Yekaterineburg

June 27, Thursday. Today in Yekaterinburg we toured a couple of sites devoted to the dead. First we went to the Church on the Blood and the memorial dedicated to the last Romanov family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 on this very spot in what used to be a merchant's home in Yekaterinburg. Less than two decades ago, there was only a wooden Russian cross at this site where now there is a very large Russian Orthodox cathedral. I asked our guide about who paid for this spectacular cathedral, and she replied that the Russian Orthodox Church, which is now heavily subsidized by the government, built it. What a change from Soviet times. The Romanov family have all recently been canonized as saints, another huge change. Throughout our tour of Siberia, we have noticed that religion has become far more widespread in Russia than we ever expected. 

First glimpse of the Church on the Blood

There are several "churches on the blood" in Russia.
They are built to commemorate terrible murders of prominent figures, usually tsars.

This one was built to honor the last of the Romanov tzars, Nicholas II, and his family,
who were famously all killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. This side of the monument features Nicholas
holding his young son Alexi in his arms, flanked by two of his daughters.

On this side, his wife, Alexandra, and two more daughters are depicted.

A side view of the church

A view of Yekaterinburg from the church

Looking the other way

 We continued to drive around Yekaterinburg, stopping at a nice bridge over the river.

Below the bridge is a very nice park. On the far bank, the buildings with the
green roof used to be some sort of factory. Now they house a museum of some sort.

Plenty of space to admire the view...

and gather to play on a warm summer day.

The needle in the distance is an unfinished television tower.  Turns out is is in the
flight path from the airport and so far a decision about its future hasn't been reached.

We passed many interesting buildings, old and new. This is the first place we have been on this trip where we can imagine living. The city is less dilapidated than usual, and seems more energetic and interesting.  I suppose the comparative proximity to Europe makes a difference.

This is the former home of an extremely wealthy merchant.

A tiny chapel on a modern square

Yekaterinburg is not spared communist era eyesores

Lenin orates at another square

Beautiful older building

Modern apartment buildings

A very old wooden building has been preserved from the past

These old buildings are admired, but they are very expensive to restore, so many sit and decay further.

We drove out of the city to a site dedicated to the 20,000+ local people who were killed by the state police during Soviet times, especially during the years Stalin was in power.

The memorial

A pretty birch woods nearby

Then we continued to a monument where eastern and western Russia divide. You can stand there with one foot in Asia and one in Europe. So we did. 

This mass of ribbons is one of those odd traditions having to do with engagements or weddings.

The railing outside a cafe.  The wooden revelers caught my eye.

This also caught my eye.  Apparently this site is popular with wedding parties, and from this,
I am guessing that leaving behind a bottle of wine (empty--they aren't crazy!) is part of the celebration.

Here we are with one foot in Asia and the other in Europe,
toasting the occasion with a free glass of champagne.

 Lunch at a local hotel, then a short bus ride to a pedestrianized street that we walked along enjoying a beautiful day, the surrounding shops, and the large variety of Russian people who were out and about as well.

The hotel lobby

A corner of the lobby

The pedestrianized street filled with shops and benches...

...and this guy.  I suppose he represents a very early Siberian

The benches are filled with people

These are real Russians of today

Yekaterinburg has LOTS of trolleys, all painted differently, and some coupled together.  

This gypsy family was on the platform next to our train, presumably waiting for a different train.

Back on the train, we are rocking and rolling toward Kazan. We must set our watches back TWO hours tonight. Tomorrow will be our last night on the train before we arrive in Moscow. We will miss our fellow passengers and crew, but I think all of us are beginning to long for home. Much as I look forward to going home, I think I will miss sleeping on the train--except for climbing up and down the ladder to my bunk. The steady clickety-clack and the rocking motion of our train have lulled me to sleep every night, to the point where jet lag has never been a problem, and when we are becalmed in a station or in the hole waiting for another train to pass during the night, I find myself wanting to start up again so I can go back to sleep. Hmmm.  Will I need to attach a motor and noisemaker to my bed when I get home?  

Here I am in my nighttime perch, iPad in hand.
I actually have a white noise app that provides train sounds.