The text about the stellio-triton is taken from Isidore /XII.IV.38/. Its skin is covered with star-like spots. Its appearance alone gets the scorpion stunned. Referring to Pliny and Avicenna, Albert the Great /XXV.II.48/ says that the antidote for the stellio’s poison is the meat of a scorpion.
The text about the three “natures” of the serpent is traced back to Greek “Physiologus”, though it does not include the traditional quotation from the Gospel /Matthew, 10:16/, and in the bestiaries of the 12th century it is placed in the section about snakes in keeping with the zoological classification that was taking shape in…
DetailsGulls on the river Volga.
The Volga River is the longest river in Europe, about 2,300 miles (3,700 km). It originates at an elevation of only 740 feet (225 m) in the Valday Hills northwest of Moscow, connects with the Rybinsk Reservoir. The river heads east past Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. From there it turns south past Samara and…
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POETRY OF TRUTH AND PASSION Jalil never kept a diary. “I don’t feel inclined to and I cannot and will not make myself keep one,” he once said. But when he left Kazan for the frontlines early in 1942, he felt an urge to entrust his feelings and thoughts to paper. The result, as he…
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The western coast of the Karelian Isthmus — famed for its picturesque landscape and mild climate — has been the Saint Petersburg Zone of Health Resorts since 1946. The pleasure of bathing in the waters of the Gulf of Finland, the splendid beaches, the pine forests with their pure and balmy air, the coastal terraces…
DetailsSaint Petersburg.  The Summer Gardens The Alvdalen porphyry vase. 1839
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens The Rossi walk
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens The Neva walk
Saint Petersburg. The  Summer  Gardens Main avenue
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens Sculptor: P. Baratta. “Peace and Abundance”. 1722
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens Small gates of the railings on the Neva side
Saint Petersburg.  The  Summer Gardens Statues  adorning the walks
Saint Petersburg. The Summer  Gardens Architects: Y. Velten and P. Yegorov The grille on the Neva side. 1784
Saint Petersburg.  The  Summer Gardens Autumn
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens View  of the  Coffee-house from  the Fontanka River
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens Architect:C. Rossi. The Coffee-house  (the Rossi Pavilion). 1826
Saint Petersburg. The Summer Gardens Statues of the main avenue
Saint Petersburg.  The  Summer  Gardens Autumn leaves
Belgorod-Dnestrovsky The town is situated 86 km from Odessa, and the trip (by car or coach), including a tour of the fortress and a visit to the museum of Regional Studies will take 8-9 hours. Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is one of the oldest towns in the Soviet Union. It lies west of Odessa, 20 km from the…
DetailsKherson There are two such trips: one to the port town of Kherson, and the other to the town of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky. The Service Bureau in your hotel will be glad to make the arrangements. Depending on the time at your disposal the trip can be arranged for one, two or three days (with a night…
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