About Me

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I am married to my loving husband for more than 40 years now. I am a mother to 3 beautiful children, until years ago when I lost my youngest son. Since then my life is forever altered but yet unbroken....

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Tuesday 27 May 2014

2014 - Moscow, Russia

"Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity..."

(St. Basil Cathedral, Moscow)

Day 7: 27 May 2014 (Monday)
(St. Petersburg/Moscow)
Hotel: Maxima Panorama Hotel, Moscow

There was no immigration or custom checks when we reached Moscow. We were met by our local guide and a 40-seater coach and began the tour of Moscow. Moscow is situated on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia and the world's most populated inland city.

The city is well known for its unique architecture which consists of many different historic buildings such as Saint Basil's Cathedral with its brightly colored domes. Moscow is also the seat of power of the Government of Russia, being the site of the Moscow Kremlin, a medieval city-fortress that is today the residence of the Russian president. The Moscow Kremlin and Red Square are World Heritage Sites in the city.

(Arriving in the city of Moscow)
(No checks in Moscow)

We passed the Red Square and had a glimpse of the city wall, the Kremlin, famous Cathedrals and other tourist attractions which we will be visiting in the afternoon. The bus headed towards Sparrow Hills to have a good panoramic view of the city.

Sparrow Hills known as Lenin Hills is a hill on the right bank of the Moskva River and one of the highest points in Moscow, reaching a height of 220 m. The observation platform, which gives a good panoramic view of the city, is on a steep bank above the river, or 200 m above sea level. The Luzhniki Stadium formerly the Lenin Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1980 Summer Olympics took place, is right below, across the Moskva River. Next to it is the Novodevichy Convent, with its Naryshkin Baroque towers.

(Our lodging for three nights)
(The Moscow State University)
(The 1980 Olympic Stadium)

We visited the Moscow State University (MSU) and had some photo shots there. The MSU is a coeducational public university and also known as Lomonosov University. It also claims to have the tallest educational building in the world.

(Moscow skyline from Sparrow Hill)
(The Moskva River)

We visited the Sabornaya Mosque which is under major renovation and had a hearty lunch of lamb kebab and rice at the Cafetaria. Sabornaya Mosque is a one of the four mosques in Moscow situated along Prospect Mira next to the Olympic Stadium of Moscow or Olimpysky used in the Olympic Game in 1980. This mosque is often referred as Cathedral Mosque.

(The mosque is under going major renovation)
(Signage to the ladies prayer area)
(The temporary main prayer hall)

Later in the afternoon we visited the famous Red Square. The Red Square is a city square separating the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. The Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia, because Moscow's major streets—which connect to Russia's major highways—originate from the square.

(The vibrant coloured St. Basil Cathedral)
(Monument in front of the cathedral)

The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a former church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. It was built on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. As world famous landmark, it has been the hub of the city's growth since the 14th century.

The vibrant multi-coloured building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, it is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found. The church has been part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. It is often mislabelled as the Kremlin owing to its location on Red Square in immediate proximity of the Kremlin.

The grand Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a dramatic traditional style building topped with gleaming gold domes and elaborate architecture. Standing at 102 meters tall, it is the tallest Orthodox Church in the world.

(The State Historical Museum at the far end) 

The imposing red building stands at the end of the Red Square is the State Historical Museum. The museum was opened in 1894, to mark the coronation of Aleksander III, and was the result of a 20-year-long project to consolidate various archaeological and anthropological collections into a single museum that told the story of the history of Russia according to the latest scientific methodology.
The building, which prompts mixed aesthetic reactions, is undeniably impressive. A mass of jagged towers and cornices, it is a typical example of Russian Revivalism, the Eastern equivalent of the Neo-Gothic movement.

(The Lenin Mausoleum)

Lenin Mausoleum also known as Lenin's Tomb, situated in Red Square is the mausoleum that serves as the current resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since his death in 1924. The monumental granite structure incorporates some elements from ancient mausoleums, such as the Step Pyramid and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great.

GUM Department Store is the State Department Store, a famous shopping mall on Moscow's Red Square. GUM is well-known to every Russian. Now GUM is not only an architectural masterpiece, but also housed a wide network of shops in Moscow and in other regions. The high quality of goods purchased in GUM is guaranteed. We stayed a while in the department store protected from the heavy showers outside.

(The up-class GUM Department Store)
(Sun-lit ceiling in the department store)

After a tiring half-day tour, we checked in Maxima Hotel, Moscow. Tonight we had packed nasi briani dinner in the room.

Day 8: 28 May 2014 (Tuesday)
(Moscow)
Hotel: Maxima Panorama Hotel, Moscow

We had a filling breakfast in the morning. It was raining slightly this morning and the weather was quite chilly and cool. Today we visited the Red Square again and spent the whole morning at the Kremlin and visiting the surrounding tourist sites.

(A heavy breakfast to start the day)
(Maxima Hotel Moscow)

Kremlin Plus Cathedral also known as The Moscow Kremlin sometimes referred to as simply the Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west. It is the best known of kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

(The main entrance to the Kremlin)
(Visitors undergoing thorough checks)

The Church of the Twelve Apostles is a minor cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, commissioned by Patriarch Nikon as part of his stately residence in 1653 and dedicated to Philip the Apostle three years later.

The church is almost as prominent as neighbouring grand cathedrals of the 15th century, due to its placement upon a high pediment, pierced by two large arches allowing passage from the Cathedral Square to the patriarch's courtyard.

(The Cathedral Square)
(A huge bell, a tourist attraction)

The Armoury Chamber - Located in the Kremlin of Moscow it is one of the oldest museums in the Russian capital. Serving as a modern treasure house, it is a part of the Grand Kremlin Palace Complex. The armory began as the arsenal of the Moscow Kremlin as early as 1508, where were housed the finest of Muscovite gunsmiths, jewellers, and painters. Their resulting collection was later served as the Kremlin’s Great Treasury, and included many of the precious items that have been preserved for centuries. Despite the fall of the Communists, these historical church items remain housed among the state artefacts.

(A huge canon)
(A hop-on and hop-off tour bus)

After visiting the Kremlin, we had lunch at a Lebanese Restaurant in one of the shopping malls. After lunch we visited the Memorial Arch and took a metro train from Park Pobedy Station and stopped at two stations. Our final stop was at Arbat Street.

(A sumptuous briani lunch)
(Another smaller mosque @ Sparrow Hill)
(The Memorial Arch)
(The map of the Metro)
(Metro Station in between train rides)
(The commuter crowd at exchange stations)

Arbat Street is a pedestrian street about one km long in the historical centre of Moscow. The Arbat has existed since the 15th century, thus laying claim to being one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. Originally the street formed part of an important trade route and was home to a large number of craftsmen.

(A km long Arbat Street)
(Graffiti on the wall)

In the 18th century, the Arbat came to be regarded by the Russian nobility as the most prestigious living area in Moscow. The street was almost completely destroyed by the great fire during Napoleon's occupation of Moscow in 1812 and was rebuilt. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it became known as a place where petty nobility, artists, and academics lived. In the Soviet period, it was the home of many high-ranking government officials.

(Artists corner)
(A couple in the rain)
(A statue of a famous poet)
(A schedule of concerts of famous musicians)

Day 9: 29 May 2014 (Wednesday)
(Moscow – Istanbul)

After breakfast we had a free and easy time till noon when we checked out and boarded the coach to have lunch at the Lebanese Restaurant again. It was raining heavily so we spent time in the shopping mall before going to the airport for our flight at 21.25 back to KL via Istanbul.

(Lining up for our meals)
(Moscow International Airport)
(Early for our flight)
(Ready to board the plane)

We whiled away time watching in-flight movies in between sleep on our journey home. We landed safely at KLIA at 16.30 on the next day.

Alhamdulillah…


👈👈 2014: Surat Thani, Thailand
2014: St. Petersburg, Russia ðŸ‘‰ðŸ‘‰

Saturday 24 May 2014

2014 - St. Petersburg, Russia

"We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too"

(The Bronze Horseman, St. Petersburg)

Day 4: 24 May 2014 (Saturday)
(Helsinki – St. Petersburg)
Hotel: Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg

We arrived in St. Petersburg Train Station on time and had to clear Immigration and Customs checks.

(Arriving in Russian land)
(Waiting for the guide and coach)

The local tour guide was already waiting for us and we immediately started our panoramic sightseeing tour for the day. St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, with more than a million population.

(The war ship, now a museum)
(The Bronze Horseman)

Today we began our panoramic tour of St. Petersburg with our first stop at the famous statue of Peter the Great. The Bronze Horseman is an impressive monument of the founder of St Petersburg, Peter the Great. It stands on Senatskaia Ploschad Square, facing the Neva River and surrounded by the Admiralty, St Isaac's Cathedral and the buildings of the former Senate and Synod - the civil and religious governing bodies of pre-revolutionary Russia. According to a 19th century legend, enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the ‘Bronze Horseman’ stands in the middle of the city.

(St. Petersburg Mosque from afar)
(The main prayer hall)

We stopped for a short while outside the Yusupov Palace, the long yellow building which was once the residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family. It is situated on a quiet stretch of the Moika River and the view was excellent for photo shots. This palace saw one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's history - the murder of Grigory Rasputin. Rasputin was murdered on the night of December 16, 1916 and his death proved to be an almost greater mystery than his life!.

We later visited St. Petersburg Mosque, the largest mosque in Europe outside Turkey, its minarets are 49 meters in height and the dome is 39 meters high. The mosque is sited opposite the Peter and Paul Fortress, in the city centre. It can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers. The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslim community of the Russian then-capital exceeded 8,000 people.

(The Nevsky Prospekt, main avenue of St. Petersburg)
(The crowd at the book festival)
(Music and singing on the street)

We visited a few other tourist attractions in Nevsky Prospekt, the main street of St. Petersburg and had a clear view of the Kazan Cathedral. The majority of the city’s shopping and nightlife are located on or near the Nevsky Prospekt and there were many festivals going on at the same time.

(Cute beautiful Russian dolls)
(Looking around in a souvenir shop)

Before we headed for our hotel, we went for souvenir shopping and had an early dinner at one of the restaurants on the main street.

(A walk in the park)
(A newly wedded couple and tulips)

Day 5: 25 May 2014 (Sunday)
(St. Petersburg/Peterhof)
Hotel: Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg

We had a simple breakfast of bread and hard-boiled eggs in the hotel restaurant.

(A filling simple breakfast)
(Entrance ticket to the State Hermitage Museum)

The whole morning today were spent visiting The State Hermitage Museum. It is a museum of art and culture and one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. It was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852.
(One of the many historical rooms)
(One of the many famous paintings)
(Intricate designs at doorways and arches)

Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre and The Imperial Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors.

(Large collections on display)
(Huge pillars in the room)
(Art display outside the museum)
(The Hermitage Museum viewed from outside)
(Palace Square and the Alexander Column)

Our lunch was at an Italian Restaurant. It was raining heavily when we boarded the bus for a visit to a small town of Peterhof situated in the outskirt of St. Petersburg.

(Grilled fish and rice)

Our destination was the Park Ensemble at Peterhof Petrodvorets also known as the Russian Versailles. The place is known as Peterhof or Petrodvorets and it was founded as early as 1714 by Peter the Great. Peter saw Versailles when he traveled to France and was quite impressed. But he conceived his own fountain complex on a much grander scale and created a magnificent ensemble that includes several palaces and three parks.

The main attraction in Peterhof is its beautiful Lower Park with 150 fountains and four cascades. The main and the most amazing cascade called the Great Cascade is situated in front of the Great Imperial Palace which was the gala summer imperial residence for 200 years.

(A disposable raincoat for the heavy shower)
(The palace golden domes and spires)
(Display of cascades and fountains)

We travelled back and reached St. Petersburg by late afternoon and just in time for an hour of relaxing boat cruise along the Neva River and canals surrounding St. Petersburg. After the cruise we went for souvenir shopping, enjoying the white nights life in St. Petersburg.

(An hour of river cruising along rivers and canals)
(Staying under deck, away from the hot sun)
(The Russian and Malaysian guides)
(Another round of shopping)
(Doing the selfie with our Nikon)

Day 6: 26 May 2014 (Monday)
(St. Petersburg/Pushkin)
Hotel: Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg

Today we visited a few more tourist attractions in St. Petersburg and its surrounding districts.

Our first stop was at the vibrant coloured Cathedral of Spilled Blood. This marvellous Russian-style church was built where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. Both the interior and exterior of the church is decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists.

The church was closed for services in the 1930s, when the Bolsheviks went on an offensive against religion and destroyed churches all over the country. It remained closed and under restoration for over 30 years and was finally re-opened in 1997 in all its dazzling former glory. The view of the church from Nevsky Prospekt is absolutely breath-taking.

(A beautiful ice-cream cathedral)

We visited St. Isaac’s Cathedral again today but it was closed for renovation and visitors were not allowed to enter the museum area. The dome of the cathedral dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg and its gilded cupola can be seen glistening from all over the city. Normal days, you can climb up the 300 or so steps to the observation walkway at the base of the cathedral’s dome and enjoy the breathtaking views over the city.

The church itself is an architectural marvel and the main church of the Russian Empire. Inside the church many of the icons were created using mosaic techniques and the iconostasis is decorated with eight malachite and two lapis lazuli columns. The cathedral now serves as a museum and services are held only on significant ecclesiastical holidays.

(The cathedral is closed for renovation)
(The green parks surrounding the cathedral)

Another Cathedral visited was the golden Baroque style St. Nicholas' Cathedral (known locally as the Sailors' Cathedral) as its spires and domes rise among the trees at the bottom of Ulitsa Glinki and shines above the residential and commercial buildings in the area. It is home to a number of revered 18th-century icons and a fine carved wooden iconostasis. Its beautiful bell tower overlooks Kryukov Canal.

(A short visit for photo shots)
(The inside of St. Nicholas Cathedral)

The coach took us for a tour of Pushkin and Catherine Palace. Pushkin is a municipal town in Pushkinsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, located 24 kilometers south from the center of St. Petersburg proper. Before we visited the tourist sites, we went to an Italian Restaurant for a Risotto lunch.

(A reflection of the golden dome)
(A historical palace ruins)
(Italian lunch for today)

Pushkin was founded in 1710 as an imperial residence named Tsarskoye Selo. The town was renamed to Detskoye Selo meaning Children's Village. Its name was further changed in 1937 to Pushkin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The town contains an ensemble of the 18th century ‘Tsarskoye Selo’. This museum complex includes the Catherine Palace, Alexander Palace and other buildings and associated parks. It is a major tourist attraction of the area and is included in the list of monuments protected by the UNESCO.

(The palace from the inner square)
(Wearing protective socks before entry)
(Glittering and glistening gold ornaments)

There was a long queue at the entrance to the Ekaterina Palace. The inside of the palace was strictly a no-photography area and one need to wear paper socks to protect and preserve the area from dust and dirt. The visit include the famous Amber Room and park in Pavlovsk.

(Evening walk in the park)
(Pictures of tourists attractions of Pushkin)
(A group photo)

From Pushkin the coach had to throng the heavy traffic and rushed back to St. Petersburg as we had to catch a show. We performed our prayers in St. Petersburg Mosque before we were transported to Nikolayevsky Palace for the Folk Show.

The evening began with elaborate Russian folklore dances and traditional musical performance followed by a short break of delicious buffet with traditional Russian caviar and drinks. The night ended with a full course dinner while being entertained by a local musician.

(Colourful costumes of dancers)
(A delicious Muslim dinner)
(A complimentary postcard)

Day 7: 27 May 2014 (Monday)
(St. Petersburg/Moscow)
Hotel: Maxima Panorama Hotel, Moscow

We woke up early in the morning and checked out of the hotel. Our breakfast was packed for the train journey. The coach were ready to transport us to the Moskovsky Vokzal Train Station.

(Baltiya Hotel, St. Petersburg)

The train station is also called Moscovsky Station, with an easily recognizable Neo-Renaissance frontage on Nevsky Prospekt and Uprising Square. It is a terminus for the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway and other lines running from Central and South Russia, Siberia, Eastern Ukraine, and Crimea.

(Passengers ready to board the train)
(Maximum speed caught on camera)

The Sapsan Train Ride from St. Petersburg to Moscow runs for about 650 kilometre through four oblasts, Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad. It is a major traffic artery in the north-west region of Russia, operated by the Oktyabrskaya Railway subdivision of Russian Railways. The maximum speed is 250 kmh, the fastest train taking 3 hours and 30 minutes. The Sapsan has operated on this line since 2009, running below their maximum speed of 300 kmh because of difficulties in upgrading all the track.

(Our carriage on the fast train) 

👈👈 2014: Moscow, Russia
2014: Helsinki, Finland ðŸ‘‰ðŸ‘‰