St Basil's Cathedral, Vasilievsky Spusk (Slope)

A postcard from Russia.

postcard of St Basil's Cathedral and Vasilievsky Spusk, Postcrossing RU-405165

Ths postcard is of Vasilievsky Spusk (Slope) and St Basil's Cathedral, an Moscow landmark on Red Square, which is considered the central square in Moscow and Russia. Main roads lead from Red Square to other parts of the capital.  The walls of the Moscow Kremlin, which is a Unesco World Heritage site, can be seen on the left of the card.

St Basil's official name is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat. "St Basil" actually refers to Basil the Blessed, a Muscovite "holy fool" who was buried in the Trinity Cathedral that once stood at the site before the present cathedral was built. The construction of St Basil's was ordered by Ivan the Terrible (the Grand Prince of Moscow) to commemorate the capture of Kazan in 1552 and Astrakhan in 1556 from Mongol forces. The building was completed in 1560.

Here's a picture of a postcard of St Basil's from the early 20th century.

St Basil's Cathedral, postcard from early 20th century
(wikimedia commons, public domain)

These are the stamps on my postcard.

stamps of Russian kremlins

Russian stamps are so beautiful. I love these stamps, different ones of kremlins (fortified complexes) in Russia. My first Postcrossing card from Russia also had Kremlin stamps on it.


Related links
Kremlin stamps (wikimedia commons)

1917 Russian Revolution 40th anniversary postcard

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I received this about two weeks ago from China. Thanks, Doris.

40th anniversary of 1917 revolution postcard, Postcrossing CN-350707

The card commemorates the 40th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which was actually a series of revolutions that took place in Russia that year. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in March and the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin took over power after the October revolution. The Soviet Union was eventually created in 1922.

I'm not quite sure what the significance is of the 40th anniversary of the 1917 revolution. There are photos of some posters or stamps (?) on the card.

Chinese stamps, Postcrossing CN-350707

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Russian seafood dishes and Kremlin stamps

My first postcard from Russia! Thanks, Gulnara :)

postcard of seafood dishes, RU-378050

I love shellfish and like fish more than I did when I was younger (when I pretty much disliked it!). I also adore seafood stew. The one in the postcard reminds me of cioppino and bouillabaise, which I'm more familiar with than Russian seafood soups. In fact, I haven't had the chance to try many Russian dishes apart from some home cooking (I once visited the country, thoroughly enjoyed it though it's tough not knowing the language!), blinis and cheap caviar (probably just regular fish roe!).

I looked up Russian fish soup and found ukha. It is a warm fish broth with some veggies.

Russian stamps of Kremlin. RU-378050

I love Russian stamps, I've seen some gorgeous ones at the Postcrossing website. My first ones didn't disappoint! The top two on the right are of the Kremlin in Moscow, the one of the left reads "Russian Kremlin" but I think it's also the one in Moscow, just a different view. The Kremlin is actually an old fortress with lots of buildings, palaces and churches. It is also the official residence of the President and a Unesco World Heritage site.

Related links
list of Russian seafood dishes (eHow.com)
Kremlin stamps (wikimedia commons)


by liberal sprinkles