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The Kirillo Belozersky Monastery Goritsy (Воскресенский Горицкий монастырь), is the only female monastery (convent) remaining in the Vologda Oblast of Russia. In fact, it is one of the only four remaining monasteries remaining in Vologda. The earliest records of the site date back to 1544. There is some troubled history remaining as well: Monasteries were often used as locations for political exile. More on all this at the Wikipedia article here.   This image was taken on a fine July day, with plenty of warmth and sunlight.  The gardens were plentiful and ready for early season harvest. One can only imagine this place in the dead of winter with many feet of ice covered snow.

Formerly the Russian State Department Store (Государственный универсальный магазин), ГУМ (pronounced “goom”) has been a stately edifice of architectural magnificence since 1893. At night, the edges are lit by hundreds of white bulbs, outlining the major components of the structure. The interior is reminiscent of old European railway stations with its building-long glass rooftop and long, nave-like space. Now, one can find Gucci and other fine vendors within. Got some spare cash to throw at some diamonds? ГУМ has it for you…oh, and along with fur coats, classy lingerie, and more. All this is easily accessed from Moscow’s Red Square!

This little fellow was hanging out while I was trecking around Ки́жи (Kizhi). The only easy way there is by boat through Lake Onega, and once there, the place is largely your own unless it is the deep part of summer. The whole island is unpopulated in winter: it’s just too harsh. In summer, the residents return to their да́ча (my keyboard doesn’t handle Cyrillic well), and enjoy the long days and twilight nights. Well, this is an Arctic Tern (S. emparadisaea/em). They (being ornithologists) say that these fellows come as far south as Massachusetts, but I have not seen one (yes) here in the USA. This was my first sighting, and it was literally just a few feet away.