Travels in the 2nd half

  Canada Day is a celebration of the foundation of Canada. On July 1, 1867, the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick joined together into one confederated dominion. Like July 4th in The United States, it is celebrated by large events in the large cities, and by smaller events in small towns. In 2005, I was finishing up a one-year stint teaching in Canmore, Alberta, so we stayed in town long enough to watch the Canada Day celebration there.    Like any small town, the celebration in Canmore was a truly local affair. No big floats, or high power stars, but lots of people from the community, both in the parade and lining the street. Canmore was the site of the cross-country skiing events during the 1988 Olympics. It is still home to the National Cross-Country Ski Center. So before the parade, some of the local skiers put on a demonstration of their summer training practices.  Cross-Country Skiers   Alberta has strong ties to the Scottish settlers who...

To Berlin   My trip to Russia in 2006 finished with a short stop in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad. It was the site of the third major battle that turned the fortunes for the Allies during World War II. Volgograd was founded as Tsaritsyn in 1589, on the banks of the Volga River. It became a major river port and industrial city. In 1925 it was renamed Stalingrad, in honor of Joseph Stalin and his role in leading the fight against the White Army in the area during the Russian Revolution. In 1961, is was renamed again, as Volgograd. The Volga River The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from August 2, 1942 until February 2, 1943. German, Italian, Romanian and Hungarian forces attacked the city, in an attempt to a front between the Volga and Don Rivers and prevent Russian troops in Eastern Russia from joining the war. The Luftwaffe place the city under constant bombardment, and the Axis force quickly invaded. Over the next 200 days fight was carried out literally street to street and house t...

The Fonatanka Canal This week I am continuing to revisit my 2006 trip to the sites of three battles the turned the tide of World War II. After starting in Moscow, It was time to travel north, up to St. Petersburg. Peter and Paul Fortress St. Petersburg , formally known as Petrograd and Leningrad, was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. It served as the capital of Russia from 1713 until the Russian Revolution in 1918. The city sits at the mouth of the Neva River, and has served as one of Russia’s primary ports. Peter the Great hired Domenico Trezzini to design the city in 1716. Trezzini was inspired by Venice and Peter’s city was built around a set of islands and canals. University Embankment During the time of the Russian empire, St. Petersburg became the cultural center of the country. Several opera and ballet companies are still based there, and it is home to The Hermitage, one of the largest fine art museums in the world. The Mariinsky Opera Company - A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons · Wi...

  One of Stalin's Seven Sisters This week I am continuing to revisit my 2006 trip to Russia. After seeing the Kremlin and downtown Moscow, I spent a day walking along the Moskva River. Replica of David   I started my morning at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Art. This museum was founded in 1898 as the Alexander III Museum at the Moscow University. It was a place where art students could come and study. Its collection at that time was primarily copies of works and casts of statues from around the world, a common practice in an era when travel was difficult and there was no tv or internet. Over the next twenty years, this museum became to primary collection of fine art in Moscow. After the Russian Revolution, art from many private collections was were transferred to the museum, along with works transferred from the Hermitage in Leningrad. In 1932 the name was changed to the State Museum of Fine Art, and in 1937, Pushkin’s name was added, to commemorate the centennial of his de...