Russian Spires
St. Petersburg, Moscow, & Environs, 2005

The Cathedral of the Nativity -- Suzdal
In 2005 Ruby and I spent the month of April in Russia. We visited with Ian's wife Marina — and her son Max — in Saint Petersburg. We also took a side-trip to Moscow and the nearby towns of Suzdal and Vladimir.




The Neva River runs through St.Petersburg. The April weather is turning the surface ice into water.




The Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg




Church of the Palm Sunday, Suzdal


Outside and inside the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, Suzdal


I read that the subway tunnels are so deep they could double as fallout shelters.
We found many excellent cafés — great places to escape the cold weather!










Saint Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow















Old wooden church in the rain, Suzdal








Is it stereotypical to note their contentment — Marina looking down at her plate of blinies in St. Petersburg and Ruby about to dig into her Beijing duck in Moscow?





The Cathedral of the Assumption (or the Dormitian Cathedral), Vladimir