We picked up Elona today and came back to the city center, changed buses and rode up the hill to a park. It is the warmest day that we have had, no coats and our sweat shirts tied around our waists. We are on our way to see the ‘Panorama’, a 360 degree painting recreating the battle scene from the Crimean War
The Crimean War took place in Sevastopol between Russian and the Allies (primarily England and French) and lasted only about a year, 1854-1855. I read that in that one year around 100,000 people died on each side. The Panorama, originally created by Franz Rubo, was complete in 1906 and installed in the round building designed and built by the Russian Military. The building housing the artwork was destroyed during WWII along with most of the painting. During the bombing soldiers cut down and saved what they could of the painting and it was smuggled out of the country. The painting could not be restored, but the pieces were used to recreate it. In 6 months 17 artists recreated the artwork and in 1954 the restored building reopened with the new artwork.
Before entering the main room there are displays of beautiful original sketches (I would call them paintings) that Rubo did as studies for the final work and there is one small section of the original art. Then you go up to the rotunda. I must say it is breathtaking. The Panorama is huge for one thing. It depicts thousands of soldiers in the heat of battle. You stand on an elevated round stage in the center with the painting all around you. The figures in the foreground of the painting are life size and between you and the painting the floor is staged in an incredible lifelike diorama of bunkers, tools and war debris. The battle scene goes on forever to distant small ships out on the Black Sea and only puffs of smoke off in the distance. The whole thing together looks so real, so 3 dimensional. You could sit for hours and discover something new.
After viewing the Panorama we walked around the park. There were two young women there with two nice looking horses (we had seen one cantering though the park earlier with a young colt following along behind). They are selling rides and I did not see any release forms. There is a small area with gift tents and carnival rides including a slow moving ferris wheel. We take a ride hoping to get a good view of the city. The view is okay, it is warm but very hazy and photos are disappointing. I was happy to get off the ride.
We walked back down the hill to our apartment and Ben ‘skypes’ us from Cincinnati. We had not told Elona about the call – hard to explain that we are going to see and talk to people half way around the world on our computer. Ben was great and says good morning in Russian and tells Elona how excited he is to meet her. For the first time in weeks we saw the ‘shy’ Elona again, we had almost forgotten that she existed. Of course Ben and I were jabbering in English and she could only pick up a word here and there, I am sure next time she will loosen up. She got to meet Aunt Cathy . She also got to meet Alice the dog and Sox the cat. Sunday we will try to Skype Angella. We told her and she asks “Angella Russian?” I say yes and she gives a sign of relief.
Kelley and Roger
The Crimean War took place in Sevastopol between Russian and the Allies (primarily England and French) and lasted only about a year, 1854-1855. I read that in that one year around 100,000 people died on each side. The Panorama, originally created by Franz Rubo, was complete in 1906 and installed in the round building designed and built by the Russian Military. The building housing the artwork was destroyed during WWII along with most of the painting. During the bombing soldiers cut down and saved what they could of the painting and it was smuggled out of the country. The painting could not be restored, but the pieces were used to recreate it. In 6 months 17 artists recreated the artwork and in 1954 the restored building reopened with the new artwork.
Before entering the main room there are displays of beautiful original sketches (I would call them paintings) that Rubo did as studies for the final work and there is one small section of the original art. Then you go up to the rotunda. I must say it is breathtaking. The Panorama is huge for one thing. It depicts thousands of soldiers in the heat of battle. You stand on an elevated round stage in the center with the painting all around you. The figures in the foreground of the painting are life size and between you and the painting the floor is staged in an incredible lifelike diorama of bunkers, tools and war debris. The battle scene goes on forever to distant small ships out on the Black Sea and only puffs of smoke off in the distance. The whole thing together looks so real, so 3 dimensional. You could sit for hours and discover something new.
After viewing the Panorama we walked around the park. There were two young women there with two nice looking horses (we had seen one cantering though the park earlier with a young colt following along behind). They are selling rides and I did not see any release forms. There is a small area with gift tents and carnival rides including a slow moving ferris wheel. We take a ride hoping to get a good view of the city. The view is okay, it is warm but very hazy and photos are disappointing. I was happy to get off the ride.
We walked back down the hill to our apartment and Ben ‘skypes’ us from Cincinnati. We had not told Elona about the call – hard to explain that we are going to see and talk to people half way around the world on our computer. Ben was great and says good morning in Russian and tells Elona how excited he is to meet her. For the first time in weeks we saw the ‘shy’ Elona again, we had almost forgotten that she existed. Of course Ben and I were jabbering in English and she could only pick up a word here and there, I am sure next time she will loosen up. She got to meet Aunt Cathy . She also got to meet Alice the dog and Sox the cat. Sunday we will try to Skype Angella. We told her and she asks “Angella Russian?” I say yes and she gives a sign of relief.
Kelley and Roger
You will have to ride it again, when it gets more clear. You can see the city and how Big it really is. Great place to take pictures. I will agree it is good to finally get off that thing. I rode with Angella she laughed at me the whole time. :D I am such a chicken of heights.
ReplyDeleteGlad it is warming up there.