St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, 2006

St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, 2006

The colours just pop in this cathedral. I visited it twice during my travels, the first time bright and sunny and the second as a thunderstorm moved in.

St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, 2006

Kremlin, Moscow, 2006

Moscow's Kremlin and Red Square are definitely highlights of any visit there. The sheer scale and grandeur takes one's breath away.

As a thunderstorm approached. To this day one of my favourite photos considering how accidental it was!

Resting on the slopes of Mt Elbrus, 2006

I believe this might have been post-summitting. We were exhausted from the climb.

Snow-blasted rocks, Mt. Elbrus, 2006

The snow on Mt. Elbrus is pristine and white, and these black volcanic rocks stand in stark contrast.

Foothills of the Caucasus, 2006

The beautiful rolling green hills in a then rarely visited part of the world. At least rarely by the likes of me!

Caucasus Mountains, 2006

In preparation for Mt. Elbrus, we made several acclimatization climbs. Some of my favourite paintings of the Romantic era show small humans against the enormity of nature. This photo brings that to mind... look for the four small human beings :)

At base camp, Mt. Elbrus, 2006

I like this photo due to the central focus on the one person with the slope below and the mountains beyond

Looking up to Mt. Elbrus, 2006

Keli stands against the twin peaks of Mt. Elbrus.

On the slopes of Mt. Elbrus, 2006

I think what I like about this photo looking up to the twin peaks of Mt. Elbrus, is the light shadows of the clouds on the snowy slopes. This is at about 4000m by the way.

Storm in the Caucasus, 2006

As viewed from 4,000m on Mt. Elbrus.

Storm in the Caucasus, 2006

As viewed from 4,000m on the slopes of Mt. Elbrus.