Russia, Moscow and St. Petersburg

George has returned from a trip to Russia with Svetlana.

George visited the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. With an overall height of 103 metres (338 ft), it is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world. It is built on the site of the former world's largest outdoor swimming pool The Moscow Pool. In February 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission from the Soviet Government to rebuild the cathedral and in 1994 the pool was demolished and the cathedral reconstruction commenced.

In St. Petersburg George saw the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church the Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, probably the most venerated icon in Russia. The construction was started in 1801 and took ten years to complete. The interior features numerous sculptures and icons created by the best Russian artists of the day and a wrought iron grille between the cathedral and a small square behind it is often cited as one of the finest.

Here George is enjoying the view of the roof tops of St. Petersburg from his apartment.