One of the interesting aspects of travel is that often what you think is true turns out to be slightly different. The complex I’d always thought of as Catherine’s Summer Palace never had that name. Officially the structure was called the Great Palace of Tsarskoye Selo until 1910, after which it was called simply The
Articles from Month November 2018
PETERHOF: THE RUSSIAN VERSAILLES
Peter the Great became the first of the Romanov tzars in 1682. Standing at six feet, seven inches tall he was an imposing figure. Today his legacy still dominates St. Petersburg, the city he founded on the banks of the Neva River as his Window to the West. So, it seems fitting to begin our
From Gottland to Stockholm
Once a major trading center in the Hanseatic League, VISBY on the ISLAND of GOTTLAND is a charming glimpse into the past, said to be the best preserved medieval city in Scandinavia. The 13th century walls are the strongest and most extensive in Scandinavia. At the opposite extreme, is Gallows Hill, probably built in the
Karlskrona, Sweden — A Step Back in Time
Once upon a time in the 17th century, Sweden took direct control of the Baltic region and emerged as a Great Power. In 1680 Charles IX decided to relocate the Royal Swedish Navy from Stockholm to Trossö Island, one of thirty islands in the Blekinge archipelago. The new city was called Karlskrona – In 1711,
