St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia
July 1-3, 2011
This was our first time in St. Petersburg, and I absolutely loved it. A beautiful city with so much history. Build on a swamp by Peter the Great (or at least by his serfs) to provide Russia with a Baltic port, St. Petersburg has emerged from its extraordinarily difficult past and today is a vibrant city of 4 million people. Its spectacular palaces, classic European-style buildings, grand rivers and beautiful canals make "Venice of the North" a must see.
Day 1
Our wonderful guide Galena and driver Nicolai met us just outside of passport control for the first of our three day tour.
Promoted as one of the four great museums of the world, the Hermitage is actually a series of buildings built initially by Catherine the Great. Not sure it is quite in the Louvre class, but it is certainly boasts an impressive collection.
Peter and Paul Fortress dates from the early 1700's
The "lawns" and beaches surrounding the Fortress are a popular sun bathing spot for locals who embrace the short warm and at times hot (+35C today) summers.
And even those you'd rather not see bare this much...
At around 3pm, we told Galena that we wanted to experience caviar and vodka in a traditional Russian atmosphere. Ten minutes later, we arrived at Tsar Restaurant and stepped back in time.
Sorry, forgot the caviar pics...
St. Petersburg, Russia
Day 2
Another beautiful morning in St. Petersburg and we are off to Pushkin and the magnificent summer palace of Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great. Heavily damaged during the WWII, restoration is still on going.
On our way to Pushkin, one of many large retail stores...
The town's namesake...
Pushkin entrepreneurs, who play the national anthem of each tourist that walks thru town...
Breathtaking grounds and palace...
One of the last remaining vestiges of Lenin's presence in this beautiful city.
No doubt now a classic in Russian car clubs...
After another great tour, we issue Galena another challenge... another classic Russian restaurant, money is no object. OMG, did she deliver again, as we head for the Old Customs House, a stunning cellar restaurant where we are the only customers for most of our 2 hour meal. Our second consecutive day with the photo wall of fame boasting "Putin ate here" as well as Francois Mitterand.
Our maitre d and his staff were a little stiff this afternoon.
And the amazing vintage wine cellar with some wines dating from the 1870s... we passed.
St. Petersburg, Russia
Day 3
Another spectacular summer morning and Galena and Nicolai are taking us to Peterhof, the summer palace of Peter the Great, located on the Gulf of Finland. About a hour away, our drive takes us through a different part of St. Petersburg.
The resistance line from WW2 and the 900 day German siege of St. Petersburg...
Peterhof is a wonderful collection of palaces, fountains and landscape gardens built between 1714 and 1721. Severely damaged during the war, Peterhof has largely been restored, and is a must see for any visitor. Photos were not allowed inside the palace.
The best and fastest way to return to St. Petersburg is via hydrafoil.
Fast and efficient, they seemingly depart every 5 minutes... 20-25 minutes later arrive at a pier at the Hermitage.
Our driver Nicolai met us at the pier, and the group decided to visit the last two churches on our list, before late lunch.
First stop was St. Isaac's Cathedral, the largest church in Russia. The present day St. Isaac's was opened in 1858 and represented an unprecedented engineering operation to erect, and at great human cost. Hundreds of serfs lost their lives during construction, crushed to death by falling marble. Another 60 were killed by inhaling mercury fumes used in the dome's elaborate gilding process.
My personal favorite was The Church on Spilled Blood, one of the most colorful churches I've ever seen. The church was built as a memorial to Alexander II on the site of his assassination.
One of St. Petersburg many canals, this one adjacent to Church on Spilled Blood.
Shortly after leaving the Church, we saw this classic T-shirt... would love to hear the story behind that one.
OK, enough of the sightseeing. We asked Galena to find us a good seafood restaurant and she delivered again We are off to lunch at Fish House.
Just before 5pm, Nicolai and Galena dropped us off back at the ship. Galena ranks as one of the best guides we have met in any city anywhere. If anyone is planning a trip to St. Petersburg, I would be pleased to provide contact info.
What a great three days in a wonderful city. I would absolutely return to St. Petersburg, perhaps next time in late winter when tourists are nowhere to be found.