Fun statue
|
St. Clement’s Church |
Sculptures on the way to the Tretyakov |
Sculptures on the way to the Tretyakov
|
McDonald's in Russian
|
Tretyakov was an art collector who willed his collection to the public on his death. He collected only art by Russian artists from the 11th to 19th centuries. He made his fortune in the textile industry and supported Russian artists and bought up their works. Nicholai lead us through the museum from 11th and 12th c. icons to mid 19th c. oil paintings. He stopped to tell us about many of the paintings.
|
Tretyakov State Gallery |
Tretyakov State Gallery
|
Tretyakov State Gallery - Paraskeva Pyatnitsa - Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great
|
Tretyakov State Gallery -Shishkin - Midday, In the Environs of Moscow |
Tretyakov State Gallery - Vereshchagin - The Vanquished, Requiem |
Tretyakov State Gallery - Vereshchagin - Apotheosis of War
|
Tretyakov State Gallery - Surikov - Morning of the Streltsi’s Execution |
Tretyakov State Gallery - Savrasov - The Rooks Have Come Back
|
We ate lunch at the museum restaurant, which was very nice and was decoratedin designs much like Pennsylvania Dutch decorations. We had borsch soup and stroganoff with buckwheat. The cherry tart dessert was great.
We had an afternoon “free” but since Migle had our van at her disposal we all continued touring. First we went to Gorky Park just to say we had been there. It is a huge green area with a “Pioneer” Pond with paddleboats and a sand beach and with locals sitting in beach chairs enjoying the beautiful, warm day; a kids’ amusement park area; roses and flowerbeds; and several fountains.
|
Looks like a Pennsylvania Dutch decoration |
Tree of Love on Moscow River bridge
|
Statue of Columbus
|
Gorky Park |
Gorky Park - grand entrance
|
Next we visited the Church of Christ the Savior. Stalin had it demolished but since the basement foundation survived he made it into a State swimming pool! The church had been built as a monument to the unity of Russia as a nation after the defeat of Napoleon. Across the river is the huge grey block building where Stalin had all of his commanders living under one roof. It was said that these officers went “from the penthouse to the outhouse” when Stalin was done with them.
We went to old Arbat St., a pedestrian shopping area with not much more than a few cafes.
|
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour |
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
|
Housing for Stalin’s commanders |
Another sign
|
Old Arbat street shopping area
|
Walking back to the Metropol after our farewell dinner, we watched the laser show being projected on the façade of the Bolshoi Theater. Ballet music was broadcast and the movie scenes were colorful. It is hard to describe. We stood and watched the show for quite awhile.
Before returning to the hotel to pack, we went to Red Square to see the lights on the buildings. It was pretty to look at and the evening was very pleasant.
|
Bolshoi Theatre lit at night
|
Bolshoi Theatre lit at night |
Gum department store at night |
Gum department store at night
|
Red Square at night
|
Lenin’s tomb at night |