Wat Chaiyo or Wat Ket Chaiyo was built during the Ayutthaya Period. It became important during the reign of King Rama IV. The venerable Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phromrangsi) of Wat Rakhang Khositaram built the large Buddha image in a subduing Mara gesture and placed it outdoors. However, the image collapsed soon after construction. He re-built it in the same pose but smaller, covered it in plaster and without gold leaf. As the image could be seen from far, the villagers called it Luangpho To (meaning huge image). Further temple restoration during the reign of King Rama V the Buddha image collapsed again. The King ordered the renovation of the image with steel bars inside. The new image was covered in gold leaf and monks’ robes and was given the new name by King Rama V the Great “Phra Maha Phutthaphim”. A new main chapel was constructed to house the image. Upon completion, King Rama V the Great established the temple as one of the royal temples.
To pay respect to Luangpho ...
Catherine’s Palace, also known as the Catherine Palace or Yekaterininsky Dvorets, stands as one of Russia’s most magnificent imperial residences in the town of Pushkin, formerly Tsarskoye Selo, about 30 kilometers south of St. Petersburg.
Originally a modest estate gifted by Peter the Great to his wife Catherine I in 1710, the site began with a simple two-story stone building constructed around 1717. It was their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who transformed it into a lavish summer residence in the mid-18th century.
Under the direction of the renowned Italian architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, the palace underwent a grand reconstruction between 1752 and 1756, resulting in the opulent Rococo-Baroque masterpiece visible today. Later, Empress Catherine the Great found the extravagant Baroque style overly ornate and commissioned more restrained Neoclassical interiors from architects such as Charles Cameron. The palace served as a favored summer home for the Russian imperial family until the ...
St. Petersburg, also known as Sankt-Peterburg, is Russia’s second-largest city with a population of around 5.6 million.
Situated on the Neva River delta where it meets the Gulf of Finland in northwestern Russia, it stands as the world’s northernmost city with over a million residents. Often called the “Venice of the North,” the city features an intricate network of canals, rivers, and more than 300 bridges that create a scenic, island-filled urban landscape. Its historic center blends Western European and Russian architectural styles, showcasing grand baroque and neoclassical palaces, cathedrals, and elegant embankments along the Neva River. This entire historic area is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city was founded by Tsar
Peter the Great on May 27, 1703, during the Great Northern War against Sweden. Built on marshy and flood-prone land, it was designed as a strategic Baltic port and served as Peter’s deliberate “window on Europe.” His vision was to modernize Russia and ...
The Sapsan high-speed train, named after the swift peregrine falcon, offers the fastest and most convenient way to travel between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This modern service, built by Siemens, covers the roughly 650-kilometer distance in just 3.5 to 4 hours at a top speed of 250 km/h, with an average around 210 km/h. It departs from Moscow’s centrally located Leningradsky Station and arrives at St. Petersburg’s Moskovsky Station, both easily accessible by metro and right in the heart of each city.
Options are between 12 and 14 daily departures, with trains running from early morning around 5:45 AM to late evening near 9:00 PM. Some services run non-stop or with minimal halts, while others make a few intermediate stops such as in Tver or Bologoye. The smooth, quiet ride provides a relaxing alternative to flying, eliminating airport security lines and transfers while delivering you directly to the city center.
Onboard, the Sapsan features comfortable carriages with large panoramic windows that ...
