I wanted to pick out the highlights of my Monday’s Travel Photos posts in 2012 but rather than choose my own favourites, always a difficult task, I asked Relationnel to tell me which of my Monday’s travel photos he preferred month by month. These, of course, are not the places I went to in 2012, but taken from various holidays over the last few years. Which is your favourite? Or is there a photo you remember from another post that you prefer?
Lake Annecy, FranceTivoli Gardens, Italy
Burano Island, Italy
The Dancing House, Prague
Orvieto Cathedral, Italy
Hofkirche, Innsbruck, AustriaSaint PetersburgSaint Paul de Vence, FranceThe Sphinx and the Pyramid of Kheph, EgyptBrisbane, Australia
Last week, I posted photos of Saint Petersburg but after a reader’s comment, I realised that I hadn’t included much of the city’s architecture. Most of the buildings today are neoclassical built, in the second half of the 18th century after the Commission of Stone Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, established in 1762, decreed that no structure in the city could be higher than the Winter Palace and prohibited spacing between buildings. The result is an extremely harmonious whole which I personally find somewhat overwhelming and massive, very similar to Vienna in fact. But I have chosen the buildings I found the most attractive. You’ll notice that the most popular colours are yellow and green.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria Church
Hermitage Museum from side street (see caryatids)
Kazan Cathedral
Saint Petersburg State UniversityMariinsky Theatre (Kirov Ballet)
One of my greatest travel dreams was to visit Saint Petersburg to see the paintings from Picasso’s blue period in the Hermitage Museum. I finally got there in July 2007 but only one of his paintings was on display! I actually preferred the Russian Museum, much less crowded with far fewer tourists. I enjoyed discovering Russian art and I adored the museum itself with its beautiful painted rooms. I’ll never forget the midnight sun over the Volga.
