We arrived by train in St. Petersburg as scheduled at 4:40 a.m., at sunrise. A driver from our hotel, the Pushka Inn, was waiting for us with a comfortable van, and we had a quick ride to the hotel on the Moika Canal, within 5 minutes walking distance of Palace Square. We left our luggage there and set out to find breakfast and explore.
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| Triumphal Arch |
Not much was opened before 6 a.m. on that gray morning, but we found a coffee shop where we were able to get cheesecake and eclairs and tea and were not rushed to leave as there was very little clientele. Our small breakfast cost 1500 or about $45 dollars. Eating out, even at places labeled as inexpensive or moderately priced, is not cheap in Russia!
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| The Winter Palace |
We went back out to Palace Square, where the 600-ton Alexander Column soars from the middle of the huge expanse. It was erected by Czar Alexander II to celebrate the Russian victory over Napoleon. On the river side of the plaza is the enormous, sea-foam green Winter Palace and adjacent buildings which make up the Hermitage Museum. (It was nice to get photos of these places without throngs of tourists in the pictures!) Opposite the Winter Palace is the General Staff Building, its ocher facade nearly half a mile long, with a concave section in the middle and the Triumphal Arch in the middle, leading to the city's main street, Nevsky Prospekt. To the west of the Winter Palace is another huge building, the Admiralty, with a 61 meter golden spire topped by a weather vane shaped like a ship. (We didn't need a weather vane to tell us that there was a strong, cool wind blowing in off the Baltic Sea.) This spire represents the nexus of the city; the three main streets fan out from this point. The building itself, like the Winter Palace, faces the square on one side and the wide Neva River on the other. It still houses a naval academy.
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| St. Isaac's Cathedral with columns showing signs of damage from German bombing in WWII |
Walking past the Admiralty, we reached yet another enormous building, St. Isaac's Cathedral, constructed in the mid-19th century. The gold dome over the square-shaped main structure shines even on an overcast day. We were amazed by the solid monolithic marble columns. It was not yet open in the early morning, so we could not go in.
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| Peter the Great |
Heading north toward the Neva, we got to Medny Vsadnik, or the Bronze Horseman, a large (what else?) statue of Peter the Great facing the river. It was commissioned by Catherine the Great, and both their names are inscribed on the granite base shaped like a wave, in Cyrillic on one side and in Latin on the other.
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| Ornamentation on door of the Singer Building |
Rain was threatening, but we continued on, heading into the city from the Neva on Nevsky Prospekt. We came upon the famous old bookstore, Dom Knigi,. It is housed in an Art Nouveau building with a glass dome, mosaics and ornate fixtures. It once belonged to the Singer sewing company, and that name is still etched in the stone facade.
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| Colonnade, Kazan Cathedral |
Across the street is the Kazan Cathedral behind a small park. The cathedral is flanked by a large semi-circular colonnade. Here, we, along with many others, found shelter from the rain which had started to pour. After about 15 minutes, the rain stopped and we walked along the inside of the semi-circular row of Corinthian columns to find that the church had opened. Opulence dazzled us inside: cofferred ceilings studded with gold designs; a variety of colored marbles in the columns, pilasters and beautifully designed floor; rich, vibrant hues in icons, paintings and mosaics. I walked around in awe about three times.
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| interior of Kazan Cathedral |
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| Roman Catholic St. Catherine's church |
We walked further along Nevsky Prospekt to Gostiny Dvor, a 19th-century shopping mall. Since it was not yet 9 a.m., it was closed (opening at 10), so we headed toward the Ploshchad Isskustv, or the Square of the Arts, surrounded by many famous buildings housing museums, the Mussorgsky Theatre, the Operetta Theatre and the Philharmonic. Passing by we could hear beautiful voices and delightful melodies from bassoons and other instruments as musicians practiced inside. Before we reached it, however, we found the Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Not as opulent as the Roman Orthodox cathedrals, it was nonetheless beautiful.
We walked over to the Fontanka River (Fountain River), which derived its name from the fact that it supplies water for the many lovely fountains in Letny Sad (the Summer Gardens). The bridge carrying Nevsky Prospect across the river is anchored by large equestrian statues on all four piers.
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| Catherine the Great |
Next stop: Ostrovsky Square. We found that St. Petersburg is dotted with many squares and parks, and we enjoyed the classical symmetry and artistic design of the streets and boulevards and buildings. It is a wonderful place to spend hours walking. At Ostorvsky Square is the monument to Catherine the Great. This bronze statue not only features her likeness, but surrounding her feet, images of some of her favorite people in various natural poses.
Perhaps the highlight of the morning (if the number of photos I shot is any indication!) was Tserkov Spasitelya Na Krovi (the Church of the Resurrection of Christ), better known as the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. This name derives from the fact that it was built over the site were Czar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Although not a particularly old church, it is built in the medieval Russian style with bright, beveled domes topped by glistening gold Orthodox crosses. The inside is even more unbelievably glorious than the outside. The walls, pilasters and columns are covered with wonderful, colorful mosaics. The doors to the altar contain icons framed in gold topped by a intricately carved wooden crown-shaped frame. The floor is composed of blood red, green, black, gray, white and yellow marble laid in an intricate geometric pattern. I probably could have wandered around for hours and hours.
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| Mosaic covered walls and columns of the Church of the Resurrection |
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| Doorway to the altar, Church of the Resurrection |
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| Matthew at the Stray Dog Cellar |
Walking back outside, we found that the skies were clearing, with puffy white and gray clouds framing patches of blue sky. It was 11:30 and we were hungry, so we walked a couple blocks to the Stray Dog Cellar off the Square of the Arts. In the early 20th century, it was a cafe famous as a hang-out for artists, hosting poetry readings and one-act plays. Apparently it still does so; we just don't stay up late enough! Lunch was very good if (again) a bit pricey, and we enjoyed the ambiance. The place is decorated with memorabilia and whimsical artistic renderings of dogs.
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| Church of the Resurrection |
We walked past the Church of the Savior of the Spilled Blood to reach the open-air market across the canal, the Vernisazh. By the church was a young man playing haunting music by tapping his fingertips on various parts of a metal instrument.
The usual matryoshka dolls, lacquered bowls and boxes, amber jewelry and kitsch were displayed in stall after stall of the market. It makes for a colorful bazaar. I was looking for amber and other gifts. I had already improved by bargaining skills. I stopped at each place with merchandise that attracted me but then moved on. After surveying it all, I focused on the few vendors I liked with good prices. One nice man had beautiful hand-designed Christmas tree ornaments, but the price was equivalent to $300, so I had to pass. I approached a woman selling amber jewelry with my offer firmly set. She didn't quite like it, but we quickly settled on a price for a few pieces only 100 rubles above my first offer.
Finally, after eight hours of sight-seeing, it was 2 p.m. and time to check in to the hotel, which was only two blocks away. We were greeted warmly. The kids rode the tiny, slow two-person elevator to the top floor while Peter and I climbed the stone stairs, beating them to the fourth level. Our apartment suite is lovely. The only drawback is that we hear a lot of noise from people celebrating the White Nights as well as from the tour guides on the boats on the canals. We think we can even hear partying from across the Neva. However, we are tired enough to fall asleep despite the noise, and it does not wake us up. We have a small kitchen, so we decided to bring in a few groceries and eat in. (Later in the day, I picked up a lot of food for about 500 rubles--$15. Much better than restaurant costs! The produce section is quite small, with mostly root vegetables and a few salad items and about half dozen different kinds of fruit.)
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| Mikhailovsky Castle and the Moika Canal |
We relaxed for a while. Everyone else was feeling lazy, but I still was energized by the city, so I went out again to visit a few more places. First, I went to Mikhailovsky Castle, a large, square-shaped structure situated on a block half-surrounded by two waterways, the Fontanka and the Moika Canal. This coral-colored castle was built by Czar Paul I because he felt too vulnerable in the open structure of the Winter Palace. (He was assassinated anyway.) The courtyard is octagonal and has a small (maybe still larger than life, but small by Russian standards) statue of Paul I. The entrance over a former moat is faced by a square, and the Mikhailovsky Sad (Garden) to the west is bordered by the long edifice of the Russian Museum to the south.
The garden is a wonderful, green place to stroll. North of it is Marsovo Pole, and to the east of that, Letny Sad (the Summer Gardens). This formal garden, with hedges creating maze-like pathways studded with fountains, is delightful and obviously a favorite with the locals. Weddings were taking place here and there. On the northeast corner is the small, two-story Summer Palace. This classically designed space was created for Peter the Great as a place for his leisurely strolls.
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| Petropavlovsk Fortress across the Neva |
I then walked along the Neva, enjoying the vistas and the view of Petropavlovsk Fortress across the broad expanse of water. Having asked the hotel staff for directions to a grocery store nearby, I headed a couple blocks inland and found the small supermarket, where I purchased milk, juice, tea, bread, butter and cheese. Of course, I was a bit fatigued by this time and could not find my way back to the hotel, but the doorman at another hotel pointed me in the right direction.
We enjoyed our simple meal in our apartment and, even though it was well before sunset, went to bed and slept well.
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