There is clearly something to be said for buiding an Imperial Capital on a swamp. After all, the Venetians did it with great style. Ram in some piles, dredge out the channels and face them with stone. Peter the Great needed a gateway into Europe and so Saint Petersburg was born. Italian Architects designed grand avenues and built sumptuous gilded palaces for the privileged few. These edifices were built with serf labour, and Peter's successors were none too keen on the great man's beliefs in emancipation of peasants. One needs only to glance at the wealth accumulated in the rooms of the Hermitage and Peterhof to understand why the revolution had to come. One wonders if they will celebrate it come October, the Centenary of those Ten Days that Shook the World in October 1917
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Peter Savic
23/6/2017 01:13:07
Once again, great images Ken, really liked the Lake Baikal pics.
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24/6/2017 15:34:12
Hi again Pete, Thanks for the feedback. I think Lake Baikal would be stunning when frozen, but my chances of convincing Minuk to visit in winter are precisely zero!
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