20 ton doors .

 

 

 

 

 

Another overlapping photo showing the iconostasis

 

 

 

 

And Bruni's painting of The Last Judgement . He and his pupils have 12 paintings in St. Issac's Cathedral .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Looking straight up toward the dome

 

 

 

The painting on the ceiling is The celestial Virgin in Majesty is by Karl Bryullov , and dates to 1857 . It features life size statues of angels around the dome .

 

 

 

 

It is 816 sq. ft. and measures about 191' (58 m.) across . The dove is the sign of the Holy Spirit .

 

 

 

 

In addition to the 120 paintings , the walls are decorated with 14 different colors of marble and 43 types of semi precious stones .

 

 

 

Including 16 tons of Malachite ( the green columns ) and Lapis Lazuli , the blue columns

 

 

 

It also includes 800 pounds of gold . The cost of the cathedral ? , more than 6 times the cost of the Winter Palace !

 

 

http://www.nevsky-prospekt.com/isaacs.html

 

 

Finally , the stained glass window of Christ .

 

[FluffyFiFi]

Thank you so much for your beautiful photographs and reviews, it has taken me four days to read through all the posts and I have really enjoyed it all. It has given a great insight on what to expect when we are on board the Eclipse for the TA from Southampton to Miami in November. Never been on Celebrity before so really not sure what to expect so it is wonderful to find out so much before going on board.

 

We only live about 40 minutes from Stonehenge and have visited several times but you photographs showed a beauty which we hadn't noticed before. The way you capture a scene is inspiring and I hope we can look at our surroundings with fresh eyes.

 

Wishing Pat a speedy recovery.

 

Fiona