Author: Traviewler
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia
Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Sofia occupies an area more than 3.000 square meters and can hold more than 10.000 people inside which makes it one of the largest orthodox churches in the world. Its 12 bells of total weight of 23 tons, are rang by Maria Zabova, a 85+ years old woman that does this for the last 35 years.
Vitosha Boulevard
Sofia in Bulgaria, one of the oldest inhabited places in Europe, is located in the middle of Balkan peninsula and it is a very nice and welcoming city. Vitoshka is the busiest pedestrian street in the city and is considered to be the trade center of Sofia. If you happen to walk to Vitoshka on a spring Sunday don't forget to sit and enjoy an iced coffee. If you are Greek you will be lucky because they also serve frappe.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Have you ever been in Sofia in Bulgaria? I did and I'm going to share a few pictures and little of the city's history in the next posts. If you have any nice pictures from Sofia leave me a comment here and I will share your pictures in my stories
Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg was the official residence of the Russian royals from 1732 up to the Russian Revolution in 1917. The Palace was constructed to reflect the supremacy of the Imperial Russia. From this palace, the Tsar ruled 22 million of square kilometers of land which counts to almost 1/6 of the earth's surface, and more than 125 million subjects. This palace contains 1786 doors, 1945 windows, 1500 rooms and 117 staircases. Today the palace is part of the Hermitage museum, the second largest museum in the world.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Due to the unique geology of Saint Petersburg the city's metro system is the deepest by the average depth in the world. It's deepest station is 86 meters below ground. Its 5 lines and 67 stations serve more that two million passengers daily. Did you know that metro coins is still an valid way to access the metro? Well, that was my souvenir from the city
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Saint Petersburg is the second most populous city in Russia and the fourth in Europe behind Instabul, Moscow and London. During the 20th century the city experienced some serious depopulations. From more that 2.4 millions citizens in 1916 the population dropped to less than 750 thousand as the minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were transfered away from the city during the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War. Between 1941 and 1943 the population dropped from 3 million people to only 600 thousand as people died in battles, starved to death or evacuated during the Siege of Leningrad. In the 50s the population reached to more than five million to drop again in the 90s as almost half a million people moved to suburban areas after the fall of the Soviet Union. Today the population within city limits is 5.3 million people.
Church of the Savior on Blood
Emperor Alexander the Second, after his disastrous defeat in the Crimea war against Britain, France and Turkey initiated a number of radical reforms groundbreaking for the Russia at the time. His dedication on the reforms, created many enemies while the attempts against his life were numerous. Alexander II among other attacks, he survived from an explosion in the winter palace and a derailment of a train. One day his royal carriage passing near the Griboedov Canal was under attack. A grenade thrown by a revolutionary exploded and destroyed his carriage but left the Emperor unharmed. Then a second attacker threw another bomb that fatally hurt the Emperor. At the site of the attack where he was mortally wounded, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood was raised as a memorial to him .
Neva River
The river that flows through Saint Petersburg is called Neva River. It's the forth largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge. It has a length of 74 kilometers and it is the only river that flows from the largest lake in Europe, the lake Ladoga. Since the founding of the city, more than three hundred times the Neva River flooded Saint Petersburg, with three floods being catastrophic and leading to numerous casualties.
