1 Russia – Poland – Hungary – Czech Republic – 2014Above are Bron and I in Red Square, Moscow, standing in front of Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Following are some pictures trying to capture the highlights of our trip; we started out in Moscow, Russia for a few days, then on to Saint Petersburg. Then to Warsaw and Krakow Poland, on to Budapest Hungary, and finally to Prague, Czech Republic. Overall, we were abroad for 28 days. There are fewer pictures than in previous slide shows, especially in Poland, I’m just more interested in the people than the places and things.

2 Our first day in Moscow was with Debbie onlyOur first day in Moscow was with Debbie only. We choose to go on the ‘free walking tour’ which was a great thing to do. We went to ‘Slavyanskaya Square’ and were met by a lovely young woman who was our guide, working for tips. She took us around the SE corner of Old Moscow, looking at some of the neighborhood, up around Red Square and the Kremlin, just to show where we should plan on more time later. This is looking out from the ‘square’ where we met up with her and the other members of our walking tour.

3 Another church viewed on our walking tourAnother church viewed on our walking tour. For a ‘Godless’ country, Russia certainly has a huge supply of churches. This one, just off the main heart of old-town, shows off the ever-present ‘onion dome’ of the local architecture.

4 The three of us, with our walking group, did go up towards Red SquareThe three of us, with our walking group, did go up towards Red Square. Here are Bron and Debbie on the South side of St. Basil’s Cathedral. That would be the ‘GUM’ on the right, the Kremlin on the Left. Clearly the GUM is undergoing some renovation, having several tall cranes working on it.

5 However, on the day of our walking tour, there was a ‘bomb threat’ on Red Square so that the entire area was cordoned off and the police were keeping all unofficial people outside of the area. This caused us to miss the ‘heart’ of the old city, but we walked all around it and then came back a couple of times later. That’s the GUM on the left.

6 Here, on the promenade along the North/West wall outside the Kremlin, is one of the few surviving statues from the Communist Period of Marshal Zhukov, an overwhelming WWII war hero and military genius. We visited here the next day after Bob had joined us. I just loved Red Square and the Kremlin. To me, these two sites, which are interlocked, make a visit to Moscow well worth the efforts.

7 Here, further along the Kremlin Wall, is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is a renowned site, and the guards have quite the hourly display of ‘changing of the guard’. There is always a crowd to watch the young soldiers go through their drill for changing stations.

8 There are some lovely flower-gardens along the promenade outside the Kremlin; the above, the Alexandrov Gardens, being one of them.

9 Here is a view down Red Square from North to South (mostly)Here is a view down Red Square from North to South (mostly). That’s the Kremlin on the right, down to the immediate right are the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Marshal Zhukov sculpture. That’s the St. Basil Cathedral at the far end. They, sort of like the Chinese, know how to do ‘Big’. You can see the cranes working on the GUM in the distance to the left of St. Basils. We were there during the beginning of the issues with Ukraine, and tourism was down by about 50%. I’d expect this to be completely full of tourists during more-normal times.

10 Here, inside the Kremlin, is the world’s biggest (by bore) old powder and ball cannon, the ‘Tsar Cannon’. What a monster. I don’t think it has ever been fired in a war, but they think it has been tested at least once; it’s certainly scary-looking.

11 Inside the Kremlin grounds, near the West endInside the Kremlin grounds, near the West end. Clearly a wet day, but only a Portland-like drizzle and no major downpour. That’s Bob in the yellow coat wandering around.

12 I think this a view of the back of the ‘Church of Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe’. We didn’t go into many of the buildings in the Kremlin, but enjoyed walking through the grounds.

13 A ‘group-picture’ inside the Kremlin groundsA ‘group-picture’ inside the Kremlin grounds. That’s the Assumption Cathedral in the direct background, at least I think it is.

14 Here is a picture of the insdie of the ‘GUM’Here is a picture of the insdie of the ‘GUM’. This is the Moscow government-sponsored department store for people with lots of money. Mostly a tourist-trap; I think only government officials and the mafia have enough money as locals. All of the top name-brand stores are in here, the ones we can’t afford anywhere. You’ll notice the crowds are not real intense. We saw few people with actual purchases, but it was an interesting place to walk through. We did eat at a cafeteria-type restaurant that is one of the good deals in Moscow, and filled with many locals. Our walking-tour guide told us about it, so we tried it and were not disappointed.

15 Here are Debbie, Bron and Bob as we walk through Red Square on our way to other places.We walked almost everywhere we visited, in all our stops; possibly covering 5-7 miles per day, all in the downtown areas.

16 This isn’t a museum, it’s a subway stopThis isn’t a museum, it’s a subway stop. Many of the central Moscow subway stops are actually art-museums in their decorations and architecture.

17 The Moscow River from one of the bridgesThe Moscow River from one of the bridges. As you can see: modern roadways, modern cars, clean, well-controlled, Moscow is another of the world’s large cities that is doing quite well at least in the city center. Moscow is the largest city in Europe at 16 million, or nearly Europe. The quality of the city degrades quickly as you move out from the center; but in central-city Moscow, it is quite nice.

18 Our next stop after Moscow was Saint PetersburgOur next stop after Moscow was Saint Petersburg. Again, we arranged a downtown City-Center ‘botique hotel’. It was hard to find as it was in a courtyard behind another building with only an arched-alleyway without signage, and only a few rooms, but a good hotel. We could walk to everything in the City of interest. On our way down to the City Center, about 1 mile, we went across several bridges over the canal system, this being the first such intersection. St Petersburg is prettier than downtown Moscow, with more trees, walkways and canals. Its government buildings are as nice and even more grouped than in Moscow.

19 You can see these onion-domes in the last picture in the backgroundYou can see these onion-domes in the last picture in the background. This is the ‘Church of the Savior on the Spilt Blood’. Another Cathedral similar to the St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square. Walking down to City-Center, past this edifice, was a daily event and very pleasurable. We visited and toured this Church later on and enjoyed it. It seemed, quite amazingly, to be much smaller inside than out. A feeling that replicated the same observation at St. Basils.

20 This is the City-Center SquareThis is the City-Center Square. That’s the ‘General Staff’ building on the left, the Alexandra Tower ahead, and to the right is where the Hermitage or Winter Palace is located. Again, they do ‘Big’ pretty well; and again few tourists here due to the problems in Eastern Europe.

21 Here is a stone-mosaic in the Hermitage that I just lovedHere is a stone-mosaic in the Hermitage that I just loved. The quality of the stone-work is excellent everywhere we went.

22 This huge Malachite Vase, sitting on a Lapis pedestal, amazed meThis huge Malachite Vase, sitting on a Lapis pedestal, amazed me. Then I came to realize that stone-work is or at least was a great talent in Russia. As well, Russia has vast mineral resources and also has an abundance of Amber. You can see just a smattering of the classic art in the background. As well there was a huge amount of period costumes on display showing what the gentry wore in court. The Hermitage was both impressive and a bit disappointing. For the classic arts enthusiast, there were room upon room of great classic art. However, I was more interested in their modern art, and was disappointed with the quality of their displays though the quantity was quite overwhelming.

23 We chose to take a boat-ride out to Peterhof, the Summer Palace built by Peter the Great. This is a must-see in Saint Petersburg. It is totally over-the-top, a fantastic display of wealth and power. Tsar Peter wanted to build a palace to rival Versailles, and he certainly did so. There are over 1,800 gravity fed fountains on the grounds; many of them fantastic in their display. You can see some of the water-jets in the background of this picture. There is gold-leaf and gold-plate everywhere. It is a museum and art-gallery. It has period furniture from around the world. It is worth a day to visit.

24 This is just the approach to the main complex, or “Peter’s House”This is just the approach to the main complex, or “Peter’s House”. The grounds are comprised of many acres of beautifully manicured park-land with walking paths, gardens, out-buildings and fountains everywhere. I thought I had heard ‘over 1,800 fountains’ while there, but in looking more closely, it appears there are between 147 and 173 fountains and 4 ‘water cascades’ like the staircase to the left.

25 One of the more unusual water cascades is this ‘stair-stone’ water-slide and pool.

26 This is just one of the gardens, and that is, I think, the ‘magical fountain’ in its center. The jets of this fountain are under separate controls and when events took place, there was a hidden ‘fountain attendant’ who made different water-patterns appear, sometimes in response to actions or statements of those observing.

27 Here are Bron, Debbie and myself on the dike separating the grounds from the Sea of Finland.

28 One of the main outbuildings.

29 One of several ‘chapels’ in PeterhofOne of several ‘chapels’ in Peterhof. The colors throughout Russia were astounding to me; bright blues, pinks and gold's. Peterhof was crowded even in these times of reduced tourism; I can only imagine what it would be during more ‘normal times’. The coat and bag storage area at the entrance was set-up to handle hundreds and hundreds of visitors; extremely organized and attentive.

30 Each of these columns, and this is not the only place they are located, has more Malachite than I’d ever seen before in my life. The stonework throughout was excellent and colorful.

31 The entry to the harbor at St. PetersburgThe entry to the harbor at St. Petersburg. An apparently well-maintained and functioning commercial port on the Sea of Finland. St. Petersburg appears prosperous, clean, functional and organized. I would recommend visiting both Moscow and St. Petersburg to anyone. I would only stay in a central-city old-town hotel so you can walk anywhere needed. These two cities are worth, by my interests, about three full days of visiting each. If you are an art enthusiast, especially of classic painting, then more time would be needed in each. So long as the political situation does not get much worse, one would not know there were any problems in the political world in such a visit.

32 And, Mary sent this photo of Leelu imitating American Gothic with Bob while driving the farm-tractor. This made us all laugh…..

33 Our next stop was Warsaw, PolandOur next stop was Warsaw, Poland. Here are Bob and I at the edge of the central square. The brick building to the right is the Royal Castle, our hotel is the white corner-building just to the left of my hat. The tower to the left is the Monument to Sigismund III Vasa, the king who moved the capital of Poland from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596. It’s a funny feeling; this entire city was flattened in WWII. All of these buildings are younger than I am. However, the rebuilding of the Warsaw historical center was done so well that it is now a UNESCO World-Heritage site. Even our hotel looked original, even on the inside. If you didn’t know it was all rebuilt, you would never guess it unless an architect or engineer.

34 And Debbie joined us in the pictureAnd Debbie joined us in the picture. I didn’t take too many pictures here in Poland, so not much to show. We visited many of the main sites, but again everything is rebuilt. Of particular interest were the old town just behind our hotel, the Barbican, the Chopin Museum, the Warsaw Rising Museum, and the ‘Palace of Culture and Science’, a ‘gift’ from the USSR occupiers built in the 1950’s; it is a hulking eyesore and one of the tallest buildings in Europe at 230m (30 floors) but it has a good observation deck. There are some other museums and churches, but nothing spectacular. Debbie especially liked the Polish Pottery Outlets.

35 This was my most favorite pass-time in Warsaw: Eating and having a beer at a sidewalk café and enjoying ‘people-watching’. The food wasn’t especially good, but the watching was.

36 Here are Bron and I in about the center of ‘Castle-Square’Here are Bron and I in about the center of ‘Castle-Square’. Again, our hotel was the white-building on the corner behind us and to the right. The umbrellas are covering out door café tables, and we took advantage of them more than once.

37 Debbie left us in Warsaw, but Bob, Bron and I got on a 4-hour train and headed to Krakow, Poland.This picture was taken by Bob soon after we arrived and had checked-in to the ‘Hotel Columbus’. We took a walk to the Wawel Castle area, which is behind us. Krakow was less damaged in WWII than Warsaw, so some of the buildings are really old. This makes the touring more fun seeing ‘real’ antique architecture. One of the highlights, for which there are no pictures as it isn’t anything to photograph, is the Schindler Enamel Factory Museum which was a tour-de-force for the three of us in its message and simplicity. We also visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine, about 14k outside of town. This is one of the oldest continuously operating salt mines. There are regular tours, about 2 hours each, starting with a descent of 400 steps and in total 800 steps before riding back up in an elevator. There are giant caverns with exotic/religious art carved out of the salt, including chandeliers, etc. This was better than expected

38 The Vistula River from up on Wawel HillThe Vistula River from up on Wawel Hill. The tour boats are amazing in how long they are to navigate up and down such a river. Krakow is a smaller city, but quite enjoyable.

39 Bob and I from up on the hill, walking about the Wawel Castle groundsBob and I from up on the hill, walking about the Wawel Castle grounds. This was the seat of power for Poland since the 6th century, and has seen much come and go over the epochs.

40 This is the main market-square in the center of ‘Old-Town’This is the main market-square in the center of ‘Old-Town’. It is one of the largest and oldest of medieval town-squares in Europe. Shops, horse-carriages for the romantic ride, outdoor cafes, crowded, alive and quite a pleasure to walk-through.

41 Here I am, waiting at the train-station to depart Krakow for BudapestHere I am, waiting at the train-station to depart Krakow for Budapest. We waited and waited and waited in a place where there was no English whatsoever; it turned out our train was delayed about 1 hour. I finally asked until I found someone who spoke English to find out what was happening. To top it off, you see my hat isn’t on…a pigeon pooped on my hat while waiting and worrying if we missed our train or not…this was the only really challenging time on our travels. Fortunately the pigeon poop washed off easily…LOL….

42 On the day after we arrived in Budapest, we walked just a few blocks to the Dohany Street Synagog, in Byzantine-Moorish style, it is Europe’s largest synagogue and the 2nd largest in the world. It was built in mid-19th century. On its ground is the Jewish cemetery for those 2,000 or so who died of cold and starvation in the ghetto in WWII. It also holds the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs, a modern art-sculpture that is quite emotional and was made to memorialize the 400,000 or so who were murdered by the Nazis in WWII (Next Picture). A great tour, we assembled inside, were told all we needed to know in 10 minutes, and turned loose to wander. Perfect tour for Bob.

43 This is the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish MartyrsThis is the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs. It is totally lovely and brings out the emotions. Each leaf of this tree has one or more names on it for those who died in WWII; over 400,000 in total. This is located in the courtyard behind the Synagogue, and you see some of the Jewish Ghetto across the street.

44 BudaPest was two cities, Buda and Pest, which joined togetherBudaPest was two cities, Buda and Pest, which joined together. The two were split by the Danube, and to this day there is the ‘Buda-side’ and the ‘Pest-side’. The Buda-side is the one with the classic Castle and churchs; the Pest is slightly more modern with the Parliament, main downtown and hotels. We stayed on the Pest side which we found most convenient. This picture taken up by the Castle on the Buda side. If you think you may want to visit, I’d make plans sooner than later. The current Prime Minister ,Viktor Orban, has vowed to remake Hungary into a "non-liberal" state as he moves closer to Moscow. This will not be good for the tourist. This is saddening to hear, as we found Budapest one of the nicest places imaginable, right up there with Prague.

45 This is the alter of the Matthias Church located up on the hill overlooking Buda and Pest, next to the Castle and very close to the Fisherman’s Bastion. It is a smallish church for the genre, but readily accessible, convenient, and representative. The stained-glass was very pretty. You can go up several flights of stairs and see the entire place from many perspectives. There is a small tourist community of cafes, bars, etc in the small square in front of the Church; and the ‘hop-on, hop-off’ metro stops just down the hill a bit.

46 Here we are walking along the walls of the Fisherman’s Bastion; that’s one of the lookout stations behind us. It cost a bit extra to get onto the walls and the Bastion, but the view is completely worth it. Besides, there is a rest-room inside the Bastion area…. We found that if we saw someone taking a picture of their partner, I’d offer to take one of both of them, and then ask them to take one of us. For the first time ever I never used my tripod. The small scene of the city in the background is across the river to the Pest side.

47 And, thankfully if you’ve been walking a bit, you can get a beer at Fisherman’s Bastion. This is just outside of one of the small lookout stations that serves as a bar and minimal restaurant. The view is killer, and the beer was good!

48 The Danube. The white one in the foreground is the Elizabeth BridgeThe Danube. The white one in the foreground is the Elizabeth Bridge. The next Bridge upstream is the Liberty, and in the distance is the ‘Chain’ Bridge, the first one built in Budapest. This picture was taken from the Citadel area up on the ‘other’ hill from where the Castle, Church and Fisherman’s Bastion are located. That’s Pest-side to the right of the Danube. All of this is available from the Metro, the Hop-on-Hop-off, or by simply walking. There is a funicular to get up the main hill, though it was not operating when we were there.

49 Up the river, still from the Citadel areaUp the river, still from the Citadel area. The Castle, Church & Fisherman’s Bastion are the large buildings just above the trees to the left. Budapest is truly a beautiful place to visit, friendly, progressive (at least for now) and fun.

50 Here is a ‘smaller’ example of one of the many River Tour boats, tied up in front of the Budapest Marriott Hotel. Our hotel, a really nice one (The Zenit) is located just behind the Marriott. The building on the Left and set back is the "Vigadó“, a famous concert hall. As part of the ‘Hop-on, Hop-off’ bus-tour, you get two tickets to ride 2-hour river tour boats, one daytime and one for the evening tour. We took advantage of both, and this picture was taken on the day-river-tour just to show where our hotel, one we’d recommend, was located. The whole of Budapest, along the river, looks wonderful. Again, this is the Pest side, the more modern; the other or Buda side has more classic architecture and scenes.

51 The Parliament Building, on the Pest side, is the largest building in Hungary, and is the permanent site of the National Assembly. It was built at the turn of the 19th century. It is 268 meters long, the peak of the dome is 96 meters, and there are 691 rooms. Big! The city square is just about ¼ mile to the right, a fun walk. We walked around the building, but didn’t go in; the walk around was enough as it’s pretty formal. I just hope that those ensconced here don’t take Hungary back to the Communist Regime days like the current PM is threatening. The people already went through hell in getting the yoke thrown off twice after WWII, why put them through it yet again? They are members of the EU and Nato, why turn away from this to a political system that is at this time forcefully repatriating Ukraine and possibly others?

52 The St. Stephen's Basilica and Square, just up from the Parliament Building and one of the major cultural sights in Budapest. As you can see, this is a busy place and remember we are not here at the ‘high-season’. Budapest is such a ‘walking-friendly’ city that cruising around and seeing all of the highlights is the best way to visit. Starting with the ‘hop-on, hop-0ff’ to get a sense of the layout and highlights, and then doing several walking tours of 3-5 miles just works out dandy. Besides, while walking, you can find just the right outdoor café and/or beer joint. And, my favorite activity while on such excursions in enhanced by the fantastic ‘people-watching’ when cruising about on foot.

53 Parliament Building at Night from the Night River Cruise.

54 Fisherman’s Bastion & Castle at night. Chain Bridge to the left.Budapest does a great job of making the riverfront attractive in both the day and night.

55 Bron at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert. This cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic Architecture and is the biggest and most important church in the country. Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors, the cathedral is under the ownership of the Czech government as part of the Prague Castle complex. We started our first day of touring at the Castle, it being the pre-eminent tourist attraction in Prague. We cruised up there on #22 Metro, walked around and toured through several of the buildings, then wandered back down to the Charles Bridge, across the river, and back through town to our hotel. This was quite a nice day’s walking.

56 On our way back to Charles Bridge, we came across this lovely river-front beach in the downtown area. This is on the Vltava River, the longest in the Czech Republic. You can see that many locals enjoy a break down here, feed the Swans, and simply relax.

57 Here we have come across the Charles Bridge heading for the Town Square. On the town-side you go right into a warren of shopping and dining and with just a few twists and turns wind up on the town square. Later, Bron and I found a delightful little restaurant with cheap beer just past this arch and to the right in an alleyway.

58 On the Charles Bridge, looking back at the Castle, the bridge has many decorations.

59 Rare group-shot, at the end of the Charles Bridge.

60 Scene out the window of our room at the hotelScene out the window of our room at the hotel. We stayed at the ‘Hotel-16’, just about 1 mile from the old town square. It was delightful and I would not hesitate to recommend it. The staff were fabulous, helpful, friendly and accommodating. On arrival, the receptionist for that day chatted to us for at least ½ hour, giving us tips, maps, recommending a nice restaurant close-by, giving directions to a local supermarket, etc. This friendly and helpful attention continued throughout our stay. The rooms were antique-like, and Bron and I had a ‘junior-suite’ with a sitting room and this lovely view.

61 Looking up the River from the fortress-wall at the Vysehrad, a national memorial linked with many legends from Czech history. Also on the grounds are the Rotunda of St. Martin, the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the Vysehrad Cemetary where are buried many prominent Cezch figures. This fort and grounds are free, other than touring through the church, and were recommended by the hotel staff near which they are conveniently located. And….there is a lovely café and beer-garden in-situ.

62 Some fun-to-remember pictures taken from the walls of the fort at Vysehrad.

63 Some fun-to-remember pictures taken from the walls of the fort at Vysehrad.

64 This pillar of modern architecture in Prague “danced” onto the Rašínovo Embankment in The project comes from the drawing board of world-renowned architects Vlado Milunić and Frank O. Gehry. Its concept was inspired by the dance skills of the famous film couple – the stone tower symbolizes Fred Astaire and the glass tower, his partner Ginger Rogers. A gallery and a restaurant with a terrace offering a 360° view of Prague can be visited in the Dancing House. The only Gehry building I’ve ever seen.

65 Happy Hour at the Hotel-16Happy Hour at the Hotel-16. On this trip we instituted a new, and hopefully continuing tradition of having ‘happy-hour’ each afternoon. On our way back to the hotel we stop at a Supermarket, get at least 1-bottle of wine per person, and plenty of snacks certainly including potato-chips, and we get a tad rowdy before dinner and save money at the same time. This hotel allowed us to use their common area; otherwise it’s in the largest room.

66 On our way from visiting the Strahov Monestary over to the Petrin Hill and Observatory, this just looked like a lovely scene. This area is a walking-paradise for someone looking for a quiet peaceful time. It’s a large park-land with paths and benches. It looks over the Castle and lesser-town areas.

67 We went up Petrin-tower; I took the elevator and Kath and Bron the stairs; they got there first. This is the highest point in Prague and provides a panoramic view in all directions. The tower was designed after the Eiffel in Paris, and is quite similar but quite a bit smaller. Even when we were there it is a bit crowded and too busy; but still…..great views.

68 Looking the other way.

69 On our way down from the tower.

70 Same

71 Bron inside the entry to The Rudolfinum Concert HallBron inside the entry to The Rudolfinum Concert Hall. We came here because our friend Tom, whose family escaped Czechoslovakia in 1968 played his Cello here when he was only 9 years old. We just had to stop by and see the place and post these pictures for him.

72 The Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague hosts a varied program of classical music concerts and exhibitions. Located alongside the river, this beautiful building is the second most significant Neo-Renaissance structure in Prague, after the National Theatre. The Rudolfinum was built between In the early 20th century, it played an important role in the development of Czechoslovakia, with the seat of the state parliament sited here between the two world wars. Today, the Rudolfinum is home to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in They perform classical concerts throughout the year in the largest concert hall in the building, the Dvorák Hall.

73 The place to live in PragueThe place to live in Prague! Look just under the flying bird (a fortuitous and unplanned event) and a tad to the right. The top-right floor of the white building. That’s an apartment with a huge deck looking back at us; and we’re standing in the middle of the Charles Bridge. If I could live there, and have someone else pay for it, I might move to Prague….LOL…..

74 The Charles Bridge is covered with trinket stands and ‘musicians’ all looking for a buck. By the end of our trip, every time we crossed it cost $75 as Bron bought gifts for family and friends. We even walked to it just to go over and back when my hip had given-out and I was a total limping-gimp. I don’t think I ever want to see the Charles Bridge again, it costs too much….LOL…..

75 The swans on the river. They remind me of the Canada Geese in Boise..