2008 Kazahkstan
Sunday August 31, 2008 Alma Aty
Day 18 Submitted by Barbara Wilson wilsonfarmsinc@verizon.net
Pictures by Laurie

After breakfast we walked to the Zenkov Russian Orthodox Cathedral.  The golden spires and ceramic covered dome were very impressive.  It has been a functioning place of worship since 1995 with several services a day.  The choir music was most enjoyable.  After the service we visited the war memorials including 1917-20 Civil War and 1941-45 WWII fighting the Nazis near Moscow.  We walked on through the rose gardens in Panfilov Park to the Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments where we saw some 60 instruments including wooden harps, horns and 2 & 3 string dombra like violas.

   We had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant and then visited the Ethnography and History Museum of Central Asia.  Our stop at Intercontinental Hotel to indulge in special coffee or dessert was a pleasant relaxation from a busy day.    Dinner at the outdoor Turkish Restaurant and to the hotel to pack for 2:30am departure for our 5 am flight to Istanbul.  We said farewell to our guide, Nazar and the two bus drivers.

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