Saturday, April 25, 2015

V is for Vitoslavlitsy, Vasilyevskiy Island, and Venice of the North



How many times can you come across great V words?  And why not use them?  So, this post has 'Vs' to spare.

First up is Vitoslavlitsy in Novgorod, Russia.  This was such a charming outdoor museum of traditional wooden architecture, I have to share it with you.  The buildings were moved to the site and are part of the UNESCO sites in Novgorod.  Please pardon the rain drops on the pictures.  More pictures here.




18th Century Chapel from Kashira Village

Tiered Church of St. Nicholas, 1757

Cottage of Mary Dmitrievna.  Living quarters of the cottage above, which were over the barn, are seen below:


Baby's cradle:

The next place is in Saint Petersburg, Vasilyevskiy Island, (UNESCO), where we find the Rostral Columns.  There are two on the island.






















Also on the island are two Egyptian Sphinxes, roughly 3,500 years old, which once stood in front of the tomb of Amenhotep III and now stand in front of the Academy of Arts Building, seen below.


Also present are the Academy of Sciences Building

and the Kunstkammer:
As you can see from these photos, there is lots of water, which makes Saint Petersburg the Venice of the North.  Here are some random canal views:

The garden pavilion of the Mikhailovskiy Castle:

Peter the Great's Summer Palace:



Cruising down the Fontanka River below:


Tolkien Bonus:  V is for the Valar, the Great Ones, the Mighty, the Powers of Arda.  They were essentially the guardians of Ea.


12 comments:

  1. Oh these pictures are so beautiful. I love the old wooden church and homes. They are so unique in architecture. I would love to take that cruise-so lovely

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    1. The more I re-visit these places for A to Z, the more I want to return there.

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  2. Those wooden buildings are interesting Denise. Surprising they have lasted so well. Those academy buildings are fantastic, I bet people over here would like to study in such places. What was a garden pavilion for do you suppose? And why did it have to be so big? Lovely city, I can see why you want to go back.

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    1. The rich, so I have been told, would have gatherings in the pavilion, greet guests arriving and then departing by boat, etc. I guess you could rest before being taken to the castle itself. I think I have a picture of it somewhere.

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  3. I always gravitate to cities on the water - one more reason why I'd love to visit St. Petersburg.

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    1. Bridges, canals, great palaces. I think I am going to try to do a Travel Tuesday and post pictures I haven't previously posted of places I've been. I really need to scan some of my old travel photos.

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  4. I finally found your blog! I had seen you comment somewhere so I knew there was a Russian theme during the A to Z Challenge, but I couldn't find which blog it was. After visiting MopDog today, I saw your link. Anyhow, just followed you on GFC, and will read your other posts, probably next month. I spent a year in Russia, all the cold months, none of the warm ones. Sad! Always tried to an island called Kizhi, which is where I think some of these old buildings might have been. The wooden ones, not built with nails. Anyhow, both times, the weather was hideous and we never made it to the island. When I was in Novgorod, these wooden buildings were not there.

    Maui Jungalow

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    1. The link. I did not know how to add it until I got the the letter 'S' for signature and thanks to Mop Dog's post I learned how to do it. But, so glad you found me. A year in Russia. That's mind-boggling. I have a friend who worked in Saint Petersburg for a time for GM when they were setting up their Russian adventure which they are now abandoning. Not sure when that Novgorod Museum opened. All the buildings were moved to the site. Did not have time to go to Kizhi and many other small towns that would be nice to see. Maybe another trip?

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  5. Wonderful Posts!

    Well done on completing in the A-Z again. I just don't have the time to commit! Maybe if I am more organised, I will give it a go next year :)

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    1. Well, I am so impressed every time I read your posts. How wonderful to have all that information on your family. My grandfather's papers show that he came here from some city in Russia that doesn't seem to exist. Not sure we'll ever figure it out. And in an old census I discovered that an great-uncle was really a step-brother to my grandmother, not even a blood relation. A to Z seems to be the only thing that gets me blogging on a regular basis.

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  6. It's raining Vs, I can see. I love the look of the chapels, so quaint and charming, they almost resemble barns on the outside. Peter the Great's summer palace is beautiful. I wonder which of their many palaces these chaps considered home.

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    1. The royals had many palaces and moved around often. Emperor Paul only lived in Mikhailovskiy for a short time before his demise.

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