It's about time, I know, I know!!
Before moving to Russia I really did not know much at all about Saint Petersburg- you could probably say that I knew nothing except that it was a major city second to Moscow. So, I will assume that many others don't know too much about it either and I will share some information that I have learned before the pictures.
I have heard many Americans and tourists say that Saint Petersburg is their city of preference in Russia because of it's aesthetics that Moscow is lacking. It is a gorgeous city, very European, with colorful architecture (for a while it was illegal for owner's to not paint their buildings, we saw only one black one), it is called the Cultral Capital, it holds a lot of history as it once was the capital of Russia and an important city in many wars.
In the last century Saint Petersburg has undergone many name changes. Up until 1914 it was Saint Petersburg, then for 10 yeas it was Petrograd, then for 67 years it was Leningrad and was changed back to Saint Petersburg in 1991. Some people, mainly the generations older than mine, still refer to it as Leningrad.
The city is Europe's 4th largest (Moscow being #1), therefore Russia's 2nd, with 4.6 million people. And it is the northern most city with a population over 1 million.
On the train- 12 hours overnight. But we had a personal 4-bunk room which was nice and cozy.
Russian countryside from the train.
After leaving 12 AM Friday night(Sat morn.) we arrived in Saint Petersburg around noon on Saturday.
Saint Petersburg is known for it's many canals, which gives it the nickname "Venice of the North"
Yeah... sort of maybe... but you can't really compare anything to Venice.
One of the first things we did after checking into our hostel was explore these canals on an hour long "cruise"
Our friends on the boat.
Us on the boat.
Winter Palace/Hermitage Museum. We didn't get to go inside, and it's a hard one to miss out on. There are over 3 million pieces in the museum, including works by Picasso and Rembrandt. It is a major attraction of the city.
Beautiful European-like architecture.
Exploring.
The Northern-most mosque in the entire world.
We rested here for a bit and played a little bit of Durak (Russian card game)
Evening falls....
The main reason I wanted to come to Saint Petersburg during this time is not only that the weather is comfortable, but to experience the "White Nights"
This is the time of the year when the sun never completely sets and full darkness is not experienced.
At 1 AM-2 AM we climbed up to the balcony of St. Isaac's Cathedral:
And this is what we saw:
The next morning we had brunch at a famous restaurant called "The Idiot" where I had one of the best salads of my life- it is VERY difficult to find a leafy green salad in Russia. They usually consist of cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh dill and maybe cabbage.
However, the real leafy green salads I have had here have been out of this world. I highly reccommend The Idiot if you visit Saint Petersburg.
Our main venture for the day was the Imperial Palace (Peterhof) which requires a half hour boat ride on a hydrofoil across the Gulf of Finland (of the Baltic Sea.)
This palace is known for it's great gold fountains.
It's called "the Russian Versaille" and I thought that that was a more accurate comparison.
It was built in 1721.
In front of the palace, looking down above the waterfalls towards the Gulf of Finland.
Our lovely group-
Inside the palace-
Behind the palace in the gardens, a newlywed couple were enjoying their day
We didn't stay long, headed back to St. Petersburg and walked around a bit more before we had to go back to Moscow.
The WWII Eternal Flame-
He didn't feel like smiling in front of a war memorial, but I felt a connection to it since my grandfather spent a significant amount of time in Russia during WWII and it is something our entire family holds a lot of pride in.
What was really strange were these brides taking pictures at the eternal flame. Some of them were holding Cosmopolitan stuff, so I suspect that it was a photoshoot or a contest for them.
The last big thing we saw was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood which is similar to that of Moscow's St. Basil's
Afterwards, we headed back to the train station and found a cafe to watch the Germany-Spain EuroCup final. We had a little bit to drink, watched some football, bought some fruit and water for the big trip back, and returned to the little 4-bunk room for the 12 hour ride home.
*I want to mention that we stayed at the Nevsky Hostel on Nevsky Prospekt. It was PERFECT. They were extremely accommodating, affordable, comfortable and right around the corner from the center of the city. I HIGHLY recommend it.
1 comment:
Saint Petersburg sounds amazing and the pictures are beautiful. Looks like you guys had a great time!
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