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

[Issyalex]

I've only been to StP too but like everyone I now feel I've visited Moscow.

 

I'm Loving my photo 'land holiday' too. :D

Edited October 27, 2015 by Issyalex

[scubacruiserx2]

I have only been to St Pete's as well but then now I feel Joe has taken us all through Moscow together.:D

 

We enjoyed Moscow , but prefer SPB .

 

 

 

Comparing the architecture, I prefer St Petersburg!

Probably because I have been to St Petersburg.

 

We felt the same before thing before visiting Moscow , ( and after ) . We feel that if coming from a cruise ship , even with 3 days , the time and money is better spent in SPB .

 

 

I've only been to StP too but like everyone I now feel I've visited Moscow.

 

I'm Loving my photo 'land holiday' too. :D

 

Pat and I are really glad that all of you could join us for this tour . And we still have more to see ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil%27s_Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

The statue in front of St. Basil's Cathedral is Minin and Pozharsky

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Let's go inside shall we ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most photos of Red Square show St. Basil's from across the square . This one shows the view from St. Basil's across the square with the points of interest labeled .

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Just beautiful, a shame the weather turned wet.

[scubacruiserx2]

Just beautiful, a shame the weather turned wet.

 

We have spent 3 days in Moscow and it rained all 3 days , so if you visit there don't forget your brolly ( umbrella ) . ;)

[MicCanberra]

We have spent 3 days in Moscow and it rained all 3 days , so if you visit there don't forget your brolly ( umbrella ) . ;)

 

We normally bring one but rarely use it as we have spray/rain jackets that get used first.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

We normally bring one but rarely use it as we have spray/rain jackets that get used first.:D

 

We also use these as you will see in the group of next photos . The umbrella was mostly used for photography , to the keep rain off of the lens . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

An umbrella is visible in the upper left hand corner of this photo .

 

 

 

 

Four views of St. Basil's as we circled the cathedral .

 

 

The front view , closeup:

 

 

 

 

Right side facing GUM

 

 

 

Rear view with the Kremlin on the left

 

 

 

 

Facing the Savior's Gate of the Kremlin . The cathedral is on the left , out of the frame .

 

 

 

 

Behind the cathedral ( and before 2 surgeries ) .

 

 

 

 

Next : A visit to the mall .

[MicCanberra]

Got to keep the equipment dry. ;)

Hope Pat is mending well.

[scubacruiserx2]

Got to keep the equipment dry. ;)

Hope Pat is mending well.

 

Amen on the dry equipment , it keeps our photos nice ! I'll try to post photos later as I'm headed out to see Pat on day 16 of her hospitalization . The Doctors had to open half of her incision from an infection and leave it open for twice daily cleaning . A new pain medicine gave her nausea and vomiting , so were are trying to find the proper balance . Hopefully , we will be able to post some photos of GUM later today . ;)

[scubacruiserx2]

Before entering GUM , I photographed the Moscow State University building in the distance .

 

 

At about 700' tall ,it was the tallest building in Europe for almost 60 years .

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUM_(department_store)

 

 

GUM was 120 years old when this photo was taken

 

 

 

 

It was decorated for Spring when we were there in May .

 

 

 

And the doves of peace were prominent in the decorations

 

 

 

 

We loved the Centrum

 

 

 

 

And with 3 stories of shopping , all cruise ships would love to have this space .

 

 

 

You can see Pat's backpack which aroused the Armory's guard's suspicion .

[MicCanberra]

Amen on the dry equipment , it keeps our photos nice ! I'll try to post photos later as I'm headed out to see Pat on day 16 of her hospitalization . The Doctors had to open half of her incision from an infection and leave it open for twice daily cleaning . A new pain medicine gave her nausea and vomiting , so were are trying to find the proper balance . Hopefully , we will be able to post some photos of GUM later today . ;)

 

Thanks,

Poor Pat is having a long stay in hospital, Wish her well from Rosie and I.:D

[MicCanberra]

The GUM reminds me of the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) in Sydney, similar design and vintage.:D

[perfect match]

 

This is the line to enter the Armory . At the top are several guards and metal detectors . Pat was first with our guide Alina between us and we chatted while we waited . As the stern looking guard began to question her in English , I could just barely hear him and her answers .

 

Guard : Pull out your gun

 

Pat : I don't have a gun

 

G : Then pull out your knife

 

P: I don't have a knife

 

G : Then what do you have ?

 

P : 2 Computers , a laptop and a ipad

 

G : Is that what you use to set the bomb off ?

 

P : No bombs

 

G : Why go you have computers ?

 

P : My husband puts photos on them

 

G : Open your backpack . No guns , no knifes , no bombs ?

 

Pat : If you went to the US , would you take a gun , a knife , or a bomb ?

 

G : NO !

 

p: Well then , why would I ?

 

G : You may enter .

 

 

Then came my turn . Open your bag . Nothing but cameras ? No photos ! You may enter .

 

That conversation would have totally freaked me out! :eek:

 

I haven't been here for a while, actually far longer than I realized. Seems like I have missed far more than your wonderful pictures and the stories behind them. Your review is totally over the top impresssive. I feel like I am taking a course in Russian art, architecture, and hisory all rolled into one.

 

I am so sorry to hear of Pat's health problems and extended hospitalization. I am sure this hasn't helped much with her knee rehab, either. I hope she is on the mend and able to go home soon. I will say a prayer for both of you even though I know you are both amazing, strong people and you will get through this.

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks,

Poor Pat is having a long stay in hospital, Wish her well from Rosie and I.:D

 

Thanks Mic and Rosie , we hope that she may come home this week .

 

 

The GUM reminds me of the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) in Sydney, similar design and vintage.:D

 

 

I looked it up , it sure does ! We still hope to visit Sydney one day and see it in person . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

That conversation would have totally freaked me out! :eek:

 

I haven't been here for a while, actually far longer than I realized. Seems like I have missed far more than your wonderful pictures and the stories behind them. Your review is totally over the top impresssive. I feel like I am taking a course in Russian art, architecture, and hisory all rolled into one.

 

I am so sorry to hear of Pat's health problems and extended hospitalization. I am sure this hasn't helped much with her knee rehab, either. I hope she is on the mend and able to go home soon. I will say a prayer for both of you even though I know you are both amazing, strong people and you will get through this.

 

Thank you you Nancy , and welcome back - we missed you ! We hope that you and your rehab has been going well . ;)

[scubacruiserx2]

GUM is great photo op for newlyweds and it produced one of my favorite photos - a game of bridal tug of war .

 

 

 

 

And they also sell a tongue in cheek cake called a Mother in Law cake . It features faux poisonous mushrooms on top .

 

 

 

 

After leaving GUM , we heard English being spoken from a couple of young people wearing a Michigan State hat . That's where Pat's sister went to school , so we had a quick chat while walking to our next location , Nokolskaya Ulitsa .

 

 

http://www.moscow.info/streets/nikolskaya-ulitsa.aspx

 

 

 

This is the Synod Printing House which printed the first book in Russia - The Acts of the Apostles in 1564 .

 

 

 

 

The Lion , the unicorn and the hammer and the sickle .

 

 

 

A little further along , we spied a couple of buskers . Our guide said that she thought they were " creepy " . What do you think ?

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Great news for you and Pat. If you do make it down under, make sure you let me know. The buskers can be a bit off putting sometimes.

[scubacruiserx2]

Great news for you and Pat. If you do make it down under, make sure you let me know. The buskers can be a bit off putting sometimes.

 

We sure will . We think our guide was more concerned then we were , as we consider them to be a curiosity or a photo op . :) :D

[perfect match]

Thank you you Nancy , and welcome back - we missed you ! We hope that you and your rehab has been going well . ;)

 

Rehab on my hip has gone quite well, thank you for asking. I even managed to get a couple of scuba dives in on our last trip! :cool: I see my DR again on Thursday to get a plan in place for my badly needed knee replacements. I am not looking forward to that process, but if the outcome is as good as my hip replacements have been it will definitely be worth it.

 

I hope to hear that Pat is recovering well and will be coming home soon.

[scubacruiserx2]

Rehab on my hip has gone quite well, thank you for asking. I even managed to get a couple of scuba dives in on our last trip! :cool: I see my DR again on Thursday to get a plan in place for my badly needed knee replacements. I am not looking forward to that process, but if the outcome is as good as my hip replacements have been it will definitely be worth it.

 

I hope to hear that Pat is recovering well and will be coming home soon.

 

That's good news Nancy , and we hope that you had good dives ! It's nice to know that your replacement (s) will result in a better quality of life . We also have some great news , after 19 days in the hospital Pat came home last night !! . :) :)

 

 

 

We will try to post more photos of Moscow today but , we have a little homework right now . ;)

[scubacruiserx2]

Continuing our walk along Nikolskaya Ulitia we had a another UFO sighting

 

 

 

 

Our next sighting was much more sobering the infamous Lubyanka Prison .

 

 

 

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Lubyanka.aspx

 

Home to torture , interrogations and murders , it was joked in the USSR that " it was the tallest building in Moscow , because you could see Siberia from the basement " ( where the tortures took place ) . Also home to the KGB , it used to have a large statute of it's founder iron Felix Dzerzhinsky in front of the building .

 

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

 

 

 

The previous photo was taken in St. Petersburg , but the original statue in Moscow was torn down by a crowd in Moscow , during the break up of the USSR . It now has a more humble place - the Fallen Monument Park , where children sit on it .

 

 

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

 

 

Edited November 3, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[jenseib]

Once again I got behind but it wasn't as bad this time. Loving the pictures. Everything is just beautiful! The architecture is just amazing!

[MicCanberra]

That's good news Nancy , and we hope that you had good dives ! It's nice to know that your replacement (s) will result in a better quality of life . We also have some great news , after 19 days in the hospital Pat came home last night !! . :) :)

 

 

 

We will try to post more photos of Moscow today but , we have a little homework right now . ;)

 

Woohoo, that is good news.:D

[MicCanberra]

Our next sighting was much more sobering the infamous Lubyanka Prison .

 

 

 

Home to torture , interrogations and murders , it was joked in the USSR that " it was the tallest building in Moscow , because you could see Siberia from the basement " ( where the tortures took place ) . Also home to the KGB , it used to have a large statute of it's founder iron Felix Dzerzhinsky in front of the building .

 

 

The previous photo was taken in St. Petersburg , but the original statue in Moscow was torn down by a crowd in Moscow , during the break up of the USSR . It now has a more humble place - the Fallen Monument Park , where children sit on it .

 

 

You can almost feel the sadness from that prison.

Edited November 3, 2015 by MicCanberra