Saint Petersburg
Romanov Dynasty
- The city of Saint Petersburg was created by the Romanov Czar Peter the
Great. Here is the
Wikipedia page about him. His portrait shown here is from this
Wiki page. He was born in 1672 as a grandson of the first Romanov monarch.
He ruled Russia from 1682 until his death in 1725.
- He moved the capital city of Russia from Moscow to Saint
Petersburg. His purpose was to open up the road to the
Western world.
- He imported the ship-building technology from England and
started building the Russian navy in order to dominate the
Baltic Sea. In 2005, when I was in Kaliningrad, I had this
photo with a Russian professor in front of his statue at
the headquarters of Russia's Baltic Fleet.
- He visited Paris, and Russians started importing Western arts
and music. There he noticed an art of song-and-dance being
developed among the members of the French royal family. He
imported this art and developed it to the Russian ballet.
- He set up the Russian Academy of Sciences and imported many
scientists from Europe. By 1900, Russia started
producing many creative scientists.
- He lived at his
Peterhof Palace 20 km west of the
city, but later Czars transformed the place to the
present form.
- Like all monarchs during his time, he had more than one wife.
The most prominent one was the Polish woman who came to Russia
as a made to prominent families. She could not read or write but
she had a brain. She gave him many bright ideas.
For instance, Russia was in constant war with Ottoman Turkey on the sourthern border, draining the treasury. She advised Peter to stop the war by arranging a cease-fire treaty with Turkey.
- He moved the capital city of Russia from Moscow to Saint
Petersburg. His purpose was to open up the road to the
Western world.
- Catherine, together with Peter, lived in the
Gatchina Palace about
20 km south of St. Petersburg. This is a humble-looking structure,
but they started building the city from nothing.
- Catherine I succeeded Peter the great after his death, and ruled
Russia for two years. She had two daughters but no sons.
- Her maternal grandson (called Peter III) was mentally retarded, but was arranged to marry the princess of an obscure province of Prussia [now Szczecin (Poland)]. This Prussian-born bride became Ekaterian II, known as Catherine the Great.
- Catherine I succeeded Peter the great after his death, and ruled
Russia for two years. She had two daughters but no sons.
- The city took its present form during the reign
Catherine
the Great (1762-1796).
- She invited Italian architects to remodel the Winter Palace
at the center of the city.
- She remodeled the Summer Palace in the suburban city called
Pushkin, 25 km southeast of the city center. She changed the
the palace to the Palladian style.
- She invited many artists, scientists, and scholars from
France, Germany, and England. She built Western-style
offices and houses for them. She collected many art items,
The Hermitage Museum started with her collections.
- She was quite fond of Voltaire's writings and democratic ideals
contained in his writings. Perhaps, she knew the brain is more
powerful than anything else in this world. This is also my belief.
- One way to measure how Russia grew culturally during the
era of Catherine the Great is to look at this
photo of this French piano made in
St. Petersburg. By 1800, there was
enough demand for pianos in Russia that the French company set up a
manufacturing plant in Spb.
- She built many new cities and polished up the existing cities.
She liked Moscow, and Moscow continued growing during her reign.
- She also made a trip to the Volga city of
Kazan, and set up a university there. Did you know
Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Lenin studied there, even though they were
expelled from there.
She knew Kazan was the gateway to the eastern lands. She extended the
Russian territory all the way to Alaska.
Alexei Orlov was Catherine's first prominent lover (top).
Grigory Potemkin was the lover in her late years. - She also annexed the eastern half of Poland and gained the control
over Crimea.
- She was not happy with her husband known as Peter III, and she had
a number of male friends. Among them were Alexei Orlov and Grigory
Potemkin.
-
Orlov was handsome and strong. He helped Catherine in consolidating
her position in the Romanov clan. She was not
regarded as a proper Russian because of her Prussian family origin.
- Later, while extending the Russian boundaries, she needed a
man with a brain to formulate and foreign policies.
Potemkin was the right man for this job.
He remained her lover until she died. Potemkin formulated the
military strategy against Ottoman Turkey, resulting in the Russian
control of Crimea.
- She was succeeded by her son named
Paul I
who reigned Russia for five years from 1796 to 1801. Some
people suspect
Paul's father was Catherine's boyfriend named Orlov because
she was not happy with her husband.
Paul had three sons. His first son was Catherine's first grandson. She thought this grandson so much that she raised him directly, and he became Alexander I. Paul's youngest son became became Nicholas I who succeeded Alexander I.
- She invited Italian architects to remodel the Winter Palace
at the center of the city.
-
Alexander I reigned the Russian Empire for 25 years from 1801
to 1825. He was brilliant man well groomed by his grandmother,
Catherine the Great.
Alexander and Napoleon met at a town near Kaliningrad (1807). Napoleon's Gate in Moscow.
His troops came through here and left through here.- Alexander I thought the land road to Europe was becoming important,
and visited Berlin 1805. Berlin's main square is named after him,
and this place is still called
Alexander Platz.
At that time, Prussia was not a significant country, and Germans had a complex toward a better-established neighbor called France. It was a great honor for Germans to host the Russian Czar. They also knew his grandmother was from Prussia.
- In 1807, Alexander met Napoleon at a place near
Kaliningrad for possible military alliance against Austria,
but they became suspicious of each other.
This artwork was painted by a French artist named Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768–1848), and Napoleon is more prominent in this painting. - In 1812, Napoleon's Grand Army entered the Russian territory and
reached Moscow. However, Alexander's strategy was to let Napoleon's
troops to spend one cold winter month in Moscow, which had been
completely evacuated and burnt earlier. Napoleon was forced to
withdraw his troops from Moscow.
Alexander's Russian horsemen then chased Napoleon's defeated army all the way to Paris. Russian troops in Paris wanted fast meals, and said the Russian word "Bistro" (means fast) whenever they went to Paris restaurants. As a consequence, the Bistro became a fast restaurant in France.
- One of Alexander's foreign policy failures was to attempt to
invade China. From the beginning of 19th Century, China's Qing
Dynasty started declining, but was strong enough to stop
Alexander's army in northern China.
- Alexander I did not have children, and his youngest brother succeeded him. He was Nicholas I.
Destruction of the Turkish fleet by Russians during the initial stage of the Crimean War, but Russia lost the war due to the intervention of the Western powers (France, Germany, and England). - Alexander I thought the land road to Europe was becoming important,
and visited Berlin 1805. Berlin's main square is named after him,
and this place is still called
Alexander Platz.
-
Nicholas I reigned the Empire from 1825 to 1855. He was
Alexander's youngest brother. Alexander I did not have a
son to inherit the throne.
- Nicholas I completed the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
The construction of
the Cathedral was started during the reign of Alexander
I, but it took the Romanov Dynasty 40 years to complete the project.
Nicholas I's statue is at the center of the St. Isaac Plaza
in St. Petersburg. He is
facing the Cathedral, and the
Mariinsky Administration Building is behind him.
- He started the
Crimean War
in 1853. He noted that Ottoman Turkey was declining, and he thought
he could occupy the Holy Land. But the Western Powers (England,
France, and Germany) did not like the expansion of Russia's
influence into the Mediterranean Sea. They sent their troops to aid
Turkey.
- Nichols I died in 1855 before the war ended in the same year, his son became the Emperor. He is known as Alexander II.
- Nicholas I completed the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
The construction of
the Cathedral was started during the reign of Alexander
I, but it took the Romanov Dynasty 40 years to complete the project.
Nicholas I's statue is at the center of the St. Isaac Plaza
in St. Petersburg. He is
facing the Cathedral, and the
Mariinsky Administration Building is behind him.
-
Alexander II
reigned the Russian Empire from 1855 to 1881. He was
an enlightened Czar, and initiated various reforms.
Russian mother and daughter in Nice (2006) Alexnder II was bombed at this spot, now inside the Cathedral of Resurrection.
- In 1855, he concluded the Crimean War, even though Russia
was the loser, and Russia lost the entire Black Sea fleet.
Russia's attempt to eatables the Black Sea route to the
Mediterranean Sea was blocked.
However, Alexander II opened a more peaceful road to the Mediterranean world. He completed the Russian railway system extending from from Moscow to Berlin. He then had a train ride all the way from St. Petersburg to the French Mediterranean coastal city of Nice. He found this city beautiful and encouraged Russians to move to that city.
- There still is a Russian
community in Nice with a big Russian church. You can meet
many Russians there, including a
Russian Orthodox cathedral.
You In 2006, I met there these two Russian ladies there. They were very happy to talk with me because I know about their country.
- His most important accomplishment was the emancipation of
Russia's farmers in 1861. Farmers in Russia had been
slaves.
As in the case of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Alexander II made many political enemies. As a consequence, he was bombed to death at the spot where the Church of Resurrection stands.
- In 1867, he sold Alaska to the United States for 7 million
US-Dollars. Since Lincoln was assassinated in 1967, most of
the negotiation took place during Lincoln's presidency.
- He then turned his attention toward the Pacific Ocean.
He was interested in the Korean Peninsula.
He started building a Russian city called Harbin in northern China.
By this time, China's Qing Dynasty was powerless to stop the
Russian venture to Far East.
- In 1855, he concluded the Crimean War, even though Russia
was the loser, and Russia lost the entire Black Sea fleet.
Russia's attempt to eatables the Black Sea route to the
Mediterranean Sea was blocked.
- After his death in 1867, his son, Alexander III, became the Czar.
He started building the Church of Resurrection to express his sympathy
to and respect for his father. He also started the construction of
the Trans-Siberian railway. However,
Alexander III worked against the
domestic reform programs initiated by his father. If he had
continued those programs, Russia could have avoided the
Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
-
Nicholas II
took over the throne after Alexander III died in 1894.
He was Alexander's son. He was the last Czar in the Romanov
Dynasty which ended in 1917.
- His only notable contribution to the family was
the completion of the construction of the Church of Resurrection.
On the other hand, in so doing, he completely depleted the
country's treasury, and it was the beginning of the end of the
Romanov Dynasty. The Dynasty had to collect more taxes, and was
getting separated from the people.
- By 1890, Russians completed the Trans-Siberian railway, and
started building military bases in Manchuria. By 1895, Russia's
influence extended to the
Liodong Peninsula, which could serve as
the non-freezing seaport toward the Yellow Sea and thus to the
Pacific Ocean, just like Crimea as the sea port in the Black Sea
and then to the Mediterranean Ocean.
The expansion of Russian influence to Manchuria did not sit well with Japan'a ambition toward China. The consequence was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5. Bloody battles took place near the city of Dalian located at the tip of the Peninsula.
- During the same war, Russians attempted
to send their Baltic Fleet of eight battle ships to Russia's
eastern naval port of Vladivostok. The fleet's original route was
to go through the Suez Canal. However, British authorities did not
allow the fleet to enter the Canal. Thus, those ships had to return
to Gibraltar, and then go all the way down to Capetown to reach
the Indian Ocean, and then another long journey to the Korean
strait (sea opening between Japan and Korea).
We should note at this point that Russians were able to send their fleet to far away places thanks to Popov's invention of the Russian system of wireless communication.
However, all those ships were destroyed and sank by the Japanese navy in the Korean strait in 1905. After those long journeys, Russian sailors became to tired to operate their ships and guns. Russians do not talk about this, and young Russians do not know about this sad chapter of their history. Japanese on the other hand is quite proud of the commander of the Japanese navy at that time. His name was Togo Heihachiro, or Togo Genui (Marshal Togo).
- This Russo-Japanese War ended with the
Portsmouth Peace Treaty arranged by the U.S. President
Theodore Roosevelt. For this, Roosevelt got the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.
- In 1914, Russia joined other countries the war against Germany.
It was too much for the Russian Empire, and the Romanov Dynasty
collapsed in 1917. Nicholas II abdicated himself and his son.
- Moscow then became the capital city of Russia under the communist
rule, Saint Petersburg became Leningrad. The city recovered its
original name after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
In 1703, the capital city moved to St. Petersburg because it was gateway to the Baltic sea route to Europe. By 1880, Russia and Europe developed an extensive railway system, and the sea routes became insignificant. While serving as the starting point for the Trans-Siberian Railway, Moscow became the central point for the Euro-Asian land transportation system whose potential is still being exploited. These days, consumer products made in Japan and Korea reach Berlin and Paris through this rail system.
- This KIA sedan was displayed at
the domestic departure lobby of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport
(June 2014). I asked the attendant whether it was assembled in
Kaliningrad,
where KIA maintains an assembly line. He said No. The KIA luxury
cars are still made in South Korea, and this car had a trans-Siberian
train ride from Vladivostok to Moscow.
- Like to have a train ride along this railway system? Click here for this entertaining video.
- His only notable contribution to the family was
the completion of the construction of the Church of Resurrection.
On the other hand, in so doing, he completely depleted the
country's treasury, and it was the beginning of the end of the
Romanov Dynasty. The Dynasty had to collect more taxes, and was
getting separated from the people.
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The statue of Peter the Great at the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet in Kaliningrad. I was there in 2005 with a Russian professor. |
Interesting Places in Saint Petersburg.
-
Catherine's Summer Palace is 25 km southeast of the city of
St. Petersburg. This webapge contains many photos of this summer
palace.
- I was there in the summer of 2003.
Many tourists come to this place, and their was a Russian band
playing music to please international visitors.
- For Americans, they played Stars and Stripes Forever,
- Gunkan March Japanese visitors, and
- La Paloma Spanish tourists.
- I asked them to play a Russian military march:
Proschanie Slavianki
which is known to every Russian, but totally unknown to Americans. This
has been and still is my favorite march since 1948 when I entered my middle
school in Korea.
- Happy Musicians. The band musicians became quite pleased with my request, as you can see from this photo. They later greeted me with the same music when I was coming out from the Palace.
- Polish Lady is listening
to the music with me. She is from Warsaw.
- Ekaterina II known as Catherine the Great in her mirror room in the Catherine Palace. With her is Grigory Potemkin, who was one of her favorite boyfriends. They maintained intimate relations until Catherine died.
- One of her dresses. in a glass box.
- Portrait of Catherine the Great. One admirer is standing in front this portrait.
- I was there in the summer of 2003.
Many tourists come to this place, and their was a Russian band
playing music to please international visitors.
-
Catherine's Winter Palace is at the center of St. Petersburg. In
front of the palace building is a large area called the Palace Square.
The back of this building is the Neva River. The building together with
its extensions serves as the Hermitage Museum. While this Wikipedia page
contains many interesting photos, I can add some more.
- The Palace building on Sunday morning,
with a large empty area in front of the building.
- The Palace Square. The tall column in
the center is the monument dedicated to Czar Alexander I who defeated
Napoleon's Grand Army 1812. Here is a photo of the square
taken from the Palace building taken by
Walter Smith.
- The Palace seen from the Neva River during the day and during the night.
- The Palace A close-up daytime view from
the Neva River
- A photo of myself at the rotunda of the Hermitage Museum. I was not allowed to take photos in the exhibition rooms.
- Catherine's golden wagon outside the exhibition room.
The Cathedral in 1941, during the siege of Leningrad by German troops. - The Palace building on Sunday morning,
with a large empty area in front of the building.
-
Saint Isaac's Cathedral is within a walking distance from the
Catherine's summer palace.
- This is of course a Russian orthodox church, but its architecture
is
in Italian style.
- The statue of Czar Nicholas I is
at the center of the church plaza. He is facing the Cathedral.
- Behind him is the Mariinsky administration building.
- The Mariinsky Building is also
a beautiful art work.
- The golden dome is visible from the
fifth floor of the Ambassador hotel about 1 km away from the Cathedral.
I stayed there in November of 2010 on my way home after attending a conference in
Kazan.
- Thus, it could have served as the ideal target from the German air attacks during the siege of Leningrad which lasted 872 days starting September 8, 1941. The dome was painted to grey color at that time.
- This is a 1941 photo of the Cathedral and two anti-aircraft guns. I did not take this photo.
- This is of course a Russian orthodox church, but its architecture
is
in Italian style.
-
Nevsky Prospect is the main blouvard running from the Palace
Plaza to the western end of the city. There are shops, restaurants,
theaters, churches, offices, and everything else.
- During the evening hours, the Prospect is bright.
- During the siege of Leningrad,
in 1942.
- Entrance to one of the subway stations, and rush-hour crowd.
- One of the Department stores.
There are many.
- In addition to those expensive stores, there are many fast-food
stores, including the McDonald's.
always crowed in Russia.
- Bistro in Russian means "fast." During the Napoleonic War of 1812, Russian troop went all the way to Paris. They went to Paris restaurants demanded food fast, by saying Bistro. This is how the Bistro became the word for a French restaurant, not necessarily fast these days. This is my favorite French Bistro in Washington, DC, U.S.A. There are many interesting people on this street. It is fun to meet them and have a photo with them.
- with two interesting people, I had a photo. I met them near the Anichikov Palace. This Palace has its history, but I am not able to explain it. In 2003, I attended a conference held at the Palace, and I was told that Czar Nicholas II spent his childhood years there.
- At the Anichkov Bridge, I met this
tall lady, and had a photo with her. This Bridge allows
continuation of the Nevsky Prospect across the
Fotanka River, and has
- Off-duty Aeroflot lady. I met this young lady at one of the ice-cream shops on the Nevsky Prospect. She was not able to speak English, and we were able to communicate in Russian and French. I do not speak those languages well, but we were able to communicate. She said English is not needed because she works only on the Moscow-Geneva line.
- Kazan Cathedral is just south of the Nevsky Prospect on the bank of the Criboyedova Canal. I am not able to explain the history of this church. Please read this the Wikipedia article for details. Three blocks north of the Canal is the Church of Resurrection.
- Off-duty Aeroflot lady. I met this young lady at one of the ice-cream shops on the Nevsky Prospect. She was not able to speak English, and we were able to communicate in Russian and French. I do not speak those languages well, but we were able to communicate. She said English is not needed because she works only on the Moscow-Geneva line.
-
Church of the Savior on Blood is the only building constructed in
the traditional Russian style. This church is also called the Cathedral
of Resurrection. This church was built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was
bombed in 1881.
- Here is the spot in the Cathedral
Alexander II died.
- This Cathedral is on the bank of the Criboyedova Canal. Here is a photo of the Canal and Cathedral.
- This photo is taken from the opposite
side.
- Interior walls are like this.
- Image of Jesus about to raise Lazarus
from the dead.
- This is
one of the bridges over the Canal. There are many canals and
rivers in the city, and thus many beautiful bridges.
- The main altar of the Cathedral looks like this. Here is a closer view of the altar.
- The is the ceiling above the alter. Jesus in the heaven is looking at you.
- This is a photo of
the back of the altar taken outside the church.
- Mother and daughter from Khavarovsk. It was indeed a pleasure to meet these Russian ladies in the Cathedral. Do you know where Khavarovsk is? Khavarovsk is a Siberian city directly north of Korean Peninsula. When I was in Korea (before 1954), I used to pick up the Radio Moscow signals from relay stations located there, but I never thought I could meet anyone from there.
- Here is the spot in the Cathedral
Alexander II died.
- Neva River
connects the city with the Baltic Sea. This River used to serve as a
natural defense line against invasions from Finland and Sweden many
years ago. These
days, the city is built on both sides of the River. The visit to
St. Petersburg is meaningless without a cruise on this river. In
2003, I had a daytime cruise. In 2014, I had a night-time cruise.
- This daytime photo shows
the golden dome of St. Isaac Cathedral. A church dome is also
seen. I do not know which church that is.
- Catherine's Winter Palace looks OK from the River.
- Day-time and night-time views of
the Winter Palace.
- St. Paul's Cathedral: Day-time photo
(2003),
Night-time photo (2014). St. Petersburg's
night is not dark at 11:00 PM during the summer months.
- Samsung and Russian Telecom signs seen
from the River.
- Smolny Convent seen between
the trees. This convent has an
interesting history.
- Modern buildings on the northern bank of the River.
- Sunset at 11.30 PM, and Sunrise at 3:30 AM.
- At 2.00 AM, the city enjoys the dark night. Bridges open up for tall commercial ships to sail through the river.
- Modern buildings on the northern bank of the River.
- This daytime photo shows
the golden dome of St. Isaac Cathedral. A church dome is also
seen. I do not know which church that is.
Music in Saint Petersburg
- Glinka's Statue near the Theatre.
How do I look with him. Mikhail Glinka
was the first Russian composer who established the Western-style music
in Russia. Here is the
Wikipedia page
about him.
- Glinka is well known from the overture to his opera entitled
"Ruslan and Lyudmila." The story was originally written by
Alexander Pushkin, and I do not understand the story well, but I like
the music. Here is
the video
for this opera.
- At the Kremlin Theater in Moscow, there was a performance of the Ruslan and Ludmila (1992). I took this photo at the conclusion of this opera.
- Russian music lovers coming
to this theater were well-dressed. They seem to have a great respect
for Glinka as the father of Russian music.
- I was there with Paolo Tombesi, Margarita Man'ko, Roy Glauber, and Daesoo Han.
- Glinka is well known from the overture to his opera entitled
"Ruslan and Lyudmila." The story was originally written by
Alexander Pushkin, and I do not understand the story well, but I like
the music. Here is
the video
for this opera.
- Two blocks from the statue is the entrance to the
Mariinsky Theater. I am happy to share with you photos
I took during my visit to this theater in 2010. There was a
a performance of Prokofiev's ballet "Romeo and Juliet."
- Front View of the Theater.
- viewed from its front-right.
- Mercedes-Benz passing through the
front ground of the theater.
- Upper Tiers.
- Stage Curtain down.
- Chevaliers. Telescopic view.
- Mother and Daughter from Novosibirsk, the science city in Siberia. I thought they are sisters.
- with J. S. Bach, and music lovers from Switzerland. The gentleman is a physicist.
- Mariinsky Administrator. I met this
lady at the SPB airport while waiting for an AirBirlin flight to Dusseldorf.
She works on exhibitions for the Mariinsky company. According to her,
Moscow's Bolshoi is not the worst ballet in the world, but it is basically
wrong to compare the Mariinsky with Bolshoi.
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Interesting People I met in Saint Petersburg
- In 2014, I went to St. Petersburg to attend a conference on Hadrons held
at the Spb Nuclear Physics Institute in Catchina about 20 km south of the
city center. I was very happy to meet my old friends and to make new
friends.
- When I arrived at the Spb airport in 2014, a number of Russians came to
welcome their guests. I asked them to welcome me even though I am
not their guest. They did, and I had a
photo with them. This photo was taken by one of the members
of this group. I could not leave her out. I had a
separate photo with her.
- I met Victor Kim, Anna Dubnicikova,
and Stanislav Dubinicka at the Gatchina conference.
I met Dubmicikova in Zakopane (Poland) in 1995 while attending
a conference there. I met both Dubinicka and Kim in 1990 at the
Joint Institute of Nuclear physics (Dubna). At that time,
Dubinicka was the director of the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics.
Victor Kim was a young post-doc. He is now a big boy among the
Russian community of high-energy physics. He spends most of his
research time at the Hadron Collider Lab in CERN (Switzerland).
- This young lady is a graduate student at
the University of Maryland. Her father is a physicist and was among the
participants of the Gatchina conference. They came to the night-time
cruise on the Never River arranged by the conference. I asked her
what she is studying, and she said "business administration." I told her
to make a large amount of money, and treat he father nicely. The father
said "I appreciate your advise very much." We all laughed.
- In November of 2010, on my way home after attending a conference in
Kazan, and I met some interesting people.
- Mother and son on a Spb airport
bus. They were coming from Novosibirsk, and they became happy when
I told them I am a physicist. Novosibirsk is a science city in
Siberia. They were coming to Spb to see their relatives.
- Mother and daughter from
Khavarovsk. It was indeed a pleasure to meet these Russian
ladies in the Cathedral. Do you know where Khavarovsk is?
Khavarovsk is a Siberian city directly north of Korean Peninsula. When I
was in Korea (before 1954), I used to pick up the Radio Moscow signals
from relay stations located there, but I never thought I could meet
anyone from there.
- Outside the Cathedral, I met
one man and two ladies. The man was Peter the Great, and on
woman was Ekaterina who was Peter's mistress, wife, and then
the Empress. The other lady is there to collect money for having
photos with them.
- This is my photo with Ekaterina.
- This is my photo with the business
manager. I paid her, but I do not know how much I paid. She said
this photo with her was free.
- with J. S. Bach, and music lovers from
Switzerland. The gentleman is a physicist.
I met them at the Mariinsky Theater during the
intermission. We were there for Prokofiev's ballet "Romeo and Juliet."
The gentleman is a physicist.
- Mother and daughter in the Theater.
We were in the same box.
- Mariinsky Administrator. I met this
lady at the SPB airport while waiting for an AirBirlin flight to Dusseldorf.
She works on exhibitions for the Mariinsky company. According to her,
Moscow's Bolshoi is not the worst ballet in the world, but it is basically
wrong to compare the Mariinsky with Bolshoi.
- In 2003, I was in Saint Petersburg the 3rd International
Conference on Physics and Control. The city was in a festive mood to
celebrate the 300th anniversary of the city's founding by Peter the
Great. I was very happy to join the citizens for the celebration of
this historic event. There were many interesting people and I took
many photos. I am pleased to share some of them with you.
- With two interesting people,
I had a photo. I met them near on the Nevsky Prospect
near the Anichikov Palace where the conference took place.
- Anichikov Bridge. While I was standing
on this historic bridge, I met many interesting Russians. I met this
tall lady and started talking. We then decided to have this photo.
- Students of Korean Ancestry.
Naturally, I become very happy whenever I meet Korean students. They are
Russians born in Russia. Their grandparents came to Kazakhstan in from
Vladivostok near the Korean border, and developed agriculture on the
land of Central Asia.
- Both father and daughter are
physicists. A very rare combination. I met them at the conference.
The daughter in the middle is holding her umbrella skilfully for this
photo.
- Two young Russian couple while waiting on
line at the Catherine's Summer Palace.
- Two vacationers from Hong Kong. They said
they were very happy to be away from their jobs. They were very cheerful, and
they even sent me an email after returning to Hong Kong. It appears that
I was an interesting boy to them. I am very happy if they felt in that way.
- Jim Yorke is my colleague at the
University of Maryland. It was indeed a pleasure to meet him in
St. Petersburg. A young Russian physicist joined us in this photo.
- During the 2003 conference, the Organizing Committee was nice enough
to introduce this young lady to me. She
spent one day with me to visit interesting places in St. Petersburg.
She was a tourism professional and was able to explain well
to me the history of the city. We used the public transportation system
to travel around the city, and we had many photos together.
- Cathedral of Resurrection. I
spent one day with this young lady and visited important places in the
city. We started with the Museum Square. We then walked along one
of the canals. Here we stopped for a photo with the Cathedral of
Resurrection in the background.
- Close-up View. She is the most
courteous lady I have ever met in my life. Her name is Daria Lomagina.
I have only a son and
never had the pleasure of having daughters. I can now understand
why people spend that much money for raising their daughters.
- In front of Pushkin's Statue.
We paused here, and she explained many things to me.
- Mariinsky Ballet Theatre.
I told her I like to visit the Kirov ballet theatre. She told me
the original name of the Kirov ballet is "Mariinsky Ballet" and it
recovered its original name after the communists were gone.
- Stalin Organ. I told her I
like tanks and like to visit a tank museum. She told me she does not
like military stuff, but her father was a gun man on T-34 tank or Stalin
tank during the Great Patriotic War (WW-II). The only possible place
is the
artillery museum, and we went there. I was interested in producing
another photo like this which I took
in Kharkov (Ukraine 2000). There were many guns, but we could not find the
Stalin tank there. We decided to have a photo with
another dreadful war machine carrying Stalin's name: Stalin Organ.
copyright@2014 by Y. S. Kim, unless otherwise specified.
Click here for his home page.
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- When I arrived at the Spb airport in 2014, a number of Russians came to
welcome their guests. I asked them to welcome me even though I am
not their guest. They did, and I had a
photo with them. This photo was taken by one of the members
of this group. I could not leave her out. I had a
separate photo with her.
- I met Victor Kim, Anna Dubnicikova,
and Stanislav Dubinicka at the Gatchina conference.
I met Dubmicikova in Zakopane (Poland) in 1995 while attending
a conference there. I met both Dubinicka and Kim in 1990 at the
Joint Institute of Nuclear physics (Dubna). At that time,
Dubinicka was the director of the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics.
Victor Kim was a young post-doc. He is now a big boy among the
Russian community of high-energy physics. He spends most of his
research time at the Hadron Collider Lab in CERN (Switzerland).
- This young lady is a graduate student at
the University of Maryland. Her father is a physicist and was among the
participants of the Gatchina conference. They came to the night-time
cruise on the Never River arranged by the conference. I asked her
what she is studying, and she said "business administration." I told her
to make a large amount of money, and treat he father nicely. The father
said "I appreciate your advise very much." We all laughed.
- Mother and son on a Spb airport
bus. They were coming from Novosibirsk, and they became happy when
I told them I am a physicist. Novosibirsk is a science city in
Siberia. They were coming to Spb to see their relatives.
- Mother and daughter from
Khavarovsk. It was indeed a pleasure to meet these Russian
ladies in the Cathedral. Do you know where Khavarovsk is?
Khavarovsk is a Siberian city directly north of Korean Peninsula. When I
was in Korea (before 1954), I used to pick up the Radio Moscow signals
from relay stations located there, but I never thought I could meet
anyone from there.
- Outside the Cathedral, I met
one man and two ladies. The man was Peter the Great, and on
woman was Ekaterina who was Peter's mistress, wife, and then
the Empress. The other lady is there to collect money for having
photos with them.
- This is my photo with Ekaterina.
- This is my photo with the business manager. I paid her, but I do not know how much I paid. She said this photo with her was free.
- with J. S. Bach, and music lovers from Switzerland. The gentleman is a physicist. I met them at the Mariinsky Theater during the intermission. We were there for Prokofiev's ballet "Romeo and Juliet." The gentleman is a physicist.
- Mother and daughter in the Theater. We were in the same box.
- Mariinsky Administrator. I met this
lady at the SPB airport while waiting for an AirBirlin flight to Dusseldorf.
She works on exhibitions for the Mariinsky company. According to her,
Moscow's Bolshoi is not the worst ballet in the world, but it is basically
wrong to compare the Mariinsky with Bolshoi.
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- With two interesting people,
I had a photo. I met them near on the Nevsky Prospect
near the Anichikov Palace where the conference took place.
- Anichikov Bridge. While I was standing
on this historic bridge, I met many interesting Russians. I met this
tall lady and started talking. We then decided to have this photo.
- Students of Korean Ancestry.
Naturally, I become very happy whenever I meet Korean students. They are
Russians born in Russia. Their grandparents came to Kazakhstan in from
Vladivostok near the Korean border, and developed agriculture on the
land of Central Asia.
- Both father and daughter are
physicists. A very rare combination. I met them at the conference.
The daughter in the middle is holding her umbrella skilfully for this
photo.
- Two young Russian couple while waiting on
line at the Catherine's Summer Palace.
- Two vacationers from Hong Kong. They said
they were very happy to be away from their jobs. They were very cheerful, and
they even sent me an email after returning to Hong Kong. It appears that
I was an interesting boy to them. I am very happy if they felt in that way.
- Jim Yorke is my colleague at the
University of Maryland. It was indeed a pleasure to meet him in
St. Petersburg. A young Russian physicist joined us in this photo.
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- Cathedral of Resurrection. I spent one day with this young lady and visited important places in the city. We started with the Museum Square. We then walked along one of the canals. Here we stopped for a photo with the Cathedral of Resurrection in the background.
- Close-up View. She is the most
courteous lady I have ever met in my life. Her name is Daria Lomagina.
I have only a son and
never had the pleasure of having daughters. I can now understand
why people spend that much money for raising their daughters.
- In front of Pushkin's Statue.
We paused here, and she explained many things to me.
- Mariinsky Ballet Theatre.
I told her I like to visit the Kirov ballet theatre. She told me
the original name of the Kirov ballet is "Mariinsky Ballet" and it
recovered its original name after the communists were gone.
- Stalin Organ. I told her I like tanks and like to visit a tank museum. She told me she does not like military stuff, but her father was a gun man on T-34 tank or Stalin tank during the Great Patriotic War (WW-II). The only possible place is the artillery museum, and we went there. I was interested in producing another photo like this which I took in Kharkov (Ukraine 2000). There were many guns, but we could not find the Stalin tank there. We decided to have a photo with another dreadful war machine carrying Stalin's name: Stalin Organ.