Tag Archives: solo female travel

First Few Days in Berlin: Photos

The Brandenburg Tor
A closer view of the famous gate
Different day, different lighting
The Reichstag
Closer to Parliament
The view of the Brandenburg Gate coming from Parliament
Close-up of Parliament
Ampelmann!
Ampelmann says go!
Looking down towards Charlottenburg
The Holocaust Memorial
The Holocaust Memorial
The Holocaust Memorial
Walking in the Holocaust Memorial
The US Embassy seen from the Holocaust Memorial
Potsdamer Platz: Berlin reborn
Potsdamer Platz
A part of the Berlin Wall covered in wads of gum and defiance
Berlin Wall segments in Potsdamer Platz
One of the many maps and displays about a divided Berlin
The Wall segment by the Topography of Terror
Wall close-up
The outdoor exhibit by the Topography of Terror
The exhibit at the Topography of Terror
Crumbling Wall
The Berlin Bear by the Wall
Walking from the Topography of Terror to Checkpoint Charlie
Look! It’s Charlie!
Checkpoint Charlie
Entering West Berlin
Berlin Bear Statue of Liberty in the US Embassy
Anhalter Banhof ruins
Leaving the US sector…
I’m still standing on the western side
Look down at the exhibit: a remnant of the Wall with intact guard tower
The Wall and the death strip
Remnants of the Wall as art

Moscow: Lots and Lots and Lots of Pictures of Red Square and the Kremlin

You’ve been warned by the title of this post!

My first view of the Bolshoi
Detail of the fence by a church
The Kremlin walls
Closer to the Kremlin
Outside the Kremlin
Outside the Kremlin
Heading to the Kremlin entrance
Kremlin tower
Another view of the Kremlin
Architechtural detail near the Armory
The Kremlin
Inside the Kremlin, not yet at the churches
Another peak in the Kremlin
The first of many Kremlin churches
A square filled with churches in the Kremlin
One of the lovely Kremlin churches
Looking out at the Kremlin walls from inside
Frescoes
The bell tower
I’m at the Kremlin!
Lots of domes…
More frescoes and domes
Frescoes!
In the square
View of me with Kremlin churches
Me by another church
Another view of me in the square
Tree and domes
The canon on the other side of the Bell Tower
Looking back into the square
The cracked bell
A better view of the engraving
Now you can see that it really is cracked
Past the churches to government buildings
One last glimpse of frescoes
Parliament building (not the Duma)
Looking at government buildings
The working part of the Kremlin
Towards Red Sqaure
A long view down a side street for government employees only
Kremlin tower
Heading into Red Square
A broad view – St Basil in the background
First glimpse of St Basil
Red Square – picture the 20th century history!
Looking at St Basil’s
St Basil’s and GUM (the department store)
Doesn’t look real, does it?
Snow globe church
The business side of the Kremlin
Looking toward Lenin’s mausoleum
Red Square
The weird procession of cars that closed of Red Square
The cars going around in circles
And again…
A closer view of St Basil’s
And closer yet
This view shows the statue of Minin and Pozharsky
Outside Red Square
Side road into the square
The Bolshoi
Memorial to victims of the secret police
Lubyanka, HQ of the KGB and an island in the “Gulag Archipelago”
The entrance to the Gulag Museum
Entrance to the Gulag Museum
The Gulag
A map of how many people were affected
Reconstruction of a Gulag prison camp room
More of the Gulag reconstruction
So many people in Red Square, and this is a good day!
Lenin’s tomb
GUM
Pushkin and his wife
One of Stalin’s Seven Sisters (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs with lots of satellite dishes
Another view of the wedding cake building
Kremlin at night
Red Square
Red Square
St Basil’s
Lenin’s Tomb
GUM
Red Square
Looking into the Kremlin at night
Shadows
The Kremlin
St Basil’s
View from St Basil’s – another of the Seven Sisters is visible
View from St Basil’s
View of Red Square from St Basil’s
Library
A glimpse of Moscow traffic
A view of Moscow that’s not Red Square or the Kremlin
Walking to the Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum
Heading back to the hotel

More Fun in St Petersburg (Another Photo Gallery)

I got to spend the rest of the time in St. Petersburg with a good friend of mine from college. We walked all over the historic center city!

My friend in front of the Peter and Paul Fortress
Me in front of the Peter and Paul Fortress
Broader view of the Peter and Paul Fortress
Imperial detail on the bridge
Peter and Paul Fortress
Peter and Paul Fortress – the scaffolding on the tower looks as though it’s part of the building
Wax figure in the Fortress
My friend in front of the Peter and Paul Cathedral
The Neva and Hermitage from the Peter and Paul Fortress
Wish upon a rabbit…
My friend tossing coins to make a wish
The cruiser Aurora and the frozen river
The Aurora and me
Another view of the Aurora
Here we are again!
Before the ballet, Mariinskii Theater
Church
Submarine museum and the sailing ship the Mir
I’m going to get to go on board the Mir!
Ready to head onto the Mir
Walking back to the hotel

Arrival in St Petersburg! Pictures from My First Day or Two

I was so excited to arrive in St Petersburg, and spent a lot of time in the Hermitage!

I’ve arrived! (Train station)
Synagogue
Synagogue close-up
A Mariinskii theater bill
The world famous Mariinskii
Balletomanes, be envious!
Down the street from the Mariinskii
St Isaac’s gold dome
Locks by a canal
The Neva river
A first view of the Bronze Horseman of Pushkin fame
The Admiralty
The Bronze Horseman in front of a museum
View over the Neva
Another Neva view
St Petersburg’s mighty river
First view of the Hermitage
Rostral columns in front of the Stock Exchange
Column close-up
Another view of the Hermitage
In front of the Winter Palace (which was at my back left)
Triumphal Arch
Looking back to the Winter Palace
Kazan Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral close-up
A bridge in St Petersburg
Walking by the canals
Another interesting bridge
Gold and pastel colors, the colors of St Petersburg’s historic district
Close-up of the Hermitage gates
The Hermitage
The Hermitage
The Hermitage
Details of the Hermitage exterior
The grand entry staircase (Hermitage)
Ceiling above the grand staircase
A peek outside
Malachite Room (Hermitage)
Malachite Room
Nicholas II’s library
Nicholas II’s library
Another Hermitage courtyard
The small throne room
Small throne room
Wall of Napoleonic era nobles
View of the gallery
And a view of the ceiling details
Gorgeous chandeliers…
The large throne room – the tourists show the scale
My favorite room: chandelier
Moorish influence
White and gilt
Frescos in the Hermitage
The Rafaello gallery
Kitty basking in the sun
The Rafaello gallery
Another gallery
Arms and armor
Graceful neo-classicism
Palace Square and the Alexander Column
A coach and four…er, one
Looking at the different wings: Winter Palace, New Hermitage, Old Hermitage
The Admiralty
See the scaly tails hold up the flag!
The Bronze Horseman in different lighting!
What can I say? Bronze Horseman + St Isaac’s = good shot
My favorite room on my second trip to the Hermitage

Nizhny Novgorod Gallery

You got a preview when I realized that I could post pictures from my phone on the WordPress blog app, now here’s the real thing!

Three More Days on the Train: Irkutsk to Nizhny Novgorod Gallery

More scenes of taiga, more snow, more birches…

Snowy out of Irkutsk
More snowy scenes
Houses
Bundled up for the snow
More civilization further west
Wooden houses, painted shutters
Snow and trains
Another snowy view
The landscape gradually changed
Trees that aren’t birches!
More conifers
Houses
White birches, grey sky
Good thing I love birches…
And more birches
Evidence of people!
A big town
Arriving in a big city (Novosibirsk?)
Crossing the river
Another river view
Crossing the river
At the station
Station building
Other trains
Heading into more snow
Across the river…
River crossing
Mariinsk station
Some sun with the birches
Rare glimpse of blue sky
Forest going by
And more forest
Another station
Lots of snow
More snow in the Urals-Western Siberia
Half buried buildings
My kind compartment mate had her dad bring me some dried fruit
The Rossiya train
Front view of the Rossiya
All the laundry and garbage!
Enjoying my compartment
In my train compartment
Another station
Another river – approaching Nizhny Novgorod

Cartier on Karl Marx Street Gallery: Irkutsk and Lake Baikal

I fell in love with Irkutsk, and I think you’ll see why (including the Decembrist Trubetskoy Manor and lots of views of the River Angara…and even another Lenin statue, since they’re ubiquitous, even if far from my favorite statues):

Small chapel in Irkutsk’s main square
Irkutsk actually had good tourist info
The former House of Soviets
Church of the Savior behind the former House of Soviets
Church of the Savior
Catholic Church, a rarity
First view towards the Angara River
Frescos on Church of the Savior
Church of the Epiphany
Close-up, Church of the Savior
Cadets by the war memorial
The River Angara
Locks on the pedestrian bridge by Angara River
Angara River
Angara River
Angara River view
Another view on the river walk
Angara
By the river
Moscow Triumphal Arch
Walking away from the river
One of the old wooden houses
Wooden house neighborhood
More wooden houses
Wooden house
A pretty well-kept wooden house
Joshua Feinberg’s mansion
On a square
Walkin’ in Irkutsk
On a big street
The synagogue
What I thought was the Trubetskoy House…
Trubetskoy Manor
Why gee golly, I guess they have a sense of humor about tourists in Irkutsk
Another city, another Lenin
Epiphany Cathedral (?)
Epiphany Cathedral(?)
The symbol of Irkutsk
Another neo-classical facade
Pretty sure this translates to Jesus Christ, Superstar
Museum…closed:(
Tsar Alexander III
Tsar Alexander III
Peeking through the fence
Soviet looking memorial
Random hidden scupture garden
Little Big Ben, anyone?
Thinking…
Irkutsk

The incredible blue ice at Lake Baikal (and scenes from Listvyanka):

Baikal blue…ice
A view over the lake
Another view over the lake
The ice crunched up on the shore
More blue ice
Scenic ice scrunches
Listvyanka, pretty quiet in April
Look at that blue!
An Orthodox church, Listvyanka
One of the unique freshwater seals
Cold perfection

The Volkonsky Manor, a Decembrist’s home in exile:

Volkonsky Manor
Volkonsky Manor

Leaving Irkutsk:
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The Transsiberian from Vladivostock to Ulan Ude: A Gallery

The first part of my overlanding across Russia: almost three days on the Rossiya to Ulan Ude.

Not much other than taiga
My daily train-provided meal
Shades of white and grey
One of our many stops
All white outside
Rail car depot
More snow
Birches in the taiga – more white!
More birches…even some sun!
Sun, snow and trees
Another station
Taiga
Some hills in the background
Buildings!
Arriving in a Siberian town
Getting closer…
In the town
Train borscht…appetizing!
Evidence of humans…
Siberian houses
Wooden buildings
More Siberian wooden houses
Check out the painted shutters!
Nearing Ulan Ude
Getting close to my first stop in Siberia!

Beware the Deer: A Gallery of Nara Photos

Feisty deer in Nara

Feisty deer in Nara

Yes, at long last, I have a real computer and not just a smartphone, so I’m able to edit and upload photos to my heart’s content. Here’s the first installment of my pre-EyeFi photos (aka my photos from Nara, Japan which I visited two months ago).

Deer + fruit blossoms = Nara
Even the lanterns had deer in Nara!
Heijo Castle Archeological Site Signage
Heijo Castle Archeological Site
Trees to mark ancient pillars
Heijo Castle reconstruction
Heijo reconstruction
Me in front of the castle reconstruction
A turtle catching some rays – Heijo archeological site, Nara
Good hunting! Heijo archeological site, Nara
Delicious lunch of eel
Walking to Nara Park
Holy turtles, Batman! (near Nara Park)
You know you’re close to Nara Park when there are deer in the middle of the city
My first glimpse of the first temple in Nara Park
The Five Storied Pagoda in Nara Park
Five Storied Pagoda and one of the multitude of deer
Part of the complex of the Five Storied Pagoda
Nara deer
A shopkeeper had to shoo away an overly inquisitive deer
A stream – and deer – near the temple with the Great Buddha
Approaching my first Nara era temple complex
So many people! (Nara)
Bedraggled and shadowed, I’m in front of the temple in Nara housing the Great Buddha
The Great Buddha
Looking out from the temple
The stairs give you an indication of the size of the temple…and of the Buddha statue
The temple of the Great Buddha
Another temple complex (or part of the last?) on my way to a third temple in Nara
Somehow Gatorade sounds more appetizing
Lots of walking in Nara Park!
In case you didn’t get that smoking is prohibited, it’s also off limits
Looking up towards a temple
Lantern-lined approach to a temple in Nara
Nara temple
Approaching the temple
Last temple of the day – Nara
Side View “Lantern Temple”, Nara
Even more lanterns! (Nara)
A view of the stream by the lantern temple in Nara

Homeward Bound…And Then to Colorado

My trip back to the States was uneventful, which is always a good thing when talking about flights. I had the great good fortune to be upgraded to Business Class on my Delta transatlantic flight, which meant real food, decent wine, a seat which reclined, and a lovely goodie – I mean overnight – bag full of cute little travel toilettries. Score! Then, on my way through the customs line, the Customs official said “I think you’re a great actress, ma’am” to the lady in front of me, who I belated realized was Julianne Moore.

I’m enjoying a little R&R with my parents in the greater DC metro area, and got to take a little travel jaunt in the States to somewhere I’d never been: Colorado. I didn’t get to wander around as much as I would have on a vacation, as I was there for my brother’s wedding (which was lovely, by the way), but I did get one afternoon in downtown Boulder.

There is a street called Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder which is reminiscent of the charming main drag of a number of college towns (State Street in Madison WI, for example), but with a distinct western flair. There are street performers in the pedestrian center, and oodles of restaurants and coffee shops on either side. I’m not sure I’ve ever been somewhere with as many coffee shops in a small area! The buildings are a mix of the old western buildings and more modern buildings designed to fit in with the older ones, all framed by the gorgeous mountains.

A little old-time Western flair
A longer look down the end of Pearl Street Mall
Mountains!
More mountains – possibly the Flatirons
Victorian Boulder
The center of Pearl Street

Here and there are sculptures designed to evoke western imagery: scenes with various wild animals of the Rockies along with some that are just charming and quaint.
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