I always love a good murder mystery! Hi Dave& Denise,
Trust you are fine & dandy & tolerating this life “on hold”? At least that’s how I feel now. Tomorrow- well I may just murder someone!
Thanks again for more history & great photos. I always love a good murder mystery! Uglich was great & just reeked of history. A sedate little town now.
I look forward to your next instalment with a twist of course.
Mary
I always love a good murder mystery! Another great comment Mary, on what was truly a trip with many highlights. Uglich was definitely a jewel of the Golden Ring. Alas possibly the last of my panorama slideshows of the magnificent rivers of NW Russia as we approach Moscow. Gotta say I am enjoying the ride.
No blood on the Dancing One's shoes.... Interesting story to say the least....leads one to question history in general as you are most correct in that the victors tell the tales. By the way.....Ivan was a complete nut job......The Dangerous One
Blood on the Dancing One's shoes.... Slight edit on the title Dangerous One 'cos history is also the record of the observer. In these uncertain times I dwell on the history and the images in my panoramas and wonder when the virus will abate so we can return to Russia and embrace the culture and re-consume. Cause & effect...if & when...time will tell. How will history evolve while we are waiting?
Rule by Divine Right Russian history is filled with violence and banishment. Are you enjoying Russian music? Putin. Now that's a Russian character. History, investigations and lies. Who knows. We must all understand history.
Rule by Divine Right My excursions into Russian history, MJ, stem from places we visit and histories that oozed from its walls. Yet from my investigations it strikes me there is an overwhelming pursuit of power interrupted by high infant & adult mortality rates due to health issues and death by violence...local politics and the prevalence of women being banished to nunneries. But music & singing is alive and well...some of the most beautiful & passionate we have heard anywhere.
Disciplina At the time all I could think was how lucky am I, Andrea. The commanding officer posing with its title like a ribbon with medals on it. Thanks for commenting.
A Dubious History This is certainly an interesting look at a bloody and confusing incident relating to Ivan the Terrible and his son(s) death. If the first was an accident it would be bad enough, but if deliberate, then it seems horrific as is the killing of the young Dimitri. Russia's current leader may want to "change" history to put a better spin on the incident and to 'save face' for his country, but I don't think it would change people's minds or impressions, and the name "Ivan the Terrible" will endure regardless. So is the creation of fake history more acceptable than the creation of fake news?
A Dubious History Great comment Sylvia. Putin's comment suggests political self interest from a Papal emissary who came to Russia for negotiations and wanted to turn Orthodox Russia into Catholic Russia as leading several legends to spring up resulting in the label ‘Ivan the Terrible’. Kinda hard for Putin to suggest Ivan did not kill anyone though when we know he killed his son and ordered the execution and massacre of countless others. Ivan's legacy includes the Massacre at Novgorod whereby his Oprichnina or private army purged and executed inhabitants and torched the fields at will thus decimating a city that rivalled Moscow, purging the Church and also the Livonian War against Poland, Lithuania & Sweden just to name a few. Then it is said his reign led to 'The Time of Troubles'. The name 'Ivan the Terrible' may thus have sprung from his stated paranoia if not from many deeds!!! Gotta love History...but sometimes the sources may have various self-interested dissenters before the written record is allowed to rest!!!
Violent times... These were violent times. I knew Ivan the Terrible had his name for a good reason, but I had no idea he was THAT cruel. It is interesting that nowadays there are attempts to re-write history - alternative facts...
Violent times... Thanks for reading and commenting Katha. I hope my blogs enrich your own travels in Russia which on any viewing is a fascinating country.
Return of the Ring? Fantastic entry. I cheer you on in your quest for the happiness to be found in a return trip to Russia's Golden Ring. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.
Return of the Ring? Hope is definitely one of the best of things, Tommy. Can the call of the Golden Ring defeat the virus and allow us to return to Russia from Oz? Sometimes one needs more than hope. I also possess determination and a firm belief I can achieve anything I set my mind to. May you have everything you need in New York to defeat the scourge that is destroying your city...may you not only have hope...but the firm belief you will not succumb but you will defeat that pandemic thing.
The Golden ring connection The synergy was great...I was waiting to find out how it connects at the end. No, nothing can prevent you having your 40th anniversary connecting you and Denise to the Golden Ring in Russia.
The Golden ring connection Not quite at the 40 year mark yet, Tab, but if this pandemic can be overcome The Rostov Ring could become a reality. I am a firm believer in having something to look forward to. I will thus continue to water this idea and see what happens.
Onion Domes Seeing orthodox churches with gaudy coloured onion domes in Australian suburbs leaves me a bit cold... but in situ, how absolutely amazing are they? Love the shapes, textures, light and richness of this one.
Onion Domes It was not until I was preparing my last blog that it really hit me that the onion domes and spires at Cyril's monastery were all different shapes even if on the same structure. Yet in this blog in Yaroslavl, the onion domes on each individual church are uniform but each church displays its own distinctive domes or arcs. It is like a fashion parade with the designers showing off different seasonal colours and styles. The onion dome in this pic has beautiful lines and mosaics to reflect the light. It is hard when travelling Russia to not be captivated by the variety of styles of what in essence are variations of a spherical shape.
clearing some tissues off our bedroom floor... Sorry had trouble getting past this ... "clearing some tissues off our bedroom floor..." so I request you edit to read "clearing my tissues off our bedroom floor..." thanks!
Now that I have addressed the above, Russia infiltrated my soul in a way that took me by surprise - I've always found it's recent political history intriguing & beguiling & have flirted with such economic/political ideas but it was the richness of colour, design & culture of the land & its people that drew me in.
Russia's multi layered depth of everything drew a stark contrast to my personal experience of Australian's European settlement history of just over 250 years.
I could go another round of Russia & do all things golden ring...
clearing some tissues off our bedroom floor... Seems as if you are already warming to the idea of doing another round of Russia and do all things golden ring, my love. Can't risk the three days it took you to say "yes" while we travelled up the Niger in a leaky boat to our last rededication. Sounds like a few well chosen words may be all I need to pull off a Rings of Rostov...but in this uncertain world when will the Russians let us in?
My wife Denise & I like to travel "on paths less travelled" that capture our imagination, inspire my photography & where we mix with locals & remain safe.
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Mary
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I always love a good murder mystery!
Hi Dave& Denise, Trust you are fine & dandy & tolerating this life “on hold”? At least that’s how I feel now. Tomorrow- well I may just murder someone! Thanks again for more history & great photos. I always love a good murder mystery! Uglich was great & just reeked of history. A sedate little town now. I look forward to your next instalment with a twist of course. Mary