St Petersburg. Day 3.

Friday 26^th September dawned clear and cold in St Petersburg. Today we were being met by our guide and chauffeur for a drive around the city to see more of the sights. Then we would be dropped back at the ferry for our overnight trip to  Helsinki.

We visited the St Nicolas Cathedral. Following the Russian tradition, there are two churches in this two storey building. These are one above the other. The lower is intended for daily use and is lit by candles, chandeliers and icon lamps. Nicolas was known as the miracle worker and the church is constantly visited by the devoted. The upper church is dedicated generally to seafarers and specifically the submariners who perished in the recent loss of a soviet nuclear submarine.

The interior is absolutely beautiful but respectfully we took no photos. It was one of very few Russian churches that operated throughout the soviet regime.

We were off to visit the Saints Peter and Paul fortress. On the way we passed these light houses on Vasillievsky Island designed to give direction and protection to vessels approaching the port.

Another interesting stop was at these steps on the river that were decorated with Egyptian statues.

We had already seen a large collection of Egyptian artifacts in the Hermitage Palace

Peter the Great started the construction of the Peter and Paul fortress in the very early days of the construction of the city. The cathedral, with its 123 metre high spire is the burial place of all the Tsars and many other members of the Romanov family, 46 in all.

In the following photos, the gilt is real but the "marble" is fake as it was originally. The sarcophagi are real stone.

The tombs above are those of Nicolas II and other members of his family, killed by the Bolsheviks. They were re-buried here in 2006.

On our way back to the ferry we stopped to have a look at this unique church. It is known as the Church on the Spilled Blood or the Church of the Resurrection. We did not have the time to go inside and we missed the interior which is almost completely covered with mosaics. The building of the church which took 24 years was completed in 1907. It was closed by the soviets in 1930 and received damage during the war. An unexploded bomb that would have destroyed the building was found and safely removed during repairs in 1961.

Our drive back to the ferry was frustrated by a visit to the town by the Russian Prime Minister. Gridlocked traffic all around us with half the town shut down. Dimitri, our chauffeur did a great job getting us to the ferry close to our deadline. Others were still arriving at the wharf minutes before departure.

We have had a remarkable stay in St Petersburg. We have seen so much but appreciate that there is a huge amount we have missed. Buildings such as The Konstantinovsky Palace, Pavlovsk and Peterhof would have to wait for another visit. But, as the ferry headed for Helsinki we realised we could not have absorbed any more of this amazing city this time. We have been totally Palace, Cathedral and gilted out but we are greatly impressed with what we have seen. Our tour guide, Ksenia was absolutely wonderful, her knowledge of the arts and the history of her town was impeccable. Our chauffeur Dimitri was good and his knowledge of the streets invaluable when we were caught in the horrendous traffic while returning to the ferry

We get back to Matilda next day and soon are cruising again. There will be more to tell so, we will keep in touch.

St Petersburg, the second day.

Thursday 25^th September, our second day in St Petersburg.

St Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter 1^st  (Peter the Great) . It was built to be a gateway to western Europe and allow Russia to experience a new era of grandeur. It was built on the marshy delta at the mouth of the river Neva. Reclamation developed a series of harbour frontages and canals that are still in active use today. For this reason, it is often called the Venice of the North. Having a defined beginning, it has always been well laid out with large squares, grand avenues and majestic buildings.

It has suffered its fair share of historical and natural disasters including massive floods in 1724, 1824 and 1924. Even a blockade of 872 days by the German army in WW2 could not break the resolve of the inhabitants.

It was the capital of Russia under the Tsars up to the rising of the Soviets. Today it is a modern city, a centre of shipping and trade and a city with a wonderful historic heart.

We were met by Ksenia, our guide at the foyer of our hotel and taken on a walking tour of the Tsar’s Winter Palace. The building has developed over many years. Catherine the Great constructed a new building in1764 connected to Peter the Great’s Winter Palace to house her growing collection of artworks. This was known as The Small Hermitage. Then, as her collection grew, in 1771 she started the second building known as The Old Hermitage. This was followed in 1839 by The New Hermitage. The whole structure is now known as The Hermitage.

The palace was traditionally the home of the Tsars but has always housed a massive collection of internationally acclaimed works of art.

The building is extravagantly designed and decorated and is being restored to its former glory.

After taking lunch in the Palace (sandwiches and soft drinks bought at a kiosk) we had a cruise in a “barge” around the canals and the Neva River.

The Saints Peter and Paul cathedral with its 123 metre high tower sparkled in the afternoon sun. We would visit this church tomorrow and see it in more detail. Ksenia, our guide met us at the end of the cruise, walked us back to our hotel and arranged to meet us tomorrow.

There will be more to tell so we will keep in touch.

Russia. The first day.

Tuesday 23^rd September and we were off to Russia.   

We boarded the St Peter line Princess Maria for our overnight crossing to St Petersburg. Helen organised this tour for us and it included the overnight ferry trip both ways, two nights in a good hotel in St Petersburg and virtually three days of organised sightseeing tours with our personal guide and chauffeur. We were picked up at the ferry when we arrived and dropped back there on departure.

On our first day, we visited the Catherine Palace which was the summer residence of the Tsars. Built during the 18th and 19th centuries this palace was plundered and all but demolished by the Germans during the 2nd World War. It is being faithfully re-created to its 19th century splendour. It is about 25 kilometres east of St Petersburg and was built to be out of the smog and dreariness of the big city in winter.

Peter admires samples of the cornice decorations. They are being reproduced in timber and then gilt.

The floors are parquetry of the highest standard (they are mostly original).

This hall has a painted canvas ceiling, most of which is original.

These enormous ornate tile fire places are an early form of space heating.

Various rooms were used for dining and their décor was complete, down to matching crockery, table decorations and napery.

The gardens of the palace were extensive and we had a cool but sunny afternoon to admire them.

We retired to our hotel, the Angleterre, and after settling in, wandered around our environment.

Directly opposite our hotel was St Isaacs Cathedral. This massive structure was built in 1818 by Tsar Alexander 1st on a site that had had four churches previously. It took 40 years to complete. The building is supported by 10,000 tree trunks set as piles into the marshy soil. It is currently being checked regularly as the weight of the granite structure is causing subsidence.

The cathedral’s main dome rises over 100 metres. It is plated in many tonnes of gold which was applied as a toxic mercury amalgam. This caused the deaths of some sixty workers.

The Cathedral is rarely used for religious purposes these days and stands as a museum to the Russian Orthodox Church.

After a nice meal at a local restaurant we returned to the hotel and relaxed. We have another large day tomorrow.

We will invite you to join us then so we will keep in touch.