"To Russia with Love"
MONDAY & TUESDAY, AUGUST 18/19
We were wowed today as we toured St. Petersburg, Russia. Today's adventure started at 7:30 am and lasted 11-hours. The city was not exactly what we expected...it was very cosmopolitan with a mix of deteriorating Soviet era buildings and some well maintained lovely buildings. Since we spent 2 days here, this blog covers Mon & Tues.
As usual, we pre-arranged a private tour guide which may be a little more money, but well worth it. Julia met us as soon as we passed through immigration. We went out to our 8 passenger Mercedes van driven by Vladimir. A private van with plenty of room for the 6 of us and the guide made life wonderful. We started out by seeing the Neva river and a few important landmarks and buildings along the river. Then we drove along Nevskly Prospect, the main street in town and saw many beautiful buildings and some of the canals.
One of our stops included the Singer building (as in sewing) which is now a book store. All the streets are very wide which makes the city very enjoyable.
We then visited the Grand Hotel which Julia called '5 minutes in America' because it was so luxurious - $800/night! Next we passed by the American Embassy. We looked and looked before she pointed out - McDonald's. We all had a good laugh.
Our next stop was the Church of the Spilt Blood. It was built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was assinated. All the interior walls and ceilings were covered with georgeous mosaics. It was amazing and beautiful inside and out.
Next we took a drive out to Pushkin City to see Catherine's Palace (approx. 40-min drive) which gave us time to see the surrounding area outside the city. The Palace was built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine as a summer residence. Each succeeding Czar or Czarina added to it until it became very large and opulant. All the rooms were decorated with gold leaf which we assumed was to show off their wealth and power.
After the Palace we had lunch in a very nice cafeteria adjacent to the grounds They made salad to order as we watched and Bill had the stroganoff which he said was great. Of course we had to have deserts which were also very tasty. A surprise rain storm greeted us when we were done, but no problem - Julia ran to the van and brought each of us ponchos. Otherwise, it was a beautiful sunny 70-degree day.
We then drove to Peterhof, the summer residence of Peter the Great. The palace was closed but the grounds and fountains were amazing and reminded us of the gardens at Versailles - just a little smaller. It was beautiful and we loved strolling around while she told us about its history.
We dDover back to the city and Ric noted the countryside looked a lot like the mid-west.
We finished our tour with a visit to the metro station which they are very proud of. They were actually very spacious with mosiacs, artwork and beautiful glass and marble columns, unlike any metro underground we'd ever seen. We had intended to go to a folk dance performance, but we were getting very tired and decided to go back to the ship and relax before day 2 in Saint Petersburg - after all, it was a long 11-hr day and our stamina was waning.
Saint Petersburg -Day 2
Today we were more prepared for rain as the weather report called for a chance of showers and as soon as we got in the van, we had some rain. First off, we visited a farmers market because Carla told Julia that we wanted to see some of how the Russians live everyday. There was lots of beautiful fruits and vegetables and other grocery items. Its always unique to see places like this to better understand how others live in foreign lands.
Our next stop was The Hermitage. Tours get in early to avoid crowds but there are a lot of tours so it was still a little crowded. Without anyone asking her, Julia got a wheelchair for Vicki as her knee makes it difficult to do a lot of walking - the Hermitage was a lot of walking. We spent 2 hours there enjoying the beauty of the rooms, the artwork and a temporary exibition of Czarist era clothing. We were very surprised that we could get close enough to touch priceless artwork by Da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh, etc. We were glad the outside temperature was low 60's because it was quite hot in the museum. Had it been high 80's as predicted a few weeks ago, it would have been unbearable.
It was raining when we exited and we felt sorry for all the people waiting in line to get in. It was sure nice to have Julia get us in everywhere ahead of the crowds and knowing how to avoid the lines - even the ladies room lines! The Hermitage is so large, according to Julia, if we spent 1-min at each artifact, it would take 9-years.
Before breaking for lunch at 3pm, we took a canal boat ride (small boat with room for 8 passengers) and it was very enjoyable even if though it was raining and the windows kept fogging up.
The special event of the day was lunch with a Russian family. Their apartment was a Kruschev era apartment building and Loeta was hosting us. She was so sweet and welcoming and spoke no English. She had a table for 7 set up in her small living room with china and silverware and lovely little glasses for vodka. We toasted American/Russian relations. We started our meal with delicious homemade borscht (made from beets, vegatables, etc) with sour cream and brown bread. Even Bill ate it all saying it was great even though he does not like beets. Our next course was chicken breast, mashed potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Afterwards we had tea, gingerbread cookies, and Russian candies. Loeta's husband had to work, so Bill helped her with the serving. The apartment was very old and very small, especially the kitchen and bedroom - very tiny. For ref., the entire apartment was only 360 sq-ft which is smaller than a 2-car garage. So, it was a cozy place that she had decorated with many books, china, and momentos of her family and travels. Loeta and her husband are both engineers and he still works while she is retired. The outside was very run down but inside we enjoyed the warmth of her hospitality. It was the highlight of our time in Saint Petersburg.
After a little shopping for those Russian sovuniers, we relaxed over a casual dinner as we set sail for Helsinki, Finland as we discussed our "To Russia with Love" experience.
Those of you who know Vicki will be surprised to know that Karen and Carla had to give her some travel shopping lessons, like quick decisions when you are not coming back. She is learning her lessons and is coming around. When walking to some shopping areas is too much for her, Karen becomes her personal shopper so Vicki doesn't miss out on anything.
We were wowed today as we toured St. Petersburg, Russia. Today's adventure started at 7:30 am and lasted 11-hours. The city was not exactly what we expected...it was very cosmopolitan with a mix of deteriorating Soviet era buildings and some well maintained lovely buildings. Since we spent 2 days here, this blog covers Mon & Tues.
As usual, we pre-arranged a private tour guide which may be a little more money, but well worth it. Julia met us as soon as we passed through immigration. We went out to our 8 passenger Mercedes van driven by Vladimir. A private van with plenty of room for the 6 of us and the guide made life wonderful. We started out by seeing the Neva river and a few important landmarks and buildings along the river. Then we drove along Nevskly Prospect, the main street in town and saw many beautiful buildings and some of the canals.
One of our stops included the Singer building (as in sewing) which is now a book store. All the streets are very wide which makes the city very enjoyable.
We then visited the Grand Hotel which Julia called '5 minutes in America' because it was so luxurious - $800/night! Next we passed by the American Embassy. We looked and looked before she pointed out - McDonald's. We all had a good laugh.
Our next stop was the Church of the Spilt Blood. It was built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was assinated. All the interior walls and ceilings were covered with georgeous mosaics. It was amazing and beautiful inside and out.
Next we took a drive out to Pushkin City to see Catherine's Palace (approx. 40-min drive) which gave us time to see the surrounding area outside the city. The Palace was built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine as a summer residence. Each succeeding Czar or Czarina added to it until it became very large and opulant. All the rooms were decorated with gold leaf which we assumed was to show off their wealth and power.
After the Palace we had lunch in a very nice cafeteria adjacent to the grounds They made salad to order as we watched and Bill had the stroganoff which he said was great. Of course we had to have deserts which were also very tasty. A surprise rain storm greeted us when we were done, but no problem - Julia ran to the van and brought each of us ponchos. Otherwise, it was a beautiful sunny 70-degree day.
We then drove to Peterhof, the summer residence of Peter the Great. The palace was closed but the grounds and fountains were amazing and reminded us of the gardens at Versailles - just a little smaller. It was beautiful and we loved strolling around while she told us about its history.
We dDover back to the city and Ric noted the countryside looked a lot like the mid-west.
We finished our tour with a visit to the metro station which they are very proud of. They were actually very spacious with mosiacs, artwork and beautiful glass and marble columns, unlike any metro underground we'd ever seen. We had intended to go to a folk dance performance, but we were getting very tired and decided to go back to the ship and relax before day 2 in Saint Petersburg - after all, it was a long 11-hr day and our stamina was waning.
Saint Petersburg -Day 2
Today we were more prepared for rain as the weather report called for a chance of showers and as soon as we got in the van, we had some rain. First off, we visited a farmers market because Carla told Julia that we wanted to see some of how the Russians live everyday. There was lots of beautiful fruits and vegetables and other grocery items. Its always unique to see places like this to better understand how others live in foreign lands.
Our next stop was The Hermitage. Tours get in early to avoid crowds but there are a lot of tours so it was still a little crowded. Without anyone asking her, Julia got a wheelchair for Vicki as her knee makes it difficult to do a lot of walking - the Hermitage was a lot of walking. We spent 2 hours there enjoying the beauty of the rooms, the artwork and a temporary exibition of Czarist era clothing. We were very surprised that we could get close enough to touch priceless artwork by Da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh, etc. We were glad the outside temperature was low 60's because it was quite hot in the museum. Had it been high 80's as predicted a few weeks ago, it would have been unbearable.
It was raining when we exited and we felt sorry for all the people waiting in line to get in. It was sure nice to have Julia get us in everywhere ahead of the crowds and knowing how to avoid the lines - even the ladies room lines! The Hermitage is so large, according to Julia, if we spent 1-min at each artifact, it would take 9-years.
Before breaking for lunch at 3pm, we took a canal boat ride (small boat with room for 8 passengers) and it was very enjoyable even if though it was raining and the windows kept fogging up.
The special event of the day was lunch with a Russian family. Their apartment was a Kruschev era apartment building and Loeta was hosting us. She was so sweet and welcoming and spoke no English. She had a table for 7 set up in her small living room with china and silverware and lovely little glasses for vodka. We toasted American/Russian relations. We started our meal with delicious homemade borscht (made from beets, vegatables, etc) with sour cream and brown bread. Even Bill ate it all saying it was great even though he does not like beets. Our next course was chicken breast, mashed potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Afterwards we had tea, gingerbread cookies, and Russian candies. Loeta's husband had to work, so Bill helped her with the serving. The apartment was very old and very small, especially the kitchen and bedroom - very tiny. For ref., the entire apartment was only 360 sq-ft which is smaller than a 2-car garage. So, it was a cozy place that she had decorated with many books, china, and momentos of her family and travels. Loeta and her husband are both engineers and he still works while she is retired. The outside was very run down but inside we enjoyed the warmth of her hospitality. It was the highlight of our time in Saint Petersburg.
After a little shopping for those Russian sovuniers, we relaxed over a casual dinner as we set sail for Helsinki, Finland as we discussed our "To Russia with Love" experience.
Those of you who know Vicki will be surprised to know that Karen and Carla had to give her some travel shopping lessons, like quick decisions when you are not coming back. She is learning her lessons and is coming around. When walking to some shopping areas is too much for her, Karen becomes her personal shopper so Vicki doesn't miss out on anything.
Ahh....St. Petersburg, Venice of the north...we loved it there too! I hope you were able to find just what you wanted while shopping. We are happy to hear that everyone is doing so well, staying healthy and keeping up with the pace of so much walking and touring. Thanks for the blog. It makes me feel like we are there again. Enjoy Helsinki!
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