AA&F

Image 0: Baggage reclaim at Petrapavlosk, and my first view of a Kamchatkan volcano
Image 1: Ilinksy volcano across Kurilskoye Lake
Image 2: The cabin we stayed in at Kurilskoye lake. Luxury - those pointed huts on the left were outside privies, but we couldn't use them at night in case we got eaten by bears.
Image 3: Grizzly bear fishing in Kurilskoye Lake
Image 4: Grizzly bear. This bear was about 50 feet away. We were on a small inflatable Zodiac on the lake and he was much more interested in salmon than us.
Image 5: A bust of Lenin that caught my eye at the salmon research station on Kurilskoye Lake
Image 6: A gentian
Image 7: The helicopter we travelled in to visit various places, including Geyser Valley shown in this picture.
Image 8: Steaming slopes in Geyser Valley
Image 9: A hot pool in the Geyser Valley
Image 10: Karimsky volcano and lake, taken from the helicopter on our way to Geyser valley
Image 11: Maly Semyachik volcano from the helicopter
Image 12: Blue mountain heath Phyllodoce caerulea
Image 13: A typical forest floor fauna. Full of lush lichens and fungi, and more importantly from an edible point of view, loads of huge cranberries
Image 14: A river crossing in the Ural truck. This was an amazing vehicle. It was 6-wheel drive with each wheel being independently sprung and the pressure in each tyre could be changed while on the move. Perfect for off road driving through forests and bogs.
Image 15: The campsite by Tolbachik volcano. Was a bit chilly camping on the ash field. The mist cleared the following morning revealing the impressive bulk of Tolbachik in the morning
Image 16: The dead forest - killed by the last eruption of the live side cones on Tolbachik.
Image 17: The Tolbachik dead forest
Image 18: The dead forest by Tolbachik volcano
Image 19: Tolbachik volcano
Image 20: Sulphur deposits on side of one of the new cones on Tolbachik
Image 21: Tolbachik volcano
Image 22: Tolbachik from the Kamchatka river
Image 23: In the 1970's the US and Russia collaborated on building a moonlander which was tested in this depression on the side of Tolbachik. The US provided the computing technology to control the craft, and the Russians supplied the body. The collaborative endeavour ended in acrimony as the US accused the Russians of stealing their computing technology and the Russians accused the US of stealing their wheels.
Image 24: The volcanology research station on the slopes of Tolbachik
Image 25: The ferry across the Kamchatka River.
Image 26: Inside the helicopter
Image 27: Ichinsky volcano
Image 28: On of the two Brata (Brother) mountains, down the valley from Ichinsky volcano
Image 29: A panorama of the valley we camped in by Ichinsky volcano.
Image 30: The outwash plain from the Ichinsky volcano. This was where we met up with the Reindeer herders
Image 31: Some of the reindeer herder's horses under Ichinsky
Image 32: Reindeer under Ichinsky volcano
Image 33: the butchered remains of two reindeer. Nothing was wasted. Hardly a drop of blood was split on the tundra during the process. I tried some raw liver and kidney offered to us by the herders. It tasted a bit coppery; it could have done with some salt or cooking!
Image 34: A flower, possibly a Cassiope, but don't quote me on that.
Image 35: Vachkazets
Image 36: The Kamchatkan lily
Image 37: A tame ground squirrel which lived under the steps of the hut at the ski station at Avachinsky
Image 38: One of the four Kremlin gates
Image 39: A church inside the Kremlin. This was Catherine the Great's private church (unless I'm mistaken which I may be as I wasn't paying too much attention - I was looking forward to seeing some volcanoes)
Image 40: A door of one of the 5(?) churches in the Kremlin
Image 41: The Imperial Eagle on the front of the main auditorium in the Kremlin. All evidence of hammers and sickles appeared to have been expunged from the vicinity
Image 42: St Basil's cathedral in Red Square. It really is that colourful!
Image 43: The GUM department store on Red Square. It contains pretty much exactly what you'd expect any posh shopping street in a European capital to have. But then what would I know about typical shopping streets?
Image 44: Lenin's tomb in Red Square