One of my fondest memories of Riga is the half day or so we spent wandering around the Moscow District (Maskavas forštate), also (or rather officially) called Latgale, and in so doing discovering one of the lesser-explored parts of Riga. The Moscow District, Riga’s first suburb outside the walled Old City, dates back to the 14th century though nothing of the medieval period remains to be seen to-day. Continue reading “Take a Walk in the Moscow District”
Many readers will have seen video and pictures from North Korea showing parades of thousands of goose stepping soldiers (and they do it very well) and armoured vehicles carrying the most up to date military hardware including rockets and missiles (though many are just mock-ups) passing a review stand of the military top brass, barely able to stand upright due to the weight of medals on their tunics. Continue reading “Kim Il-sung Square”
Anyone who has visited the Moscow Metro will understand where the inspiration for the Pyongyang Metro artwork/decoration came from. Indeed, the whole Metro is modeled on the Moscow one. What I saw in the Pyongyang Metro was socialist realist art at its best – in the form of mosaic murals, metallic reliefs and statues. Continue reading “Pyongyang Metro – The Artwork”
The Rambling Wombat 