St. Petersburg, day 1

Sunday May 18

What an unbelievable day in St. Petersburg! Firstly we were blessed with a beautiful warm, sunny day which was their first one of the year and considering they only get 30 a year we were off to a good start. The sun had already been up for 15 minutes when our alarm went at 5:30am to have us up and ready in time to clear Russian immigration and get going on our tour. These are long days!

We knew most of the people from the 3 cruise ships in port would visit the Hermitage museum today as it is closed on Mondays so we were expecting big crowds, along with the normal mass of tourists. However our first stop was a visit to the underground to ride a train one stop and exit from the second deepest train station in the world, while admiring the mosaics and artwork along the way. Again being a Sunday and still early it was very quiet which suited us, as we'd been warned about pickpockets in the city.

The top of the escalator with mosaic in the background at the Admiralty station

On our way to the Hermitage we made a quick stop to take pictures of St. Isaacs Cathedral from the outside as it was on the schedule to see inside it later in the day. Being with an organised tour we got quick access to the Hermitage and Helena our guide lead the way and her commentary was transmitted to us by "magic boxes" which all 15 of us carried and could hear her through our headphones. We only had 1.5 hours inside but were pleasantly surprised at how few people there were, so we could get up close and personal to some of the masterpieces we were told about. In between stops you just had to swivel your head from left to right and up and down to take in the incredible works of art you were passing!

Entering the Hermitage

It wasn't just the paintings here that blew us away, it was the furnishings, tapestries, flooring, painted walls and ceilings, chandeliers, vases, fireplaces, chairs, carved doors and columns decorating the various rooms we passed through. In the time we had we would be lucky to have seen 1% of what it holds but it was an incredible experience. We had 15 minutes to view the Impressionist rooms which were set out by artist and contained all the big names. I can only include a few photos to give you a sample!

Our tour group in the Reuben's room

Al with some Cezannes

Noelle at the square behind the Winter Palace of the Hermitage

 

After a much needed pit stop Roman our driver took us to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, which is where one of the Tsars was assassinated. Again this was incredible on the outside as well as the inside - a typical Russian Orthodox Church on the outside but inside the walls and ceiling were covered in mosaics instead of being painted, and the carved wood altar screen was adorned with gold, silver and icons.

Church of the Spilled Blood

Altar screen and mosaics in Church of the Spilled Blood

 

Our lunch break was well earned and we enjoyed a typical Russian meal of borscht soup, beef stew with potato pancakes followed by carrot cake, washed down with a forest berry fruit drink. Then it was off to the fortress of Peter & Paul which contained another church with a huge gold spire and more amazing detail inside, including the tombs of most of the Russian tzars.

The Church of Peter & Paul

Inside the Church of Peter & Paul

We were all feeling a bit "museumed" out, so at the Usopova Palace (the home of a rich nobleman) where you had to pay extra to take pictures inside no one could be bothered. This turned out to be a good idea as most of the treasures were lost in the 1917 revolution so it was bare compared to the other places we'd been to already. However it does have the distinction of being the place where Rasputin the mad monk was killed, although there are many myths about his death.

Our final stop was St. Isaacs Cathedral and again this was a jaw dropper. The outside is classical with massive columns of granite and incredible bronze doors. The casting on the inside and outside of these doors was masterful, and apparently they weigh about 20 tonne each! This is also one of the few Russian Orthodox churches that has stained glass windows in it.

St. Isaacs Cathedral

Part of the inside of St. Isaacs Cathedral

Back on board the ship we all decided on an early dinner in the food court and then an early night. We went to see the folkloric show at 9pm which was very energetic with great singing, dancing, music and colourful costumes - well worth the effort and a great way to finish the day. Tonight the sun set at 10:37pm and an hour later it is still light outside and it's only mid May!

 

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