MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Moscow (Russian: Москва́) is the capital and most populous city of Russia, with 12.5 million residents within the city limits and 17.1 million within the urban area. Moscow is one of Russia's three federal cities. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre of Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as the largest city entirely on the European continent. According to Forbes 2013, Moscow has been ranked as the ninth most expensive city in the world by Mercer and has one of the world's largest urban economies, being ranked as an alpha global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and is also one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index.

Moscow is the northernmost and coldest megacity and metropolis on Earth. It is home to the Ostankino Tower, the tallest free standing structure in Europe; the Federation Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Europe; and the Moscow International Business Centre. By its territorial expansion on July 1, 2012 southwest into the Moscow Oblast, the area of the capital more than doubled, going from 1,091 to 2,511 square kilometres, and it gained an additional population of 233,000 people.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
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An excellent video by Expedia gives you an idea of the delights of this great city:

MATRYOSHKA DOLLS

Matryoshka doll - noun
Each of a set of brightly painted hollow wooden dolls of varying sizes, designed to fit inside each other.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, tr. Sankt-Peterburg) is the second largest city in Russia, politically incorporated as a federal subject (a federal city). Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was named Saint Petersburg in 1703. In 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd (Russian: Петрогра́д), in 1924 to Leningrad (Russian: Ленингра́д), and in 1991 back to Saint Petersburg.

Tsar Peter the Great founded Saint Petersburg on May 27 [O.S. 16] 1703. Between 1713–1728 and 1732–1918, Saint Petersburg was the imperial capital of Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow. It is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with five million inhabitants in 2012, and an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. Saint Petersburg is the most Westernised city of Russia, as well as its cultural capital. It is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over one million.

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks, and businesses have offices in Saint Petersburg. We visited St Petersburg in 2001 and thoroughly enjoyed it, seeing an amazing number of significant sites, museums, historical and cultural areas. The people we met were courteous, helpful and friendly.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

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YALTA, CRIMEA

Yalta (Russian: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative centre of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Population: 76,746 (2014 Census). The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by the Greek conquerors who were looking for a safe shore (γιαλός – yalos in Greek) on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black Sea, surrounded by the mountain range Ai-Petri. It has a warm humid subtropical climate and surrounded by numerous vineyards and orchards. The term "Greater Yalta" is used to designate a part of the Crimean southern coast spanning from Foros in the west to Gurzuf in the east and including the city of Yalta and multiple adjacent urban settlements.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

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MELBOURNE'S RUSSIAN CATHEDRAL

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God is located in 1 Albion St, Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne. During the late 1970's and early 1980's clergy and parishioners of the Protection of the Mother of God Cathedral in Collingwood began seeking a new church site. The move was necessary as the site in Collingwood was not large enough to expand.

The decision to build rather than buy was made on the rationale that a church in Russian style is more aesthetically pleasing to those who will worship in it than a renovated church in the style of a western denomination. Three architects were invited to submit proposals for the plans for this new church (Vlad Chernov, Alex Kamenev and John Petrakis). John Petrakis secured the contract with a competitive estimate. He had a working relationship with Brunswick Municipal Council - which was another advantage.

John, who was later to become an honourary Russian dubbed Ivan Petrov, developed the design further and approached the Brunswick city council about a Planning Permit for a Church and a Community Centre. His diplomacy in dealing with the City Council, managing to appease them whilst not compromising design is a credit to him.

The foundation laying ceremony took place on the 5th November 1989. Within the stone some relics of Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth were placed with a parchment within a sealed copper/brass cylinder. This is based on the ancient Christian practice of building churches above the graves of holy martyrs.

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DIANTHUS AMURENSIS

Dianthus amurensis is a short-lived perennial dianthus that is similar to Dianthus chinensis except for its perennial habit and purple-pink flowers that are often solitary. It is native to the Amur River region of Siberia. Genus name comes from the Greek words Dios meaning "of Zeus" and anthos meaning flower. Specific epithet means from the Amur River area in eastern Asia.

'Siberian Blue' (frequently sold in commerce as 'Siberian Blues') is an Amur pink cultivar that produces reddish-violet to lavender-blue flowers on stems rising to 30 cm tall over a bushy sprawling mound of lance-shaped green leaves (each to 5 cm long). Flowers bloom solitary or in three-flowered inflorescences. Flowers typically bloom from late spring to frost. This is a striking dianthus that is eye-catching and unusual. The lilac-coloured flowers form a wonderful display in a garden bed or in a rockery.

Amur pinks are short-lived perennials that may be grown from seed. They are best grown in gritty, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Drought tolerant once established. Start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before last spring frost date. Set out seedlings and/or purchased plants 1-2 weeks before last spring frost date. Plantings are less apt to burn out in poorly drained soils or in hot and humid summers than some other species of dianthus. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong bloom. When flowering declines, plants may be sheared to promote additional bloom.

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CHURCH OF SAVIOUR, ST PETERSBURG

The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood (Russian: Церковь Спаса на Крови, Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi) is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg, Russia. Other names include the Church on Spilt Blood (Russian: Церковь на Крови, Tserkov’ na Krovi) and the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Russian: Собор Воскресения Христова, Sobor Voskreseniya Khristova). This Church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was severely wounded and died in March 1881.The church was built from 1883 till 1907. The construction was funded by the imperial family.

Construction began in 1883 during the reign of Alexander III. The church was dedicated to be a memorial to his father, Alexander II. Estimates suggest that the construction cost 4.5 million rubles. The construction was complete during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors. The Church is prominently situated along the Griboedov Canal; paved roads run along both sides of the canal. On March 13, 1881 (Julian date: March 1), as Tsar Alexander's carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded. The tsar, shaken but unhurt, got out of the carriage and started to remonstrate with the presumed culprit. A second conspirator took the chance to throw another bomb, killing himself and mortally wounding the tsar. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace where he died a few hours later.

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Saviour on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The Church contains over 7500 square meters of mosaics (according to its restorers, more than any other church in the world).

The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day, including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel. The church's chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in St. Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family). Perhaps not surprisingly, the Church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million rubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.

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