Richard And Jo Demeester's photos with the keyword: Tashkent

Сторожиха, 1955, by Fadeev Valentin Aleksandrovich. Relaxing with her tea, but still fully aware of keeping an eye out. What or whom for? A one-off reason to be careful, or a regular task? Was the tea green tea or black, and did it have lemon? Despite those unanswered questions, the painting still says so much, capturing a character wonderfully.

Back in Tashkent, and back with Caroline. A wonderful home for us to crash at while in the Uzbek capital. So chill and stress-free to stay with her. Tonight's dinner is Georgian, with double cheese kachapuri , eggplant and walnut rolls, and a bottle of red to get us started.

Our self created Tashkent metro tour began at Chilonzor. Grand light fittings, and many beautiful panels depicting life in Uzbekistan.

Tragedy, eloquently captured on canvas.

Bunyodkor, formerly Khalqiar Dustligi. This panel with pomegranates stood out. This station was the closest to Caroline's apartment, and where we began day 2 on the Tashkent metro.

We split our Tashkent metro exploring over two days. This elegant platform is where we finished on day one, near Independence Square. Mustakilik Maydoni.

Alisher Navoi is the partner interchange station to Pakhtakor. Rows of beautifully patterned domed ceilings\, over the tracks and over the platform.

Pakhtakor is another interchange station. The tiling here seems to mimic a fabric, more than a traditional tiling pattern.

Well, the best was saved for last. Kosmonavtlar, with panels celebrating cosmonauts. Unexpectedly, the panels were quite human, almost soft, and just a touch playful. Not at all what we anticipated from a Soviet era creation. It was a fine end to our home-made Tashkent Metro expore.

Uzbekistan station was not a planned stop. When the train pulled up, we decided to hop out and wait for the next one. The giant tulip-like lamps were the standout feature.

Yunus Rajabiy is an interchange station in the Tashkent metro system. The steps from the other line come down mid platform, allowing appreciation of the tall hall, its columns and light fittings.

The platform at Bodomzor metro station had these great light fittings, reminiscent of 1960s bar stools.

This is translated as "Monument of Courage Earthquake Memorial". In 1966, Tashkent was largely flattened by an earthquake, which although not terribly strong, was destructive due to its shallow nature and the fact that the epicentre was right under the city. The death toll was not incredibly high, but there were hundreds of thousands rendered homeless. The cracked stone with date and time are intriguing and say something. That is why I chose to include the photo. The statue itself is not be related to the earthquake itself - just striving too hard to be an acceptable Socialist artwork from Soviet times. And the images behind it also seemed rather random. To me it was odd, and explains why the translation calls it a "monument", with "memorial" almost tacked on as an afterthought. I found it more confusing than it should have been, and therefore less moving than I had anticipated.

Japanese and German POW graves in Tashkent. Before coming here, and reading up about this part of history, we did not know that after the war, these people were not allowed to return directly to their homes and families. Despite being the "losers" in the war, we assumed that once over, surrender signed, repatriation of prisoners to their homes would have been a human right. So, for us, visiting here, and remembering that these people died, still as prisoners, AFTER the war, was both sobering and enlightening. They were required to stay for many years, and to help with the rebuilding efforts. The photo is from the small Japanese section. There are a dozen or so Japanese POW cemeteries around Uzbekistan. Nearby was a German section, which was smaller again.

An item in the collection - Museum of Applied Arts, Tashkent.

The small museum is contained in a handful of small buildings on the grounds of this house. The building itself is a true item of the collection.

Inside the Hazrati Imom Friday Mosque. A recent construction, yet soon to be superseded by a shadowing construction almost next door. Inside was nice to visit, not so typically decorated with unusual colours and straying from the typical patterns. Outside, beautiful green marble and wooden features gave it a more traditional look.

Nunu. Or as we started calling her, Nunesy. Caroline's adorable dog. Heaven forbid if you should stop patting her for a minute or two.