In this issue…

Wonders from Grandma’s Box

Today no-one can complain about the range of decorations in the shops and, perversely, this probably accounts for the unexpected vogue at the beginning of the new century for old decorations and ones handmade from straw, cardboard, felt and fabric.

…8

By the Sea at Lakhta

For many children the trip to Lakhta was a first encounter with science, a realization that people can not only unthinkingly make use of nature, but also study and preserve it.

…16

“And something sparkling began…”

After the upheavals of the fateful year of 1917, the creative intelligentsia in Russia unexpectedly found themselves overboard as the ship of state embarked on a course towards “people’s power”.

…28

“We are beautiful when we are loved.”

Despite a packed schedule in St Petersburg, Patricia Kaas kindly agreed to answer some questions for the Taleon magazine.

…36

Warming the Cockles of Your Heart

A warming winter drink is capable of turning any kind of bad weather into a celebration.

…38

The “Kings” of the South Seas

The robbers’ lairs surrounded the gigantic island of Madagascar like fleas on a dog.

…46

“Adored by his people, glorified by his enemies”

Erakle II did probably the only thing that he could and should have done: he saved his country from enslavement by Muslim states.

…58

“We, by the Grace of God, Regent of France…”

The aging King was delighted as a child and announced that he had defeated the English. He was brought to Troyes, where he obediently signed the treaty that robbed his country of its independence.

…70

The City of Love at the foot of the Kapet-Dag

Looking at today’s Ashkhabad, its white marble buildings and broad avenues, it is hard to imagine that sixty years ago the place was heaps of ruins.

…82

“The most influential man in Athens”

The “Age of Pericles” is customarily regarded as the highest political and cultural peak of ancient Athens.

…92

The Street of the Successful Gascon

According to the concept of the architect Hans Ditlev Franciscus von Linstow, Karl Johans Gate was to become the grand showcase of the city, a Norwegian Champs-Elysées.

…96

The Gramophone Man

Deriabkin’s collection numbers over 300 old record players, but he has no intention of stopping there.

…104

The Gleaming Snows of Kilimanjaro

For a tourist driving across the savannah in the comfort of a safari jeep, the snow-topped peak on the horizon seems like a mirage, an unreachable magic mountain…

…112

The “Slippery Delights” of the Wintertime Capital

Of all the varieties of skating as a sport, the public’s favourite was figure-skating.

…118