You shouldn’t send a postcard of somewhere you haven’t been, right?

Having finally found some post cards to send off to my dear and beloved, two of them stood out to me as places that I haven’t been yet, which is surprising, because they are both parks.  As my parents were still here (yes, I’m doing some catching up in blogging), we took a group trip out to Kolomenskoye, the former summer  retreat of the tsars.

The park has been turned into a kind of open air museum and sculpture garden. Here you can see the a full, working smithy and stables, a house in which Peter the First lived, another fascinating and beautiful church, and a rebuilt (and gorgeous) palace, which features a green roof. This was a recreation based on designs and drawings of a palace which was apparently well documented, and only torn down in the age of Katherine the Great. Guided tours are available from men and women in full traditional costume, including furry hats to avoid the cold, although we only saw this being taken advantage of by school groups.

The park is also based on the river and features 900 apple trees, with ample space to wander between the different buildings. We strolled amongst sculptures taking silly photographs, and then warmed up (a bit) in a cafe. Possibly not the most touristy day out, but enjoyable, with a cool insight into the different architecture as well as the skilful wood-craftsmanship, and another occasion to get away from the crowds.