The Central Museum of the Armed Forces is a fascinating portrayal of Soviet, and now Russian,military history.

Kalishnikov – world’s most popular automatic rifles.

Comrade V.I. Lenin gazes wisely upon his subjects.

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ArcticTropic arrived in Moscow at 12:05 PM yesterday. Customs was extremely quick. After checking into our apartment on Tverskaya, we were ready to explore. It was my first time in Moscow since 1992 and much has changed.

The internet connection is adequate, but not for heavy uploads from the GoPro. Video will have to wait.

The Kremlin – Power Center of Russia.

We were able to see volcanic peaks in Iceland and Norwegian fjords.

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The Mid Day Prayer Call at Şehzade Mosque summons the faithful.

The Blue Mosque – one of the biggest and most important in the world.

Relaxing in the Mosque. Many Saudis visit Istanbul for vacation.

Prayer Times. They change daily according to sunrise and sunset.

In the Grand Bazaar.

Many items unavailable elsewhere.

Fresh from the Caspian of Northern Iran.

ArcticTropic slipped into a Time Warp while wandering the back halls of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar last Saturday, transponding from 2012 into1932.

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Today ArcticTropic was invited on a private yacht tour by a renowned Istanbul artist who will later be featured in the Blog.Time and bandwidth constraints in the hotel make posting difficult at this time. Today was an incredible fall day with temperatures in the 70s – in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

From Asia looking to Europe.

Turkey is extremely patriotic – the nation controls a good portion of this part of the world.

The entrance the Black Sea.

Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz pops in for a visit.

Yesterday ArcticTropic boarded a train in Sofia for the 3 hour ride to Plovdiv in the south central part of Bulgaria.

Plovdiv is the oldest continually inhabited city in Europe, dating from 3000 BC. This Roman Amphitheater, was written about in this past Sunday’s New York Times. It dates from 98 A.D.

Street scene in the Old City.

A monument to the Soviet soldiers erected in 1945. They probably were not welcomed warmly since Bulgaria was on Germany’s side.

Saints of Bulgaria.

An Ottoman era house.

Though it is mid October temperatures in Bulgaria are springlike, in the upper 70s during the day.

A view from my hotel, high above the city.

This woman has seen history – has lived under Ottomans,Russians,Germans, Communists and now under a free regime.

Haggling the price down a few Stotinki.

Behind the ancient doors. Quirky wireless connection in the Hotel Lepzig here in Plovdiv makes it impossible to upload more pictures at the moment.

Sofia is one of the most religiously tolerant cites in the world, which would be a more peaceful place if their example was followed everywhere. These pictures are taken within a one block radius of each other.

Prayer Calls 5 times a day.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral where photos were allowed.

An Oasis of Peace.

The Royal Synagogue.

It is seven hours from Belgrade to Sofia by bus, plus the clocks go ahead one hour. Leaving Belgrade at Noon , we were in Sofia in time for dinner. Bulgaria is only the last 90 minutes of the trip.

THe countryside of Southeastern Serbia is beautiful but somewhat dangerous as there is unexploded ordnance left over from bombing raids in the late 90s.

Every town has several churches.

We changed buses at the Niš bus station which was heavily damaged by American bombs in 1999.

Normally sunny Belgrade was socked in with rain and fog today. Still, the city is always great for an extended walking tour. Above, the steeple of the Belgrade Cathedral.

Orthodox Churches have no pews. They are the closest to Old Christianity. After taking this photo I was told that photography is forbidden.

A house on the Sava River.

Railroad Crossing.

Stalinist Architecture – or Titoist. From there , it was on to Kalemegdan Castle .