After our adventures getting here, we take a motoring-free break to discover the highlights and history of St Petersburg and its surroundings..... and it's wonderful.
I'll summarise..
We have a (very, very good) guide to lead us through the complex history, wonderful palaces and buildings... and we spend a great day exploring under our own steam by metro and bus.
The highlights
Day 1
We travel by minibus to see the main sights, hopping on, hopping off and it's almost overwhelming. It's one of those occasions when all the reading and research just doesn't prepare you for the sheer opulence of this place. The Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum are out of this world (in more senses than one). At the end of the day it's easy to see why there was social unrest and division in these times.
The Winter Palace
More Guilded rooms, more tourists..
What is WRONG with guys these days.
There are so many more sights today, I could go on and on and... there's always Google..
But the day isn't over; returning after a brilliant but tiring day, we get a few hours rest before heading back to see the river bridges raised so that large boats can pass.
These are the White Nights, when the sun hardly sets and crowds gather until the early hours (around 3am) to see the ships pass. Cue Music and dancing!!
Wonderful!
We get in around 3am.
Up she goes...
We head for the nearby museum of Political Thought... which is forthright and gives us food for.. thought.
We lunch at a stolovaya - a basic, but good fast food restaurant, originating from the communist days. We later take a coffee at an ultra modern coffee shop which costs as much as the lunch.
There are celebrations today and in the palace square we find a full orchesta playing Tchaikovsky (wonder why?). Magic, indeed
and alternative entertainment, too...
Before heading home, we visit the Church of the Spilled Blood..
...walk along the famous Nevsky Prospect ...and eat at the Singer Restaurant, once the HQ of Singer sewing machines.
We're last back....
Day 3
A guided trip to Perthof Palace today. (It's all about Peter the Great). The palace's famous gardens and gravity fed fountains impress us...
Impressive
I'll summarise..
We have a (very, very good) guide to lead us through the complex history, wonderful palaces and buildings... and we spend a great day exploring under our own steam by metro and bus.
The highlights
Day 1
We travel by minibus to see the main sights, hopping on, hopping off and it's almost overwhelming. It's one of those occasions when all the reading and research just doesn't prepare you for the sheer opulence of this place. The Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum are out of this world (in more senses than one). At the end of the day it's easy to see why there was social unrest and division in these times.
The Winter Palace
More Guilded rooms, more tourists..
What is WRONG with guys these days.
There are so many more sights today, I could go on and on and... there's always Google..
But the day isn't over; returning after a brilliant but tiring day, we get a few hours rest before heading back to see the river bridges raised so that large boats can pass.
These are the White Nights, when the sun hardly sets and crowds gather until the early hours (around 3am) to see the ships pass. Cue Music and dancing!!
Wonderful!
We get in around 3am.
Up she goes...
There's a whole story behind the ship with the red sails...
Day 2
A day exploring under our own steam....
After lots of help from Sabine, our tour leader, we head off to do our own thing, travelling by Metro and bus.
We explore the Peter and Paul fortress..and could have spent the day here.
Cathedral at the Fort
We lunch at a stolovaya - a basic, but good fast food restaurant, originating from the communist days. We later take a coffee at an ultra modern coffee shop which costs as much as the lunch.
There are celebrations today and in the palace square we find a full orchesta playing Tchaikovsky (wonder why?). Magic, indeed
and alternative entertainment, too...
Before heading home, we visit the Church of the Spilled Blood..
We're last back....
Day 3
A guided trip to Perthof Palace today. (It's all about Peter the Great). The palace's famous gardens and gravity fed fountains impress us...
Impressive
After this exceedingly impressive visit, we head for Kronstadt - an island off the coast in the Gulf of Finland which houses a town, a naval base and an amazing Russian Orthodox Naval Cathedral; it's Byzantine in style but with a massive dome and wonderful decoration. The space and lighting is reminiscent of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul... or is that just my imagination.
Kronstadt Cathedral
The day is rounded off by a meal at the campsite restaurant... But... it's got no beer so we drink our own beer and wine, of which we have plenty...
Day 4
Our last full day is spent visiting Catherine Palace in Pushkin. The massive, opulent blue place is a real rival for Versailles. We walk the grounds and take a small lunch here. Peterhof itself is an affluent area has a distinct upper class air.
We round the day off with a trip to the ballet Sylvia at the Mariinsky Theatre. Wonderful indeed - what a fantastic last night in St Petersburg.. but, wait, it's not finished yet because we take a pint of Guinness in the nearby Irish bar, complete with Russian band playing Brit Rock while we wait for our 8 Seat taxi. Brilliant ending to a brilliant visit.
Sad it's over.
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