Saturday & Sunday July 22 & 23, 2017 – St. Petersburg, Russia – Wow what a place, where does one start to describe the amazing sights of this city that seemed so European / Parisian: wide boulevards, trees and flowers, sidewalk coffee shops, pastries and majestic buildings as far as the eye can see. Canals criscross the city of 4 million (5MM with the outskirts) as if one were in Venice with many bridges. Sunday 23rd was Navy day and this being the place where the navy was started and still the predominant industry is shipbuilding, so all the bridges were open allowing the navy ships to cruise up the river on parade. It was interesting that as we traveled by Hydrofoil boat across the Finnish sea, a submarine passed within 30 feet going in the opposite direction.The red tape getting into Russia was as expected – forms, papers, passports, queues and eventually the stamps and paper allowed us to enter the city where we had booked a private 2 day tour (an excellent recommendation from our cruise travel agent) with TJ Travel (7921-953-2378). Yana the guide and Alexander the driver met us in the terminal and the four of us and 2 of them piled into the large Mercedes SUV for our amazing two days in the city. If you ever travel here, this alternative is the best way to go. As queues are by-passed and time in each place is more flexible and one gets a chance to see places that are not usually available on the ship’s tours, like a ride on the Subway / Metro.
In 1703 in the midst of a war with Sweden, Peter the Great founded the city of St. Petersburg (named after the apostle Peter, not himself). This has gone through name changes to Petrograd in 1914 (to make it sound more Russian), then Leningrad in 1924 (following the death of Lenin) and finally back to St. Petersburg after Perestroika after a close vote (53%-47%) to change the name back to St. Petersburg in 1991. The city on the Neva river became the capital of the country in 1712 and remained as such for 200 years before it was moved to Moscow in 1917. During the Imperial (Tzar) era of the Romanoff Dynasty, there was a great importance given to all forms of art, and as such many authors (eg. Pushkin, Dostoevsky), Musicians (eg Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov), Ballet Dancers (eg. Pavlova, Nuriev, Baryshnikov) as well as painters, sculptors and theatre, called St. Petersburg home. It was also the home and place where the mystic Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916) lived and was killed, predicting the end of the Romanoff Dynasty if he were to be killed – it occurred a few years later when the last Tzar Nicholas II and his family were killed and their bodies burned. We passed the building of his demise. In 1917 there were actually two Revolutions, the first was the betrayal of the Tzar in February and the second Bolshevik in October. The city is laid out with wide boulevards (prospects), many green area, parks, open spaces, statues, fountains etc, as well as all the canals that make it feel like Paris, Venice and definitely European.
Our first step was on the island of Vasilevsky (the city is on 42 islands) which is at the confluence of the Malala Neve, the Bol’saj Neve which flow into the Neve river proper. Looking up the Neve to our right was the Admiralty building and the 5 Hermitage buildings and to the left is the Peter and Paul Fortress (on Zajachij Island) which was the oldest structure 1703 and within which is the church with a high spire (no building can be taller than that spiral) which holds the burial site of Peter the Great and family as well as the remains of the last Tzar Nicholas II and his family. It was of interest that the river had many Navy ships and submarines as on our second day – Sunday July 23 was the Parade of ships – an important annual event commemorating the founding of the Navy by Peter the Great in this city. According to Yana the most important industry in the city is still shipbuilding followed by tourism. A beautiful sunny morning allowed us to experience the drive around the city in all it’s splendor. We next stopped in the main quarter where we were able to see St. Isaac’s Cathedral with it’s gold dome (Peter was born on May 3 and thus Isaac was his patron saint) and the blue and white St. Nicholas church.
Next to the Hermitage Museum – The main building was the Winter Palace (the first occupant being Catherine II), built by Elizabeth the daughter of Catherine I, in Russian Baroque style with lots of Gold. While the five buildings (the others are The Little, The Old, The New and The Hermitage Theatre) house tens of thousands of artifacts in its 12 miles of corridors and exhibits, we only saw a fraction. Apart from the amazing artwork – Rafael, Leonardo Da Vinci, Rubens, Michelangelo, Picasso etc and period ceramics (Wedgwood), sculptures, armor, furniture etc, on display was the building itself. Each room with it’s opulent gold-work, structure, frescos etc were each absolutely spectacular. If one sees nothing else in this city, this is an absolute must. Tickets purchased on-line permit avoiding the crowds entering the buildings which are crowded with tourists. While most of the buildings in the central area are yellow, the Winter palace is emerald green. Some of the key building features were the many 3.5 Ton chandeliers, the clothing / accoutrements weighing 60Kg (132 lbs) used for the Coronation of Catherine, the Wedgwood decorated room, the grand ballroom, the Throne room, the heaters all in Delft ceramics and gold everywhere. In 1837 there was a fire in the building which destroyed much of the building but was reconstructed under the orders of Nicholas. In 1915/16 Nicholas and Alexandra left the Palace to the soldiers where looting took place and during the Communist era, much of the art was sold.
After a lunch (chicken, fish or other such pies) in a local coffee shop on the way out of town we headed 30 Km south to the town of Pushkin where St. Catherine’s Palace is located. It was the home of Catherine I, Elizabeth and Catherine II and also built in Russian Baroque style (full of gold). Fires and war (WW2) destroyed part of the palace, but the State has embarked on an extensive restoration program, starting in 1950 and continues today. It is spectacular, in those rooms that have been restored, with the most amazing being the Amber Room. A room whose walls are decorated with Amber from top to bottom. Even the paintings are in amber frames as are the tables etc. Different colored Amber chips are used to create the mosaic designs. On our arrival it was raining, but we escaped the worst inside the building, but as we returned to the ship we saw what appeared to be piles of snow and snow covered grass. Apparently there was a major hail storm with accumulating hail despite the warm weather.
We returned to the ship for dinner and a quick change as we were of to the Folkloric Ballet in the evening. This is set up for tourists in the Navy theatre (400 seats and 100 steps to reach the theatre)!! As there were 7 cruise ships in port it was a full house. Despite the tourist nature of the event in two acts with champagne reception in between, the performers were excellent. The different costumes from the different regions of the country were on display as were the different dances and music. A very enjoyable evening getting us back onto the ship a little before midnight. Each time one left or entered the port we all had to go through immigration. However, after the first exit which took time due to the paperwork being presented and stamps and the first return to the ship with another stamp, all others were quick and were just a review of the passports.
The following morning we were at the pick up place at 8:30 waiting for the guide to set us off on the second day of adventure. It was purposely early as all the bridges were opened for several hours for the parade of war ships and we had to get to the island for our first stop, before the bridges were closed to land traffic. Again we drove through the city stopping at the Cathedral of our Lady Mother of Mary Kazan on the Main Street Nevskiy Prospekt. It was completed in 1811 and one of it’s main external features is the colonnade (to resemble the grandeur of St. Peter’s in Vatican City) with 136 Corinthian columns surrounding the gardens in front. Until recently is was more of a museum of lavishly painted icons, but was recently returned to the Russian Orthodox Church as a place of worship. The women all covered their heads upon entering and an air of reverence was present unlike the other churches that we visited which are still museums and not religious places. The church’s interior with it’s numerous icons was spectacular and in the central nave (no seating) were the 2 icons of the day placed reverently on tables and cordoned off for viewing and praying by all in attendance. A priest was conducting a service on this Sunday in one section of the church.
Leaving the church we wandered through the streets past one of the oldest and largest hotels – Grand Hotel Europe, stopping at the coffee shop where all the famous authors would congregate (Assembly of the Noble Restaurant today), the park with the Ballet, the philharmonic and theatre buildings are as well as a very French style walking street with it’s cafe’s and charm. It was interesting to note that underpasses under the main streets are set up for pedestrians which makes a lot of sense given the traffic, but those in wheel chairs have to navigate a very steep set of 6 inch wide metal rails set on top of the steps. This was also the case in the Metro and made it almost impossible for the person in the wheel chair to handle alone. This ended in a fascinating food hall shop – Kupetz Eliseeus (open since imperial times – 1902) with it’s stained glass windows and extravagant food. We re-joined our driver and set out in more of a Westerly (slightly South) direction, past what appeared to be a copper green “Arc de Triomphe” city gate, towards Peterhof Palace. However at the Arch we stopped and took the Metro (subway) at the Narvskaya station (on Line 1 – opened in 1930) The building was spectacular and as we descended the nearly 60 meters to the platform we saw the usual array of advertising. The platform area was decorated with a series of sculptures dedicated to the working people, but clean and stunning. The green trains were spacious and as we travelled the two stops to Abtobo (Veteranov Prospect) where amazing columns that seemed to have intricate silver carving appeared. Actually it is glass carvings with an Aluminum background that give the appearance of silver. The 30 Km drive took us past the official palace on the Gulf of Finland used to welcome foreign dignitaries and the one golf course in town to the town of Peterhof and it’s castle.
The stunning first sight of the Palace (still in restoration after extensive damage by the Germans during WW2) was the chapel with it’s 5 gold onion domes. Next was a view of the Lower Gardens which with it’s 150 fountains and gold statues was spectacular. We did not enter the palace but walked for an hour or more through the grounds, marveling at the central fountain and stepped flower gardens and fountains. The day was glorious, sun, warmth and displayed the palace and gardens at their best. As we continued wandering through the gardens there were more fountains, out buildings, walkways, topiaries, flower gardens on his 1,300 Hectare (3,200 Acre) property. Eventually we got onto a hydrofoil boat for the 40 minute ride back to St. Petersburg and in front of the Hermitage Museum Winter Palace building. On the trip we passed some 30 feet from a nuclear submarine, semi-submerged) going in the opposite direction. A great view of the city and passed the new football (soccer) stadium built for the upcoming World Cup.
It was now time for lunch (a packed morning) which was more meat, vegetable or sweet pies at a local coffee shop / restaurant. The first stop of the afternoon was the Church of Spilled blood, so named because it was built on the site of the place where Alexander II was killed and even though he escaped seven “suicide bomb” attempts, this eighth time was when he was severely hurt and only lasted an hour when he returned to the winter palace before dying. The brown brick elaborately decorated brick facade with it’s imposing five onion domes in blue and green and a sixth gold dome was probably the most spectacular (and I have used this word often) of all the churches with all the internal walls being covered in mosaics in blues, gold, red and rich tones. Walls, ceilings an the entire church was all covered in the amazing mosaics. The cupolas of the four domes each had a face of Jesus from young to old in mosaics. At the exact spot where Alexander was mortally wounded there is his burial with a canopied four post structure atop of the grave marker and is under the gold dome. Currently it is a museum and not a church, so there was not the reverence associated with the prior cathedral of St. Isaac.
Our next and last stop was at the fortress of Peter and Paul church with the highest spire all in gold with a cross being held up by an angel on top of a globe. While the main altar and the “wall” dividing the Priest from the public areas was stunning in gold and the walls green with relatively little decoration it was impressive as this was where Peter the Great, Catherine, Elizabeth, Peter II and III and their families as well as the remains of the last emperor Nicholas II and his family are laid to rest. Truly a resting place for some of the most famous Tzars / emperors of Russia. Simple wall panels to Nicholas and family and a communal square sarcophagus where the remains of the family are kept. Thus ended the visit to this amazing city. Many more days are needed to explore all that remains unseen.
During the time in the vehicle between stops Yana would inform us of the various buildings, was clearly an admirer of the Romanoff Dynasty and always spoke of the good they did. She did indicate that people are generally happy with Putin, although he has limited power, unhappy during the Mendeleev, Yeltsin and Gorbachev years. She quite openly answered all questions and was happy to discuss all topics we brought up. Average salary is US$800 per month with 15% inflation. Real estate prices ran at Euro 300K for a 2 room apartment in the better areas, but undoubtedly less in the “affordable housing” buildings we passed. Large non-descript multi tower complexes joined together.
This evening on the ship we were entertained by a very talented duo of gymnast / dancers, before retiring for the evening.
Monday July 24, 2017 – At sea on our way to Warnemunde, Germany. The ladies had a morning massage while the men went to a lecture on the origins and development of navigation, followed by all of us at a discussion of Pinehurst studios. A Russian bazaar on the ship was packed with eager purchasers. Lunch in the Pub followed by a wine tasting event of four South African wines, dinner and a captain’s cocktail party filled the rest of the day.
Roger & Anne Travels 