Art and history...

I decided to spend some of my time this weekend learning to be a better tour guide. When Mum, Dad & Jill were here last weekend they admired this building from the car, but we didn't have time to visit. So on Saturday, I walked down to have a look and discovered it is the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1868, so just a little after the Lutheran Cathedral we visited together.

Inside, it is religious bling. Lots of gilding, icons and the ornate style associated with Orthodox churches. Well worth a visit if you are in town.

After this I walked through the market, up Esplanadi and along Mannerheimintie to Kiasma, the museum of contemporary art. There was an exhibition of landscape inspired art, as well as a series of storytelling works from the former Soviet Union. I was struck by a series of photos by Elena Vorobyeva and Viktor Vorobyev. As they travelled all over Kazakhstan, the artists noticed that the red of revolution visible everywhere during the Soviet era had been replaced by turquoise blue, which is called "kok" in Kazakh. Their photo installation, "Kazakhstan. Blue Period, 2002-2005" is very striking.

After that I ambled home (via Mollie Malone's for a Guinness). Then into the domestic bliss of ironing and cooking an apple crumble. Not a bad day!