Christine In St. Petersburg, Russia

My first night train experience ended well.  In that I fell asleep immediately and awoke in St. Petersburg.  Yes, I can sleep anywhere.  This skill is extremely useful.

On my first day, after grabbing a bite to eat, I toured the city a bit, with the tour group.  We stopped to take pictures and see the Winter Palace.  I also visited the Peter and Paul Fortress.  There, I visited the church and listened to a choir sing.

But this is not the reason to visit St. Petersburg.  Visit for the amazing history.  Peter the Great built Peterhof, the Summer Palace.  Some call it the Versailles of Russia.  It may be more impressive.  The German Army destroyed the palace, leaving only the walls up after World War II.  So the rooms were re-created/decorated.  The Russians managed to move 7,000 pieces from the palace, but lost 35,000.  The Russians buried the statues on the grounds and the Germans never found them.  The floors are wood mosaics.  The chandeliers are beautiful.

Peter the Great was truly a renaissance man.  He started the Russian Navy, was a sculptor, with his work on the grounds, a surgeon, and many other accomplishments.  He also had a sense of humor.  I believe the dogs will catch the ducks one day.  The Russian tour guide just looked at me when I said this.  Russians may not get my sense of humor.

The only bear I saw in Russia:

The other reason to visit-The Hermitage Museum.  It will probably be the best museum I ever visit.  And I have visited many a museums.  The collection is extensive.  But then, the communists took the artwork from private collectors once they took over the country.  So if you did this, then you too, would have an amazing collection.  The Hermitage has everyone-Di Vinci, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrant.  All great painters.  I could have spent days there.  Sadly, we spent 3 hours.  The Hermitage is located in the Winter Palace, another beautiful building.

The October (Bolshevik) Revolution occurred in St. Petersburg, in 1917.  Under the western calender, it occurred in November.  I visited the ship where they shot from.  Then I saw the room where the government was captured in the Winter Palace.  They stopped the clock at the time it occurred.

The Di Vinci collection is one of the largest in the world.  The museum has 2 paintings.  He is by far, the best painter I have ever saw.  It is said he painted the skeleton, then muscles, then skin, then clothes.   In my defense, it is really hard to take pictures when everyone is looking at these paintings.  And they are not huge paintings.  The glass does not help.

In March, while in DC for work, I visited the National Art Gallery to see an exhibit on Picasso drawings.  The exhibit included a sketch of Picasso's Violin and Guitar.  I looked up the location of the original and saw it was at the Hermitage, in St. Petersburg, Russia.  When would I ever visit there?  I said this is as close as I will ever get to the painting.  Well, as it turns out, I visited there.

The Hermitage also has a throne.

And a picture of the wood mosaic floors.  It is pure evil the Russian women walking in heels on the floor.

The Church of the Saviour on the Blood:

I decided to see whether my trip on the rope course cured me of my fear of heights.  I climbed the 43 meters (141 feet) to the top of St. Isaac's Cathedral.  If you look closely, you can see the steps near the column on the right side.  That's what we climbed to get to the top doom, which you can walk around.  Those steps were not cool at all.  But I survived.  Barely.

View of the Winter Palace from the top of St. Isaac's Cathedral

I visited St. Petersburg during the white nights.  Even at night, it seemed like it was the middle of the day.

Christine

Christine in Moscow, Russia

What do you think of when you think Moscow?  The Red Square.  And what's in the Red Square?  St. Basil's Church, which is beautiful.  There is no other way to describe it.  And the Red Square is huge, and you can kinda feel the history there.  The Russians also have a Tomb of the Unknown Solider right outside of the Red Square.  However, the Russian military does not guard it at night.

St. Basil's

The Red Square

I toured the Kremlin.  The Kremlin is 2 floors, though it looks like more.  Well, I toured the churches at the Kremlin.  I was a bit disappointed about that.  I thought we would actually go into the Kremlin.  But no.  Kremlin means fortress.  On the grounds, the Russians have the largest cannon (that was never shot) and the largest bell (that was never hung).  These were tour highlights.  

Or maybe you think of the KGB (building):

As far as I could tell, no one followed me around.  But they would have been bored if they did.  All I did was walk a lot.  Take tons of pictures.  And spend money.  

Some people protesting for communism:

Approximately 15 million people live in Moscow.  About 3.5 million of them have cars.  Can you say traffic jam?  I think 9 million ride the Metro.  

Mosaic of Lenin in the Metro 

The Russians prepared for the Cold War.  Up until a few years ago, the distance underground to their world famous Metro was a state secret.  All of the escalators worked (DC Metro-please take note of this and maybe bring a couple mechanics over for 6 months, bet the Russians could have everything fixed by then).  The escalators run faster in Russia.  I liked that, though I still walked them.  Who can just stand there?  If the US launched a war, the Russian people would have went down into the Metro to take cover.  Hmmm, the US Government didn't have that plan.  They were going to have the kids hide under their desks.  Or in the halls.  Perhaps we should be taking notes...  I toured a couple Metro stops; after all 182 exist.  The Metro uses chandeliers for lighting.  And each stop has a different chandelier.  And beautiful artwork.  Some include mosaics, others use statues.  We spent 2 hours touring the subway.  A token costs 28 rubles ($1 = 33 Rubles) and you can ride as long as you want, so long as you don't leave.  

I'm good on subway tours.  

After the October Revolution of 1917 (which happened in November with the western calender), the Communist Government tour down many churches.  However, the Russian people saved the blueprints and after the wall fell, the government rebuilt the churches.  Many young people attended religious ceremonies.  Different from the states.  Also, the Russian Orthodox churches do not have seats.  Yep, they stand for up to 2 hours.  Lucky people.

Rebuilt in 1994-2000.  Lot was turned into a swimming pool after the Soviets tore the original church down.

I toured many Orthodox churches.  Moscow has 800 of them.  And saw tons of Icon Walls.  You can tell what saint the church is for by reviewing the 2nd icon from the alter door.  I will show you more of this in the next post.

Number 1 souvenir:

View from the highest point in Moscow, Sparrow Hill:

After the Communists took over, they gave everyone their apartments.  What happens when you don't pay homeowner fees:

Took the midnight train...

Next up:  St. Petersburg
Christine