Regardless of the size or shape, all the churches/temples in Russia exhibit such a warm and inviting atmosphere. It makes one want to enter the dwelling and sit a while. Even the churches which have seen the ravages of war and other devastation still have a great deal of charm and appeal to them. I'm intrigued by the ages of so many of these churches which have been in existence for hundreds of years and which will continue to be around for many more centuries. Beautiful photos, dearest Manfred. Luv ya! Sweet Caroline
The old churches in Russia are restored for some years and are well maintained. This church stands on vorobievy gory (sparrow hill). This is the highest point of Moscow.
Top of the mornin' to ya, dearest Manfred. . .Thank you so much for sharing the tidbits of historical information on the various captures you've taken of your beautiful world. It makes me feel like I'm on a real tour of these exotic places--rather than a virtual journey. You and my adorable John-Charles would have enjoyed spending time together as you both enjoy the history of your world, as well as sharing your knowledge with everyone who is interested. You missed your calling as a tour guide, Sweetie! BTW, I'm quite impressed with your artistic abilities--especially your painting of the Halloween witch, etc. You're a man of many talents! Be careful, however, for people will begin to request signature tags, wallpaper and screen savers from you. The Halloween creation would definitely make a delightful wallpaper/screen saver combination. May your day be filled with the very best the world has to offer. Luv ya!
These dolls are all so spectacular. Each face is different; and all so elegant. I'd have to close my eyes to pick one. Aren't most, or all, of these handpainted? When it comes to art, architecture, crafts, the Europeans have always been so amazingly talented. In addition to these lovely dolls, I like collecting the candles made in Germany which either have intricate carvings and/or are painted with various landscape scenes. I have three candles from Germany which were brought to me by a friend 30+ years ago. Having moved about a dozen times within those years, I've guarded them with my life. I'm happy to say, they are still in perfect condition--without a scratch on them. Thank you, dearest Manfred, for taking all these wonderful close-ups of these dolls. When you take photographs, you always capture a wide variety of subject matters. There's always something to appeal to everyone's interests. This album is just what the doctor ordered to put sunshine back into my life tonight. Luv ya!
Thanks for your nice words, dear Sweet Caroline. I'm glad about. The dolls are called "matryoshka". A matryoshka doll is a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other. A set of matryoshkas consists of a linden wooden figure which separates, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on. The number of nested figures is traditionally at least five, but can be much more, up to several dozen with sufficiently fine craftsmanship! :-))
Absolutely a priceless capture of the moment, dearest Manfred. There's so much love and joy in the expression of this beautiful new bride. You always seem to capture the special moment and/or occasion when it comes to that one photo which is waiting to be taken.
I've always been fascinated with these Russian dolls. I would definitely have had a good time checking out all the goodies at this event. A great photo!
Arkhangelskoye is a historical estate located around 20 kilometers (~12 miles) to the west from Moscow. The estate was built in 1703 in the style of Classicism. It belonged to one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia.
Dear Anna, I agree that Vodka is no drawback. But only as long as drinking Vodka remains an exception. If Vodka drinking becomes the rule, I see a drawback! If you go at night with the Moscow metro, you can see numerous people for whom Vodka has become a big drawback.
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