In 2018 we went to Russia. Most of us know something about the modern history of Russia, but Russia has a millennium of history, unexpected opulence of the ruling dynasty and the squalor of the serfs, which ultimately led to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The strength of the Romanov dynasty was really established by Peter the Great, who was born in 1672 as the 14th child of Czar Alexis and grew to be 6ft 8inches tall. He initially shared the throne with his half brother from the age of 10. There were various wars and disruptions. However he learnt ship-building skills in Holland and England and then returned to Russia determined to gain access to the Baltic Sea, establish trade, build a more modern country and even required European dress. He was successful. He obviously enjoyed grandeur and his summer palace just outside St Petersburg, shown below, successfully competed in grandeur with Versailles.
   
Subsequent modernization, enlargement and strengthening of Russia took place under Catherine the Great born in 1729. Her contribution to grandeur and opulence was the Hermitage Palace also in St Petersburg. 
Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul. St Petersburg

The Cathedral viewed from the canal



Romanov Tombs
The Venice of the North. St Petersburg
St Petersburg is built on lowland at the most northerly point of the Baltic Sea. It has many  waterways lined with these stately homes, formerly for the noblemen. Today it is protected from flooding by a barrier.
The Amazing Faberge Eggs
52 Realistically sized eggs were fabricated by the House of Faberge between 1885 and 1917, for the Russian Czars. 46 of those still exist and most are on view in Russia. They are unbelievably intricate, loaded with jewels and always have a 'surprise' or model inside.
There were many other amazing pieces including these perfectly enamelled items.
There were many very intricate miniatures on display too.
The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. St Petersburg was built by Alexander III in memory of his father Alexander II who was finally assassinated  in 1881 at the  sixth attempt. Alexander II had been a radical reformer including liberating the serfs.

Inside the Church of the Spilled Blood
Closeup of the ornate door
Peterhof, Peter the Great's Summer Court or Palace was built between 1714 and 1723. It is just outside St Petersburg on the Baltic. and is quite overwhelming with great glistening beautifully decorated rooms with beautifully painted ceilings and intricate wooden floors.

This is the folding Chinese silk screen. The work is incredibly fine 
Room after glistening room from floor to ceiling

A beautiful Dutch ceramic stove 

Bedroom with chinese silk tapestries
Subheading
There are multiple reflections in these enormous mirrors

Yes. The Czar and Czarina were there to greet us

Peter the Great loved water and fountains are a most outstanding feature of Peterhof. They all function using gravity fed water from a lake 25 miles away.
One of the ~25 golden statues
The Nazis lived in the Palace during their siege and blockade of St Petersburg 1941-44. On leaving they bombed the building. The Russian restoration is awesome
View along the Morskoy Canal to the Baltic  from the Palace
On our way to take a hydrofoil back to St Petersburg center
Back in St Petersburg, the next photos show the Palace of the Hermitage, which was built by Catherine the Great.  It is extremely ornate, but unlike Peterhof, it is inside the city, which although under siege, and the citizens suffered greatly, was not invaded by the Nazis.
Another grand room, holds a magnificent golden clockwork peacock
Beautiful doors and floors everywhere
The resplendent Chapel in The Hermitage (Photographs forbidden!)
A grand corridor in the Hermitage

Luxury still exists in Russia
Hotel Lobby
A Choice of 16 different honeys for breakfast
Going to the ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg or the Bolshoi in Moscow is an opportunity to eat out and drink with your friends in one of the 2 long intermissions
Enjoying caviar, cakes and vodka during ballet intermission.
Afternoon cakes and tea at the Hotel Metropole in Moscow.
Dinner appetizer at Show
We took an Express Train from St Petersburg to Moscow and then continued by bus to start a tour of the historical region of Russia, which is now named the 'Golden Ring'.
The first stop was Sergiyev Posad, to visit the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius Monastery, which is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. 
The Trinity Lavra of St Sergius Monastery  contained the most incredibly ornate iconostasis decorated with religious icons.
Inside the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius Monastery
Kremlin at Rostov-Veliky.
Kremlin is a general term for the citadel of a Russian Town or City 
Patriarch Hats in the Museum at the Kremlin of Rostov-Veliky
The Church of Hodigitria at the Kremlin of Rostov-Veliky
Ipatyev  Monastery, Kostroma
Iconstasis
Each village has a different and recognizable design of window. These are at the village of Ples.
 Snegurochka or Snow Maiden appears in Russian Fairy tales
Harvest Festival? Outside a very folksy but lovely  restaurant in Ples.
Preserves and pickles in the cellar
Prepared for winter
Sturgeon in a pond for caviar
A blonde bride
Suzdal is one of the oldest Russian towns dating back to early 11th century. In the 12th century it became the capital of the principality, while Moscow was merely one of its subordinate settlements.
The Winter and Summer Churches in Suzdal
The iconostasis in the Summer church
A well for water, which used a person walking inside the wheel. 
A traditional house at Suzdal.
The Nativity of the Virgin Monastery in Suzdal
Spaso-Yemfiev Monastery, Suzdal
Spaso-Yemfiev Monastery, Suzdal
Two views of the magnificent 12th Century Cathedral of the Assumption, which dominates the town of Vladimir, which was the capital of Russia in the 12th - 13th Centuries
Our first view of 'The Kremlin', Moscow from the bridge over the Moscow River.
Red Square is even  bigger than you expect 
Gum is an enormous store/mall, which extends along the length of Red Square
Inside Gum there are 3 of these shopping alleys extending in both directions.
St Basil's Cathedral at the south-east end of Red Square
Inside St Basil's Cathedral, there are chapels under each 'onion' dome.
Iconostasis in St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.
Iconostasis in St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.
Iconostasis in St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.
Lenin, who founded the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and Trotsky led to the deaths of 4 million people, through executions, imprisonment and starvation. but Lenin's body may still be viewed in the Mausoleum on the south-west side of Red Square.
 Stalin, who is reputed to be responsible for 20 million deaths, was removed from the Mausoleum and is interred some 300ft away.
Beyond are the walls of the Kremlin. 
Inside the walls of The Kremlin
A Kremlin is a fortress
!!
This bell was enormous and maybe not surprisingly broke
Church of Laying Our Lady's Holy Robe, The Kremlin, Moscow
Cathedral of the Annunciation, The Kremlin, Moscow
Iconostasis in  Cathedral of the Annunciation, The Kremlin, Moscow. 
No photography was allowed inside the Armoury/Treasury, which was full of outstanding beautiful glistening objects and jewels, but this beautiful gold bannister set the tone.
 Moscow like many cities has a very busy and  extensive 'underground/subway' train system, but none are decorated like many of the Moscow stations.
We went to a Museum of Modern History and saw the Sputnik, which was the first satellite that was put into space.
This picture is of a historic meeting between Brezhnev and Fidel Castro in 1976
Russia is a vast country covering 11 time zones extending from Europe to the far East and the USSR exteded southwards to many many countries, which is high-lighted by this display of costumes
.
We went to the Ballet in both St Petersburg and the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. 
Bolshoi Theater in Moscow
The two lead dancers were still taking curtain calls, from a very enthusiastic audience after dancing Swan Lake, when we left after the seventh curtain call.
Interesting Visits
There is a cemetery in Moscow for the rich and famous. This is the grave of Raisa Gorbacheva. It was being prepared for a visit by Mikhail Gorbachev on her birthday, unfortunately the  day following our visit. 
We visited a scupture garden and found these shapely women.
Stalin's office in his World War 2 bunker under a sports stadium in Moscow.
Our charming guide from Azerbaijan in the old USSR.
The quality of Russian artists exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow was very impressive
No explanation needed for the following!
Enthronement at a Restaurant in St Petersburg with very naughty pictures on the walls.
At a Restaurant in Moscow
No squatting in Suzdal
It seemed that there were special places where couples go to become engaged 
A suggestive structure in a park by the Volga River in Kostroma
The Love Bridge in Moscow