EURO 2015 - Russia, St. Petersburg, Tsarskoe Selo, The Grounds

 

 

 

Notes:

The grounds of Catherine the Great's country palace blend the prevalent European landscape designs of 18th Century (rectilinear pathways connecting small,well-tended parks each surrounded by precisely- shaped hedges) with the emerging "English" design which allowed for plants and trees to retain their more effusive "natural" appearance. Among the buildings on the grounds: apartments for Catherine's lovers, notably Prince Potemkin; a Greek-Roman Pantheon with an exterior gallery exhibiting the busts of famous "enlightened" figures, ancient and contemporary... overlooking a "classic" garden; a small "retreat" on the edge of a small lake where Catherine spent most mornings poring over state documents....with only strong coffee as sustenance; on exit, a long view of the Palace's exterior.....and,finally, passing a statue of Pushkin who spent his summers in Tsarkoe Selo some decades later and for whom the nearby town is now named.

Link to Photo Album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cciwCRRD8bBQhWHt7

May 31, 2015

Italy - Sardinia, Tharros

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Something close to half of the UNESCO World Heritage sites are in Italy... the majority of which are beyond the "must-see" Rome-Florence-Venice tourist arc. These others, though smaller, are equally steeped in history. At Tharros, there is a small medieval chapel where undoubtedly the local priest exhorted the local peasantry to join the Crusades. Just beyond, there is an extensive archaeological site with layers of history one built upon the other... ...Nuraghi, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Aragonese. Tharros served as a commercial port until sea-borne Saracen raiders made it no longer tenable......and it was abandoned for the safer location of Oristano. Underfoot at the site.... the footpaths and streets... paving stones still very much in place.

May 6, 2015

Link to Photo Album:

Italy - Sardinia, Tharros