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THE trip
  • skip's retirement travel
  • skip's retirement travel

THE trip

A 200-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Kizhi Island

    October 7, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Kizhi is a site for gathering and worship long before Christianity came to Russia. Most of the buildings (not all) were built here. Mist significant is the cathedral of the transfiguration with its 22 domes. It is under restoration, but I included a pic of the sign showing the complete cathedral. Built in 1714 with no mails, wooden pegs only. The rest of the site is an open air museum of architecture with 80-some examples of wooden architecture from various areas of the country.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel
    1

    Moscow--Red Square

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Center of Moscow. Red in old Russian means "beautiful" and was applied to the most beautiful square in every Russian city. Red here is not a reference to the color I always associated with Russian communism. St. Basil's cathedral is at one end. The Kremlin is along one side. The pics are of the Kremlin wall and the tower at the main gate. Next is a view of the Square from by St. Basil's. Last is the other side opposite the Kremlin and is GUM, Government Department Store.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Moscow

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Overview of the city. Wonderful place and interesting. More "Russian" than St. Petersburg. I wish I had more time to stay and explore. First pic is the Bolshoi. I wanted to attend a performance, but I didn't stay in Moscow to do so. Then Moscow State University, one of Stalin's skyscrapers which sits up on Sparrow Hill. Then a view from Sparrow and a view from the same place of the new city (basically business and finance), a statue of Peter the Great along the Moskva River and the New Maidens convent. This is where upper class women were sent, especially when they were no longer wanted as a wife. "Get thee to a nunnery" was a real thing back thenRead more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    GUM

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Pronounced GOOM, GUM is an acronym for government department store. This is the famous store going way back in Russia. Today it isn't really a department store in the sense we use the term. It is really a mall containing many shops, mostly high end, international brands. The building is 3 parallel corridors with 3 stories each, all interconnected. The first pic gives you a sense of the scale of the building. The second shows the main entrance with GUM in Cyrillic Characters. The others give a sense of the interior and the skylights.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Moscow Metro

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    The Metro, or subway for us New Yorkers, has a reputation of being extraordinary. If anything, that is an understatement. Here are some pics to give you a sense of what the stations are like. Each station has a theme and is done in one particular art form. Some stations are stained glass, some mosaics, some bronze statues and more. Each station is unique. And the trains run very often, no more than 2 minutes between trains, even at way off peak hours. The system shuts down about midnight and reopens around 5:00. You can tell the Moscovites from the rest of us by who is paying attention to the beauty of the stations.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Moscow at night

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Speaks for itself. At least this part of the city becomes almost a fairy land after dark. First is GUM outlined in white lights (although the bright lights for Red Square up top wash out the smaller lights somewhat), St. Basil's, of course. Then some views back over the Kremlin and Red Square from a bridge a ways along the Moskva River, and the cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of rebuilt cathedrals built to the original plans on the same spot where it had been torn down by the anti-religion government.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Kremlin

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Kremlin, in Russian, simply means fortress, and historically, every town and city had one. Today, saying "Kremlin" implies this one in Moscow that is the seat of government. All the pics are taken inside the Kremlin except the first one which catches the changing of the guard at the Kremlin gates. The second is the Senate building (with no senators) . This is where the Russian President's office. Unfortunately, Mr. Putin was too tied up to see me. ;o)) The next was built by Kruschev as the Hall of the Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. It is now an office building, since the purpose for which it was built no longer exists. Then a couple of the cathedrals within the Kremlin walls (no interior pictures were permitted). These are the Cathedral of the Annunciation and Dormition Cathedral, if I remember rightly. Finally one picture of the Kremlin Gardens. All in all, and extraordinary place.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel
    2

    The cruise

    October 8, 2017 in Russia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Some general pictures from along the way. First is the Zosima Shashkov, the ship I sailed on. Then the bell tower of a church flooded as a result of building the extensive waterway system, connecting Moscow to the seas, upon which we traveled. Then a look along the Volga. The last 3 pictures are on board the ship. First, a pic of friends (Jean, Susan, Karen and Dwayne or Duane--I never asked which) in the restaurant on the ship. Then me building a tower of shot glasses during the Vodka tasting party (the tower wouldn't stand up--not because the builder was shaky, but because the vibration of the ship, oh never mind.) And finally, me in my critical and central role in the talent show on the final night. I was the curtain.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Casablanca

    December 8, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Casablanca sits on the Atlantic and is a cosmopolitan town. The two most interesting places are the Hassan II mosque (another post) and the media or old city. The first pic is the clock tower at the corner of the media at the main square in the center of town. Then a couple pictures in the media followed by a view of the continue and the Atlantic, a look at Rick's cafe ( yes its there based on the movie) and the old city wall.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Meknes granary and stables

    December 9, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    A former capital. The granaries from the 12th century that were large enough to feed 10,000 people for 10 years and stables for 12,000 horses. The granary had canals underneath to keep the rooms cool. A water wheel is present to both move eater and lift water for use. All located within the royal city walls. Also had a pond for water storage against a siege.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Meknes medina

    December 9, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    The old city starting with the gate to the royal palace facing the main town square and the medina, followed by a view down one hall, an arrangement of spices and lunch st a tiny place in the media for a camel burger. (It was good.)Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Fes medina

    December 9, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    First, Fes is a city. Fez is a hat.
    Classic medina from the 9th century. A typical stall, a madrassa, a cannery from the 12th century still active where they tan by hand and pass on leather from lamb, goat, camel and cow to be coy and hand sewn into all sorts of leather goods, followed by a shoulder width street, of which the are many among the 9400 streets in the medina. We witnessed a big birthday party with street band and exited by one of the gates.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Fes

    December 9, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Fes is an old capital city that I found particularly appealing. It is understood to be the intellectual center of Morocco, hosting the oldest continuously active university in the world, founded right after the city was founded on 808. The first pic is a view over the city. The university is the green roofed buildings. Then a view into the university from the medina, the gates of the royal palace with a closeup and a look at the Jewish quarter adjacent to the risk palace. Jews were and are protected in Morocco. They first came to Morocco in the diaspora right after the destruction of the temple in 70 CE.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Fes ceramic workshop

    December 9, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Fes was founded in 808 as a capital city. Ceramics is a main product the city is known for. This workshop still makes mosaics by hand from refining the clay to shaping, glazing, cutting all the times by hand. Then they place the cut tiles into the finished piece by hand. All is done by traditional methods. You will notice that they assemble the pieces upside down and make very few mistakesRead more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Auberge de Jaabar

    December 10, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Wonderful meal in a small out of the way restaurant near Berrem village. Even though Iago had the night off, a local family provided traditional Berber music, singing and dance.

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Just call me Indy

    December 17, 2017 in Algeria ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    An overnight camp in the Sahara Desert. I can now say, based on experience, that it does rain in the Sahara. Unfortunately, we did not get to see any stars. But a camel ride gave a sense of sand and dunes. And, after 2 hours on a camel, I can say, with regard to the Indy thing, well not so much.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelTHE tripskip's retirement travel

    Kasbah Agoudal

    December 17, 2017 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    A Kasbah is a fortified house. This one appeared on Moroccan currency at one point. It also has appeared in movies. The pics are of the whole complex, the view used on currency, the gardens, one of 4 kirchens and some of the surrounding areaRead more

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