We arrived in St. Petersburg Russia. It is 9 hours different from back home. We are here for 2 days. We were able to sleep this morning; however, you know me, up early, 5:30am. We decided not to take a tour this morning, rather in the afternoon. It was absolutely beautiful both in temperature and sunny. The temperature was to be in the mid-70’s. We later heard that it is only sunny 60 days of the year. We got lucky on this day. Our tour guide told us that in the winter it will get as cold as -35C and only 4 hours of daylight. It was interesting to see we arrived at a new port, much nicer than in 2003 where it was docked at an industrial dock. This looks brand new. In the distance, there were several new high-rise apartments/condos that are very trendy looking. This is really neat to see considering not too long ago this was Iron Gate country which kept everyone tightly closed.
After lunch we met our tour at the dock. Before getting on the bus, we had to go through passport control.
Today we are scheduled for 2 tours, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. They include St. Petersburg River and Canal Cruise and the Russian Ballet.
St. Petersburg River and Canal Cruise
We drove through the port passing by all the new construction and very nice apartments and condos. We also passed by several historic sites including the Peter and Paul Fortress, Hermitage Museum, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, etc. St. Petersburg consists of several islands surrounded by rivers and canals. Our first stop was at the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. This is probably one of the most colorful church structures we have ever seen. The only downside was the sun angle. Capturing the colors in a photo is tricky. We were not able to enter the church. After a few quick photos we were given a short time to shop and view the sites in the area. One of the really cool things we saw while in the area was seeing so many brides and grooms and their wedding parties posing for photos in front of the beautiful bridges. There was some particular significance about crossing this bridge when you got married. We will need to do further research.
Russia Ballet
When I think of Russia, I think of Ballet. This evening, we were going to a Russian Ballet. The trip, by bus, was short to the performance location. The location was small from the exterior, but also the interior. Our seats were close to the front, which was cool. We were so fortunate to watch Swan Lake, a real classic for ballet. What a treat. The show had two intermissions. During the first intermission we were served champagne, this is the second time today. We truly did enjoy the show.
After our time at the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood we boarded a boat to tour the city on the rivers and canals. Part of our tour was on the Neva River. This water tour put a whole new perspective on this historic city. Again, taking photos was tricky because of the sun angle; however, the photos really did turn out nicely. A funny thing happened every time we went under a bridge there was a young man on top of the bridge waving at us. He would run from bridge-to-bridge waving at us. He must have run 6-7 miles or more. At the end of the river cruise, he was waiting for us looking for tips. One more thing about the river cruise, we all had a glass of champagne while we were cruising. I found out later my son 15-year-old son, had a glass, my goodness. We did pass a ship sitting on the banks of the Neva River. It was called the Aurora cruiser. It was used to fire the first shot to start the Russian Revolution.
Catherine’s Palace
I remember visiting this palace in 2003 when visited the Baltic. W recall how beautiful it was then and how beautiful it is now. Here is a little bit about the Palace. This was called the Winter Palace; however, it ended up being the official home of the Russian Tsar’s. This palace was built by order of the Peter the Great’s wife, Catherine, as a surprise for her husband. The palace site is located on a1400 acres which included gardens and a few water fountains.
Before we could enter the palace, we walked around the exterior of the structure and took lots of photos. We had some free time to either take photos or shop at the small market. It sounds like we won’t have time to shop in Peterhof. The kids bought Russian eggs that have several pieces inside and my wife and we bought a small color sketch of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. The prices are high in Russia. The currency is Rubles.
We finally were able to enter the palace, what a site. We were required to wear shoes on our shoes. The interior is overwhelming to the senses and so much to take in. The exterior is Baroque style. We moved fast through the palace. Some of the most popular rooms we visited included the Grand Hall (Elton John played here at one time), Amber Room, Crimson Pilaster Room, Portrait Room, and White Vestibule.
After spending 1 hour at Catherine’s Palace, we made our way to the bus and heading to our lunch location.
This was about a 30-minute ride.
Lunch Experience
We ate lunch at a really neat traditional Russian restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Kpachbin Kabayok. We entered the building and worked our way up to the second floor. There were entertainers waiting for our tour playing traditional Russian music with various instruments. Lunch included a salad with no dressing, fish (not a good selection) with assorted vegetables, and a fruit tart dessert. On the table in front of each person were a glass of champagne and a shot of vodka. The vodka was very strong and even though you are to drink in one gulp.
Peterhof Palace
One word describes this palace, incredible. It was said that Peter the Great, this was his palace, was jealous of the Versailles in Paris and he wanted to build his palace bigger and better. I think he succeeded. We have never seen such a colorful palace and grand in style. The most intriguing part of this palace was the gold-plated fountains on the property. The tour guide told us that during World War II this palace was badly damaged and a lot of the artwork was destroyed. There was an effort to save some of this.
Let us talk about the fountains. We are not sure how many there were when we visited, however there were so many, it was overwhelming to the senses like Catherine’s Palace. Every one of the fountains looked different and each one had its own personality.
The big challenge for my wife and I today was whether we would be able to get into Peterhof Palace. When we visited the site back in 2003, we waited in line for 75 minutes to learn that we could not tour the palace because President Clinton was touring. We also heard from a friend that tried to visit the palace several years ago and it was closed because President Bush was touring. We succeeded, we were able to enter the palace, however we could not take photos. We were required to wear shoe covers on our shoes. Like Catherine’s Palace, the grandness was incredible to the senses. It just amazes me that someone would own such a great building like this and have so much. We visited the Throne Room, Portrait Room, and White Dining Room.
These two palaces were totally worth the repeat visit, particularly being able to finally get into Peterhof.
