Russia - St Petersburg, Days 12-15 - Peterhof Palace, city views, Cathedrals

---

I stayed at the hotel in Moscow for the rest of the morning and got good sleep. My friend Ben had suggested that I take the overnight train, Red Arrow (?), VIP class with full Russian music at the platforms, to St Petersburg which was super tempting. However, what I mostly needed was sleep and was worried I would not sleep on the train and would get in too early to check into the hotel. So, I just booked business class on the train that left around 10am and took my time to pack up and relax.

The train station was just steps from the hotel, but lugging my giant suitcase around in that heat is never fun. I found the business class lounge and was able to get a bit of breakfast and tea before finding my train and seat. I was originally sat on the aisle at a 4-person table, but an older Russian guy asked (in gestures) if I preferred the window, which I most definitely did. It is about a four-hour journey and we got a full 3 course meal, including appetizer, main, and dessert as long with a drink, which I got a Sapernavi wine. Getting into the station at St Petersburg was a bit chaotic, as was the walk to the hotel. There were noticeably more people out and about than in Moscow, and that continued throughout my time here. I found my nearby hotel quickly, being slightly worried about the neighborhood, but the hotel itself was nice and friend, though very basic. When I was talked into returning to Saudi by the manager there, I told him he would pay for it and he said, yeah 7-star hotels, no problem. I should have taken him up on the offer!

Sky Bar

For the next few days, I was mostly focused on work, relaxing while I could, and seeing what I could. Maria from the Kamchatka trip recommended we meet for dinner and drinks at the Sky Bar in the middle of the city. So, I was able to get an uber thanks to the hotel staff and he took me straight there, with me admiring the real city along the way. People were still out and about, you could see the many canals, the architecture was beautiful - just a nice ride. The lovely top floor restaurant in the middle of the city gave you views of the whole city for miles, including the tallest building "Corn Tower" and a bonus was an impressive thunderstorm rolling in - we both loved that. The food was delicious - I got stuffed eggplant and steamed dumplings with duck and pumpkin filling. And we drank plenty of wine. The service was impeccable - the waiter switched seamless between Russian when talking to her and English when addressing me. It was nice, professional touch. I told her the dinner was on me, due to all the translating assistance she provided on our trip (which was also her vacation!) and planned to charge it back to the country manager in Saudi... :p

After dinner we went for a walk, which she said was very typical in St Petersburg - people were always walking. It was getting dark out, which gave you a different view of the city. We were able to chat some more and she pointed out the view point called Seven Bridges (because you could see seven bridges) and showed me her favorite building where it was her desire to move to one day when she could finally afford it. At this point I was getting sleepy (still time change) and she got me an uber to take me back to the hotel and we parted ways. I hope to see her again soon!

Historical Center

The next day, after getting some work done, I was able to take the afternoon and walk to the historical city center. That is the good thing about the sun staying out so late - at 3 pm, I still had plenty of time to see the sights! It was about a 2 mile walk from my hotel to the Admiralty. It was a fairly pleasant walk, though crowded! The stop lights have timing so you know how long you have to cross, both cars and pedestrians. Along the way, I passed some other areas of note, including the Kazan Cathedral, which was quite busy and with your typical tourist sales people (paintings and such).

Winter Palace and Palace Square

On approaching the park, I turned right and headed towards the Winter Palace / Hermitage. I saw a little kiosk with boat rides to Peterhof and waited to get some info, but it was a crowd, so I crossed over to the palace instead. It was impressive. And it is so huge, you cannot get the whole palace in one shot, but I did the best I could. There just entering into the Palace Square was a tourist office, so I went in and the nice guy helped me book my boat tickets to Peterhof on a hydrofoil for the next day.

After that, I wanted around the square some more and got some pictures of the incredible palace and the Alexander Column. I also noted horse drawn carriages and 18th century dressed people posing for photos. I was pleasantly surprised and how un-crowded it was here. The square was huge and while I could not get a good shot without people in the photo, there was never anyone around me. It was interesting.

Church of the Savior of the Spilled Blood

I knew we had disappointment from St Basil's, but I had read good reviews of this church, so I had hope. I walked around the back side and approached from the north to the cathedral, passing along the canal and beautiful old buildings. It was much less crowded on this side and a pleasant stroll. I got a good photo from the canal towards the church, and wryly noted that it was under construction (typical for my travels). I approached and was able to get a ticket fairly easily, less than St Basil's thankfully. I went inside immediately and was able to get an English audio guide. It was a bit confusing initially, but I finally figured out the layout and listened the guide occasionally just for the basic information. The interior of the church was just absolutely stunning and I wanted to focus my attention on all there was to see. There was the screen, and beautiful columns, and just the absolutely most amazing mosaics with depictions of the life of 'Jesus Christ, including a mosaic on the ceiling depicting him as a boy around 12. It was unique and inspiring. Just as I walked up to a column and noted that what I thought were paintings were in fact mosaics, the guide mentioned that all the art in the cathedral was mosaics. I mean.... wow. That is super impressive. I wish I could say more, and I wish the pictures could do it justice, but you'll just have to see the pictures yourself.

After leaving, I walked casually back through the park, grabbing an iced lemonade with raspberry and orange to quench my thirst on what was another hot day. I passed by the State Russian Museum, which was also quite lovely, but I was done touristing for the day. I was bummed when my purse strap broke completely and I had to awkwardly carry it back to the hotel, which was another two miles.

Peterhof Palace

The next day I had off completely and I got the earliest hydrofoil to Peterhof Palace. I had originally intended to take the metro, but the one nearest my hotel appeared to be closed for some reason - so, no metro sight-seeing in St Petersburg this trip apparently! I had no idea what to expect from the hydrofoil, but it was the fastest boat to the palace and... it just looked like a ferry to me. I had an assigned seat - it was pretty full on the way over and I had a middle aisle seat. It was really cool to see the "Corn Tower" on the way that Maria had previously pointed out.

We got off at a long jetty and made our way to shore, but you had to purchase a ticket before they let you through. This ticket was only for the expansive parks, which already looked impressive. I was able to get a pretty good view of the palace from a couple of bridges crossing the little river flowing to the water, in symmetrical fashion. Of course, there had been no cafes open that I could see on my walk to the boat, so I was famished and noted a few places that sold some very basic foods. I figured I would go to the palace first while it was still relatively not busy.

The fountains in front of the palace were just beautiful. Apparently the palace was inspired by and built to emulate the palace at Versailles on orders by Peter the Great. Beautiful gold sculptures, fountains, checkerboard patios, green plants, blue sky... just perfect. I walked to the ticket office and got entrance to the main palace tour. However, it was all in Russian and after putting booties over my shoes, I inquired about an English audio guide. One of the few people who spoke English told me they did not have, but I did not have to stick to the group tours and could wander through on my own time, many of the signs were in English too. So, while they had groups that left together as a tour, room to room to room, I was able to stay as long or as little as I liked. When one of the many ladies standing watched would ask me something (in Russian), I just said "English" and they nodded and allowed me to pass. It was actually kind of cool.

My first real taste of this luxurious retreat was the main staircase, covered in gold, I was told not to stop. Then I entered into a room with even more gold plating and lots of mirrors and windows. I noted right away that the palace itself is actually quite narrow - most rooms had windows on both sides, looking interior and towards the gardens. So, it was easy to pass through and follow the crowds. I probably won't get all the names right, but the other rooms that most impressed me were the Throne Room (large portrait of Catherine the Great, other portraits, and seafoam green walls with Burgundy drapes), Blue Reception Room, Ballroom, the two Chinese passage rooms, and the Portrait Room (with hundreds of portraits primarily of young women). There were also extremely impressive chandeliers, sculptures, clocks, candlesticks, and furniture. Obviously very rich, a little overwhelming, but very interesting to see.

Most of the gardens, the Lower Gardens, are located between a 16m high bluff and the water, and after touring the palace, I took my time walking around this beautiful space. First I tried for something to eat, but nothing really hit my fancy, so I just got another lemonade instead, I think it was mojito flavored. Interesting. I walked towards the Monplaisir Palace, which is located just off the water and was the summer retreat for Peter the Great. I did not go in, but walked around the impressive fountain and gardens. I then moved to see a couple of more fountains, and noted one area had an aviary, which I did not enter. A really cool fountain was the chessboard fountain, which sloped down the bluff with sheets of water along a black and white chessboard pattern and had three dragon sculptures at the top. It was really hard to get a good photo of it, even though I walked to the top, because it sat above the berm itself. Still, very cool to see. It was getting even hotter, so I made my way back to the boat, bought a ticket back, and had most of the boat to myself going back.

St Isaac's Cathedral and Return

I was a bit tired on the return, but decided to walk around some more, primarily seeing the the exterior of St Isaac's Cathedral, which was quite impressive. I loved walking through the park and seeing so many people just out enjoying the beautiful day, relaxing on the grass, enjoying life. The people here definitely take advantage of the summer months!

I walked back to my hotel, packed up, got my train ticket and went to sleep to be ready for my early departure time. I got business class on the high speed rail again, enjoyed the business class lounge, and had a whole table to myself, which was nice. Such a difference from the ride from Moscow. I got to the train station, found my way with my giant suitcase through the metro (helped by two very nice Russian guys at a couple places), and got business class on the express train again. So, the ride to the airport was super easy. I got my rapid PCR test done quickly with results back in an hour (you need to register online!), waiting at a Guinness bar for my results - Guinness was my lunch. Then tried to check in for my flight to Riyadh via Qatar Airways.... god that was an ordeal I won't dwell on here, but they almost did not let me board because something had not been updated in the system but when I finally got my computer on and showed them the pdf of proof, they barely looked, nodded and let me through. I almost screamed. The flight was not overly crowded, but there were some obnoxious Qataris all travelling together and I guess wanting to sit together, so they came to the seats around me and were just annoying the whole flight, including walking around while still taxiing despite the flight attendants admonishments. Then it was difficult to get into the lounge at the airport, again, because they were too busy. So, I just sat at the bar and had the last wine I would have for the next few weeks and quickly came down from the high of such a great trip....

---

Photos

Peterhof Palace
seafoam green and dark red - who knew?

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Architecture and food
We look forward to getting to Russia to enjoy the history, architecture and food.