Family Relic

All the Yellows of Autumn

Last weekend, as usual, I got out to shoot some autumn scenes. The weather was great – clear blue sky highlighted the yellows all around, the touch of warm sun light gave a very speacial feeling to every tree, every bush. No matter where I turned I was surrounded with gentle yellow warmth.

 

P.S. I never liked autumn, just because of its cold and gloomy days, o similar to one another. And the expectation of winter made it even more cold and unpleasant. But after visiting this lake (this is Bykovo country estate I was earlier in summer), I set in my car and thought to myself “Such autumn can be loved”

One Nameless Village…

This weekend I was again in Zhukovkiy Town visiting my parents. The Septermber has almost came to its end and warm days are already far and away. Still I wanted to capture autumn landscaoes with their yellows and oranges. In the evening I took my camera and drove towards Ryazan looking for some good and bautiful autumn nature scenes. Of course you will rarely find anything really beatiful right on the highway :) I turned to small road approx 70 km from Moscow and soon entered very small and old village. No new houses were there. It was almost empty. And in the middle of it there stood a very old church… with a saint spring right behind it..
I have not found any colour for this place.. Just like I cannot find proper words to describe how this “ruins” affected me…

 

Immortal Symbolizm

20 years has passed since Perestroyka times in Russia. Lots of things changed since that time and USSR and the Soviet times/period is now mostly reffered to as “former”. Still the real life shows that people in Russia still remember the soviet times and definitely not everybody forgot and stepped into the new epoque. The footprints of Soviet Union can be find anywhere – Lenin Statues on the main square of almost every city (I’m not speaking about big ones, such as Moscow or St.Petersbourg), Soviet naming of the streets, Soviet symbols on the buildings etc. And what impresses most – they are still treated with respect…
This example (approx. 4 meters high) was found in the middle of Zhukovskiy town near the main Center of Aviation and Science building hiding in the bushes so that you will manage to find it only if you know that it is there or just occasionally. And though hidden it has a fresh coat of paint on it. Why?

Lost & Forgotten

Country estate Bykovo is situated right near the Zhukovskiy town in Moscow Region – just 16 km from Moscow. It is not as well known as Abramtcevo or Tsaricino and finding it is quite a tricky deal as there are very few references on it in www, there are no mentionings on the Zhukovskiy town web-site or anywhere else so that the toursits may find it easily or learn about its existance.
It stands in the middle of the forest hidden by hude pine-trees so you will not be able to see it even passing by in 100 meters. I found it accidentaly looking for some beautiful natural sights fo shooting. When you enter the territory (I did not manage to find where it actually begins – I just went through the small village and entered the gloomy forest) you first find a small lake among the trees. Turning left you will see another lake bigger than previous with an island in the middle. This is the place you first recognize you are in a really old manor. There is a pavilion standing along on that island and no way to get there. In earlier times people say there was a bridge for the guests to walk to the pavilion but in XIX century it was destroyed and never restored back. Here I asked my self a simple question – why it is so silent here? Where are all the people that love to have picnics in summer in the forest? The place is so beautiful, so impressive.. It was strange.
Than after a 10 min walk through the forest you finally see the main building of the estate. And again – noone around. Not a single soul. This silence is becoming annoying and despite of all the beauty and impression you are starting to feel yourself not at home. Desire to run away grows inside you.

When you go around the main building you will see the sing on the doors saying: “Main corps”. But what does it mean? Main corps of what?… Than you see few old people walking around the park inside. They are staring eyes at you as if you should not be there… And again silence, silence, silence…

The answer comes when you finally find the entrence to the territory.
The signs on it says: “Sanatorium for Consumptives №3″

Cinderella’s Palace

It is amazing how close the beauty is to us. Everyone of us would love to travel to other countries to discover and explore other civilizations, religions… And they will never even think of going out and look around there own house…
I myself was of the same kind till I got my first Canon. Starting from that time (2 years ago) every weekend I travel around Zhukovskiy town discovering amazing places & scenes I never knew about before. And this is only one example. I think everybody in Russia should remember a very old B&W fairytale movie Cinderella (1947). There was a palace there. A beautiful one. And I never thought it really existed somewhere. Just this year (last weekend if to be sharp) I found this “palace” standing real just 5 km away from my house in Zhukovskiy in the middle of Lackovo village!
Actually this is the church built in 1798 (arc. Bazhenov) and is a part of Bykovo country estate.
There are very few people there even in warm sunny day – there is no mentioning of it on maps and even road signs. Probably this is the main reason why it is still stading there and not ruined by vandals.