The Aurora in St Petersburg

Aurora is a 1900 Russian protected cruiser, currently preserved as a museum ship in St. Petersburg. Aurora was one of three Pallada-class cruisers, built in St. Petersburg for service in the Pacific. All three ships of this class served during theRusso-Japanese War. Aurora survived the Battle of Tsushima and was interned under US protection in the Philippines, eventually returned to the Baltic Fleet. The second ship, Pallada, was sunk by the Japanese at Port Arthur in 1904. The third ship, Diana, was interned in Saigon after the Battle of the Yellow Sea. One of the first incidents of the October Revolution in Russia took place on the cruiserAurora.

Thank you Merja.

Moscow - View of the Arc de Triomphe and the Poklonnaya Hill

The third and the oldest surviving Triumphal Arch in Moscow was built in 1829–34 on Tverskaya Gate Square to Joseph Bové's designs in order to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon. It replaced an earlier wooden structure built by the veterans of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814.

The arch was built in brick and lined with ashlar. The columns and statues were of cast iron. A seiuga (six-horse chariot) was designed by Giovanni Vitali. The bilingual inscription in Russian and Latin ran as follows:

To the blessed memory of Alexander I who raised from ashes and adorned with many memorials of paternal care this former capital that had been committed to the mercy of fire during the invasion of the Gauls and twelve other nations.

The arch was dismantled in 1936 as part of Joseph Stalin's reconstruction of downtown Moscow. Vitali's sculptures were then put on exhibit at an architectural museum on the grounds of the former Donskoy Monastery. After the Second World War there were plans to rebuild the structure in front of the Belarussian Railway Station.

The current arch was built to Bove's original designs in 1966–68 in the middle of Kutuzovsky Avenue, close to the Victory Park. An open space surrounding the arch is known as the Victory Square.

Thank you Natasha for this nice card.

Russian Beauty

This lovely card was sent to me by Elena.

Painting by Ivan Aivazovsky

The painting shown on the card is by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900). He was a famous marine painter. Maria from Samara in Russsia who sent me this nice card says she like the works of this artist. Thank you Samara.

Brig "Mercury" Attacked by Two Turkish Ships

This wonderful card was sent to me by Mikhail Timona from the Republic of Mordovia.

Brig "Mercury" Attacked by Two Turkish Ships is an 1892 oil on canvas painting by Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900). Aivazovsky painted over 6,000 works, more than half of which are seascapes.

It depicts three ships in close combat on a rough sea; as the name suggests, the battle occurs between two Turkish warships, and another ship referred to in the painting's title as the Russian brig Mercury. While Aivazovsky painted many seascapes, often involving ships and boats of various descriptions, and many showing ships that were damaged or shipwrecked, few of his works featured ships in close naval combat.

The battle portrayed was part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29, a war sparked by the Greeks' struggle for independence and ensuing events. The Turkish Sultan became hostile to the Russians due their participation in the Battle of Navarino and, as a result, proceeded to close the Dardanelles for Russian ships and revoked the 1826 Convention of Akkerman.

After the conflict had ended, one of the navigators of the Turkish ships made a comment commending theMercury for her seaworthiness, and the captain for his bravery:

If in the great deeds of ancient or our times there are the feats of bravery, so this act put the others in the shade and the name of a hero should be wrote by the gold letter in the shrine of glory: the captain wasKazarsky, and the name of this brig was “Mercury”

La Esmeralda

The painting on the card is of La Esmeralda. This card was sent to me by Katerina from Russia.

Esmeralda or La Esmeralda, born Agnes, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (or Notre Dame de Paris). She is a French Gypsy girl (near the end of the book, it is revealed that her biological mother was a French woman). She constantly attracts men with her seductive dances, and is rarely seen without her clever goat Djali. She is around 16 years old and has a kind and generous heart.

Weapons of Victory

Russia released as set of 4 stamp on 16th April 2012 commemorating the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

These stamps depict armoured trucks in the series "Weapons of Victory".

 The stamps on these four maxi cards are (10P) One and a half truck GAZ-AA (lorry), (12P) Truck ZIS-5V, (14P) GAZ-67B and (15P) GAZ-M1 ("Emka").

 Thank you Ella.

Rostislav, a Russian Battleship

Irina of Saint Petersburg sent me this nice card showing ‘cleanship’ being carried out on the Rostislav, a Russian Battleship of the early ‘90s.

Rostislav was a pre-dreadnought battleship built by the Nikolaev Admiralty Shipyard in the 1890s for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. She was conceived as a small, inexpensive coastal defence ship, but the Navy abandoned the concept in favor of a compact, seagoing battleship with a displacement of 8,880 long tons (9,020 t). Poor design and construction practices increased her actual displacement by more than 1,600 long tons (1,600 t). Rostislav became the world's first capital ship to burn fuel oil, rather than coal. Her combat ability was compromised by the use of 10-inch (254 mm) main guns instead of the de facto Russian standard of 12 inches (305 mm).

Her hull was launched in September 1896, but non-delivery of the ship's main guns delayed her maiden voyage until 1899 and her completion until 1900. In May 1899 Rostislav became the first ship of the Imperial Navy to be commanded by a member of the House of Romanov, Captain Alexander Mikhailovich. From 1903 to 1912 the ship was the flagship of the second-in-command of the Black Sea Fleet. During the 1905 Russian Revolution her crew was on the verge of mutiny, but ultimately remained loyal to the regime, and actively suppressed the mutiny of the cruiser Ochakov.

Rostislav was actively engaged in World War I until the collapse of the Black Sea Fleet in the beginning of 1918. She was the first Russian ship to fire on enemy targets on land during World War I, the first to be hit by a German airstrike, and the first to destroy a submarine, albeit a Russian one. In April 1918 the fleeing Bolsheviks abandoned Rostislav in Sevastopol. A year later the British occupation forces permanently disabled her engines. The White forces used the ship as a towed floating battery, then scuttled her in the Strait of Kerch in November 1920.

Russian Engines

For those interested in Railway Engines, here are three of them. These maxi cards were given to me by my friend Ella.

Famous Russians

Julia sent me this card with photos of famous Russians.

Autumn's Keeper

Alexey sent this card from Russia. It shows a painting by Anastasia Kucherenko titled "Autumn's Keeper". Anastasia Kucherenko is an exponent of Vector Art.

Komsomolskaya Metro station in Moscow

Komsomolskaya is a Moscow Metro station in the Krasnoselsky District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. It is on the Sokolnicheskaya Line, between Krasnye Vorota and Krasnoselskaya stations. It is located under Komsomolskaya Square, between the Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky railway terminals. The station was named for the workers of the Komsomol youth league who helped to construct the first Metro line. It has a transfer at the-same-called-station on the Koltsevaya Line.

Komsomolskaya was built using the cut and cover method, with construction beginning on 3 May 1933. Temporary bridges were built over the construction site to avoid disrupting traffic, especially the numerous tram routes in the area. To counteract the high water table, the station was built on 636 piles which were driven into the saturated soil.

The station was designed by Dmitry Chechulin, and a model of it was displayed at the 1937 Paris World's fair.

This station, with its arched yellow ceiling, is known for being equally beautiful and busy. Though this station was built in the 1950s, it shows influence of the Baroque style, with intricate medallions decorating the ceiling. Mosaics depict scenes from Russian history and historic weaponry.

Thank you Zoya for this lovely card. I had the good fortune of visiting this extraordinary station. But that was a long long time ago.

Orenburg Children's Railway

This card shows a photo of The Orenburg Children's Railway in Russia was constructed at a record-breaking speed. Construction began on 19 May, 1953, and in 68 days, 26 July the same year, its formal opening was held! Five kilometers of track were laid (later another 0.8 km was added). Three stations and 2 intermediate stations on which there were wooden station buildings and high wooden platforms were constructed (in 1957 the platform at the "Plyazh" ("Beach") was closed).

The Children's Railway line passes along one bank of the river Ural from the city up to an area in which 33 Pioneer camps were located. The ChRW was one of the most convenient ways of getting from the city up to the "Pioneer campground". This provided the line with a constant volume of passenger traffic. On holidays the trains are overcrowded.

Orenburg is a transcontinental city and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the Ural River 1,478 kilometers (918 mi) southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 548,331 (2010 Census); 549,361 (2002 Census); 546,501 (1989 Census). From 1938 to 1957, the city bore the name Chkalov (after the prominent test pilot Valery Chkalov). The city's distance from the German invasion during World War II led many Soviet enterprises to flee there, helping to spur the city's economic growth.

Mountain and river tourism is developed in the region. There are a number of fast mountain rivers and rocks in pleated spurs of the southern edge of the Urals range, popular with tourists. The city is famous for its down Orenburg shawls. The thinnest lacy design, knitted by hand shawls and cobweb-like kerchiefs (pautinkas), is not only warm, but also is used for decorative purposes.

Thank you Ludmila for this lovely card.

Happy Holidays in October

This card from Russia wishes "Happy Holidays"during the national celebrations in October. This was during the Soviet days.

Polar Bears

Oleg sent me this lovely card. Bliss personified! - A Polar Bear mother and her cub sleeping on ice. 

Sochi 2014

Ludmila sent me this card that depicts the Bolshoy Ice Dome is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Sochi, Russia, that was opened in 2012. "Bolshoy" literally means "Huge or big", hence the correct English name for the Bolshoi Ice Palace would be the "Huge Ice Palace". It was opened in 2012. It will host some of the ice hockey events at the 2014 Winter Olympics along with Shayba Arena. The venues will be located 300 m apart.

It cost about $180.1 million to build the venue, including the temporary works for the Olympics. After the Olympics, it will serve as a sports arena and concert venue.

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks southwest of the Kremlin. With an overall height of 103 metres (338 ft), it is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world.

When Napoleon Bonaparte retreated from Moscow, Emperor Alexander I signed a manifest, 25 December 1812, declaring his intention to build a cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour "to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her" and as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people.

It took some time for actual work on the projected cathedral to get started. The first finished architectural project, by Aleksandr Lavrentyevich Vitberg, was endorsed by Alexander I in 1817. It was a flamboyant Neoclassical design full of Freemasonic symbolism. Construction work was begun on the Sparrow Hills, the highest point in Moscow, but the site proved insecure.

 This Church was built and then destroyed by the Communists under Stalin, and then , finally rebuilt. In February 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission from the Soviet Government to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. A temporary cornerstone was laid by the end of the year. The restorer Aleksey Denisov was called upon to design a replica of extraordinary accuracy.

The first Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who died of heart failure on 23 April 2007, lay in state in the cathedral prior to his burial in Novodevichy Cemetery.

Chatterbox - a godsend for the Enemy

Kostya and Maya sent me this card from Russia which shows an old Soviet poster informing the public in general about the dangers from spies listening to their loose and careless talk. The card announces this with the words - Chatterbox - a godsend for the Enemy

Queen Louise's Bridge

Lithuania and Russia are  connected by the Queen Louise's Bridge over Nemunas River at Panemune (in Lituania) and Sovetsk (Russia).

The bridge is named after the Prussian Queen who in 1807 brokered a peace between Napoleon, Czar Alexander I and Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III, on a raft on the river Memel. It is probably the best-known landmark of modern Tilsit or Sovetsk.

At this boundary Russia has changed side a few times politically. Until 1918-1920 Russia was on the northern side, but after the end of World War II she appeared on the southern side. At that time Lithuania was occupied and became officially a Soviet republic. Since 1991 Lithuania is an independent country.

Thank you Olga for this nice card.

Vegetarian borshch with mushrooms

Let me tell you first that the correct Oxford transliteration for the Russian word борщ is not borscht, but borshch. There are as many variations of borshch as there are cooks in the former Soviet Union. Its origins are Ukrainian, but it has become a staple dish of Russia. Some like it hot. Some prefer a cold version. It could be meat-based, or meat-free.

I had lots and lots of it when I lived in Vladivostk a long long time ago. But, that’s another story. 

If you are really interested in the actual cooking method of the dish shown on the card sent to me by my friend from the Urals Olya, do contact me.