Merry Christmas

Thank you Trudy from Canada for this lovely card. Merry Christmas to you too.

Kazan Taynitskaya tower overlooking the Kazanka

The Kazan Kremlin is a unique historial and cultural monument, which preserved elements of 3 epochs: tatar, russian and european. Architectural traditions of Bulgar, Golden Horde, Medieval Kazan-Tatar, Italian and Russian culture are interlaced here. Kremlin hill is a cradle of Kazan. Kazan began its development from that very place. Khan’s palace, 5 stone mosques and burial vaults were situated inside the Kremlin . 

The main Kul-Sharif mosque was decorated with 8 high many-tier minarets. Wooden houses of the Tatar nobility and guard premises were also situated here.

Quadrangular mosques with cupolas, minarets with patterns were the decoration of the Kazan Kremlin. Most part of wooden walls and towers of the Kazan Kremlin were destroyed during the capture of the city in 1552. Ivan the Terrible, having understood the expedience of Kazan location and its importance for the security of the eastern borders of Russia, decided to reconstruct the Kazan Kremlin and to make an unassailable fortress.

Walls and towers of the Kazan Kremlin were built in 1556-1562 according to the decree of Ivan the Terrible by Pskov masters Ivan Shiryay and Postnik Yakovlev. Whole brick and stone Kremlin was constructed at the end of XVIII century. The towers played the great role in defence of the Kremlin. There 13 of them in XVII century. Only 8 of towers remained till today, 5 of them had the gates to the Kremlin. There are only 2 tower gates functioning for today – Spasskaya and Tainitskaya towers. 

During a siege of Kazan the Taynitskaya tower was blown up. 3. The entry to the Kremlin from the Kazanka side is through the Tainitskaya Tower. The siege of Kazan in 1552 was the final battle of Russo-Kazan Wars. It led to the fall of Kazan Khanate. However, it was not the last battle on the khanate's territory. After the fall of Kazan, rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq, and a new khan was invited from the Nogais. This continuation guerilla war was ended only in 1556. Thank you Galina for this nice card.

The Titanic

A nice painting of the RMS Titanic. Card sent to me by my dear friend Pia.

Happy New Year

Thank you Galina for this pretty card. Wish you a Very Happy New Year too.

Merry Christmas

Thank you Merja. This is indeed a lovely card - Santa at Work and Play - Yes, Merry Christmas to all of you.

Merry Christmas

Thank you Ella for this lovely card. And yes, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too.

Boqueria market in Barcelona

The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona's opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods. This lovely card was sent to me by Anna from Barcelona.

The first mention of the Boqueria market in Barcelona dates from 1217, when tables were installed near the old city gate to sell meat. From December 1470 onwards, a pig market was held at this site; at this time it was known as Mercat Bornet. Later, until 1794, it was known simply as Mercat de la Palla, or straw market. In the beginning, the market was not enclosed and had no official status, being regarded simply as an extension of the Plaça Nova market, which extended to the Plaça del Pi.

Later, the authorities decided to construct a separate market on La Rambla, housing mainly fishmongers and butchers. It was not until 1826 that the market was legally recognized, and a convention held in 1835 decided to build an official structure. Construction began on March 19, 1840 under the direction of the architect Mas Vilà. The market officially opened in the same year, but the plans for the building were modified many times. The inauguration of the structure finally took place in 1853. A new fish market opened in 1911, and the metal roof that still exists today was constructed in 1914.