ART TREASURES, EROTICA MUSEUM AND TAPEWORMS...

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As in Moscow there is heavy traffic getting to St. Pete, it's Friday and the roads are quite busy, we got to our hotel, "St. Petersburg" with a big Baltika sign at the top, quite a popular hotel, lots of other groups there checking in. We were made to wait more than 45 mins. for our room to be ready and it is past noontime. We started unloading our things from Gisele, took me quite a long time to find all my things and sort them out. While waiting the bar team decided to start our farewell party right in the parking lot, tables out, utensils, boxes, there is wine and even champagne and of course beers to go along with cheese, fruits, and nuts. I am quite sad to see this trip end, 6 1/2 mos this was my life and my home(gisele) hardly got separated from the truck only 2 instances, one in Uzbekistan and one time in China. Happy times and we celebrated, blaring oldies music on, one of the security guys was not happy at all and told Sasha we cannot drink there has to be outside of the parking lot, we did not pay attention really and he kind of gave up as later on came back and said to Sasha it's ok now. We had fun waving the big red hand on the traffic, most people are game and even honk at us, we made kids smile and oldies frown, a couple of pedestrians came and hang out with us a bit, one of them is an Uzbek and he was quite happy to learn the truck's been to his country. Anyway after all that craziness we checked in to our romm, I had a quick shower and went for dinner with most of the group, we crossed the bridge and started looking for cafes and bars, there were about a dozen of us and I can't figure out why they dont seem to be happy to get some business, most cafes we checked out are not very eager and accomodating, not enough chairs, no room, no beer, etc. but we finally found a small cafe, the owner is a big hefty lady half Irish/Russian, speaks a bit of English so it helps, the restaurant also doubles as a disco, strobe lights going as you enter the door. Beer was flowing, meal was quite good, silly photos taken, as usual the locals joined in on us, we were befriended by 3 blokes who offered vodkas and who can refuse, so I downed some, good conversations, one of the guys work at a souvenir stall next to the Aurora ship and offered me big discount if I stop by, maybe. The night went on and as best as I could remember we were looking for a place to party but we were too drunk, we went to a supermarket instead and more booze was bought, then somehow it abruptly ended went back to the hotel and I woke up with a half full Baltika 7 on the table, must be Peter's.

Early start cause we have a city tour today, very bad hang over, quite dehydrated run to Gisele and get more water , could hardly eat anything feeling the ill effects of vodka, never again... Were seeing the city on a bus, the guide is quite funny and made it more interesting, we stoppedat a few attractions, not really going in any, she brought us to a local market next to her neighborhood, oh forgot to mention we decided today is silly hat day, we have to wear the silliest hat souvenirs we bought on this trip, I wore the Mongoilan hat I Bought at Yolyn Am, my favorite, at the market it was a big hit, the ladies in the vegetable section we chuckling, and I can hear them identifying where the hats are from, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, then I heard Genghis Khan(me), they had fun with us as much as we had fun with them. Ron took it to the distance as we got out of the market he approached a group of tourists with his silly hat on and starting putting it on their heads, quite funny, as if watching the funniest videos live. At one stop on a bridge in the river a guy approached me and wanted to borrow my hat for photograph, I said no and walked away, Kazan came to mind, never again give my things to strangers, may never get it back again.. At the end of the tour we got dropped off at the main street the Nevsky Prospekt. Had lunch at KFC then met up with the rest of the group to get to the Hermitage, an amazing place, all the art treasures, paintings, icons, one of the highlights of St. Pete. Still hung over so at the end of the tour I opted to go back with Catherine and Peter, the rest styaed and enjoyed the Hermitage some more. It was a good 45 minute walk to get back to our hotel, chilled out a bit and had a quick dinne then off to bed.

The next morning I met up with Bruce and Ron for we have a mission, the first in the agenda is to go to the Erotica museum about 1/2 hour walk from the hotel, it was 9ish on a Sunday hardly anybody on the streets, I am the guide for the day, map in hand we found the street but it turned out to be at the very end of the long street, along the way we passed by a metro station, a wedding, Consulates of the USA, Austria and Germany we were chuckling as to where would the expats normally would hang out, maybe at the Erotica museum next door which also doubles as a Venereal Disease clinic, I kid you not! As you enter you can immediately see there is something erotic and kinky in this place, the lady in a white nurse attire welcomed us and she explained there is no fee to enter but has to buy a souvenir item to get a pass, she pointed to the glass enclosed shelf, with x rated videos, dildos, magazines, postcards etc, it was funny!! If only Andy S., Angus and Nigel were here! A channel 25 alternative!! So anyway we bought our souvenir and we got a passport to prove we've been there. We have to wear those shoe cover thingos and the exhibit is right along the hallway of the clinic, so you go around while the patients sit and wait for their turn, it was a very clean place mind you, quite sterile looking, there were a couple of young guys there being seen and we probably embarassed them, they thought coming to the clinic on a Sunday morning will be safe, think again, we are not regular tourists. The exhibits are all naturally of sexual nature, I need not to elaborate on that, nothing graphic though, so it's not so bad, except there sitting preserved on a jar in the corner is what apparently Rasputin's private organ, his "ding- a -ling ", unbelievably gross. Yes a ruler would have been put to shame, need I say more... no photos, I did not bother, but Ron and Bruce I believe got the set of postcards with that on it.

We left after taking a few silly photos with the cardboard posters, then off to take the metro to get to the other side of town, took us awhile to figure out where we wre in the metro but it helps to be 3. We did the churches again went inside with them at St. Isaac's to get to the top and have a bird's eye view of the city , then looked for the vodka museum but unfortunately is shut, nada, no more.
We made our way to the Zoology Museum, had lunch first at this chic looking restaurant next to the Rostral Column thing near the river.
They took forever to serve us and when they did the waiter is a complete goof up, he took our orders wrong we all want the Carbonara, when it came it was the Fruitte de Mare which is more expensive, I said to him this is the Carbonara?, he said i think so, I told him no wrong order replace it since Ron is allergic to seafoods, he asked if we could just have it instead, will do but only if the price is that of the Carbonara, no problem. It was actually quite delicious, and Ron got his Carbonara eventually.

Off to the Zoology museum from there, I've never been to a place with all these stuffed animals before, quite a find it turned out to be an interesting museum, and I noticed lots of young couples here, the guys took their dates out here to see stuffed animals ,hmmm...it's got everything from the lowest form to the primates, Parasitology 101 for me all over again they have all the parasites I studied in school, tapeworms, roundworms, flukes, boy am glad we had lunch first, it also made me think, of all the things I've eaten during this overlanding I wonder if one of those are already residing in my tummy. The main reason we want to come here is to see the skeletal remains of the Mammoth which did not dissapoint us, it is huge! After about an hour walking around we moved to the next floor, the insect jungle, only you have to pay so we skipped it, other than that we had a great time!

Next up is the river cruise, 500 rubles for 45 mins. cruise with a guide only speaking in Russian, priceless. We bought some Baltikas to accompany us, and Bruce made his own commentary translating the Russian to us in English, only he nyet Russki. On the same boat were bunch of friendly Moscovites,they brought champagne with them, but we did not engage in conversation till were through so no we did not partake in polishing the drinks off. Took the taxi to get back quickly, quite scary as he sweved through traffic taxi here is not cheap, and all along we feel he is giving us the long trip back, eventually made it in one piece and paid dearly. That night is our last time together, tomorrow everyone's going their own way. Oh I saw the Contiki bus parked somewhere, I wonder how much a good time these guys are having.

Next morning woke up early, 6am to see people off, first up is the group going back to Dover with the truck, only the first leg they have to take the bus to Talinn, Estonia, sad farewell, off they go on a taxicab to the bus station,then Tony and Claire bid their goodbyes, It was very sad for me to say bye to them after 6 1/2 mos we're together, a few tears were shed, but we all need to move on . Last time perhaps I'm gonna see the truck, my home for a better part of the year. Then Peter left me with the packed lunch I prepared for him the night before.

At breakfast met the last few remaining, finalized the taxi car pool with Catherine to the airport later today and I decide to explore the city one last time, walked my way to Nevsky prospekt, walk around and enjoy this fabulous city for the last time, I normally despise big cities but St. Pete. is fantastic and would like to come back again and see the palaces and gardens I missed, located in the outskirts of the city, yes, another time. Taxi to the airport is @ 12pm, oops its already 1105am and I am still in the main st. walked as fast as I could, when I crossed the 1st bridge I knew I am not gonna make it, so I started running for 15 minutes I ran and eventually made it with 10 minutes to spare, It was a forced exercise, the last time I ran was @ 2000m at bush camp somewhere in Kyrgyzstan. Anyway, saw Catherine standing in the lobby all set and ready, I yelled 5 minutes will be down, ran up and showered and got everything in a hurry, was 5 minutes late so no time for long goodbyes, Amy, Bruce, Andrew saw us off.

Big traffic we hit within the city took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport, Cath is flying domestic at Pulkovo 1, my terminal is Pulkovo 2, I asked the driver to take me theer he said only for extra 500 rubles as he have to make a loop around, I decided to find my own way. To my dissapointment no shuttle bus, the taxi drivers knowing my predicament offer 1000 ruble to take me to the other terminal, I balked I said no freaking way, it went down to 600 but I don't have that much anymore. As we were let off at the arrival area I decided to go up to the departure lounge to see if I can find a shuttle bus, got to go through securit xray with my by now 1 ton pack, found an information booth, only no English, she pointed me to another booth, the transfer booth, no English either, I explained to her as best as I could in sign language and she asked for my ticket, now this service I believe is purely for transit passengers with connections to the other terminal after a flight that arrives here, I am starting my flight here and I am on the wrong terminal, either she could not understand the ticket or she just want to get rid of me, she yelled wait here. So I waited and after 15 minutes she summoned me to follow her and she directed me to a dilapidated van parked outside and told me to get in, I asked it's free? She nodded, and off we go to the right terminal, I got there with plenty of time my flight is still hours away, just decided to go with Cath to save money, the taxi between us is 1200 rubles(approx $60).

Had lunch at the airport restaurant,chekced in and waited at the lounge, then realized I have some rubbles still to burn so I went to the duty free shop and bought vodkas and chocolates, only the cashier wont let me through she said no alcohol for transit, you connect in London, you can't take this, So I said fine then just give me the chocolates, this would be my last encounter with a very friendly Russian.


ANDY'S TAKE ON RUSSIA:


10 Things I have learnt in Russia BY ANDREW KERR:


>>1. People that tell you they are mafia probably aren't (at least I
>>hope they aren't).
>>2. If you are given conflicting sets of directions by the official
>>tourist information centre and a man dressed in a large bear
>>costume, the bear will always be correct.
>>3. Most laundramats take only 7 days to do a load of washing,
>>however ironing will take a little longer.
>>4. Don't throw money in St Petersburg fountains, if it's not taken
>>by drug addicts it will certaininly end up in the underpants of a
>>mad Russian performance artist.
>>5. It's best not to get stuck in Kremlins after dark.
>>6. The stated closing time for any attraction is a total fantasy.
>>An museum, palace etc. will close when the staff are bored enough
>>to break their inertia and actually get up. This usually takes
>>place about half an hour after you arrive.
>>7. If Russia wants to win any Olympic sprinting medals it simply
>>needs a team of babushkas who've just seen a tourist enter a museum
>>exhibit from the wrong exit/take a photo in a church without
>>payment/do anything at all without the appropriate ticket.
>>8. There are no non smokers in Russia. A non smoking area in a
>>restaurant nothing more than a challenge and will probably have
>>more smoke in it than the smoking area.
>>9. Baltika 7 is better than Baltika 3 (those of you who've
>>appreciated Russian beer will know what I'm talking about).
>>10. Vodka was sent by the devil.

WIKI INFO:


SAINT PETERSBURG:

Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг (help·info), tr.: Sankt-Peterburg, IPA: ) is a city and a federal subject located in Northwestern Federal District of Russia on the Neva River at the east end of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. St. Petersburg's informal name, Piter (Питер), is based on how Peter the Great was called by foreigners. The city's other names were Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914-1924) and Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924-1991)

Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27, 1703 to be his "window to Europe", it was capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1712-1728, 1732-1918). St. Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is Russia's second largest and Europe's third largest city (by city limit) after Moscow and London. At latitude 59°56′N, Saint Petersburg is the world's largest city north of Moscow (55°45′N). 4.6 million people live in the city, and over 6 million people in the city with its vicinity. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. The city, as federal subject, has a total area of 1439 square km.

St. Petersburg enjoys the image of being the most European city of Russia. Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The historic center of St. Petersburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, the city is impressive, and is sometimes referred to in Russia as "the Northern Capital" (северная столица, severnaya stolitsa).


The area of Saint Petersburg city proper is 605.8 km². The area of the federal subject is 1439 km², which contains the Saint Petersburg proper, and suburban towns (Kolpino, Krasnoye Selo, Kronstadt, Lomonosov, Pavlovsk, Peterhof, Pushkin, Sestroretsk and Zelenogorsk), all together over 20 municipalities and rural localities.

Saint Petersburg is situated on the middle taiga lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, and islands of the river delta. The largest are Vasilyevsky island (besides the artificial island between Obvodny canal and Fontanka, and Kotlin in the Neva Bay), Petrogradsky, Dekabristov and Krestovsky. The latter together with Yelagin and Kamenny island are covered mostly by parks.

The Karelian Isthmus, north of the city, is a popular resort area. In the south Saint Petersburg crosses the Baltic-Ladoga Klint and meets the Izhora Heights.

The elevation of Saint Petersburg ranges from the sea level to its highest point of 175.9 m (577') at the Orekhovaya hill in the Duderhof Heights in the south. Part of the city's territory west of Liteyny Prospekt, is no higher than 4 m above sea level, and has suffered from numerous floods. Floods in Saint Petersburg are triggered by a long wave in the Baltic Sea, caused by meteorological conditions, winds and shallowness of the Neva Bay. The most disastrous floods occurred in 1824 (421 cm above sea-level), 1924 (380 cm), 1777 (321cm), 1955 (293 cm) and 1975 (281 cm). To prevent floods, the Saint Petersburg Dam has been under construction since 1979.

Since the 18th century the terrain in the city has been raised artificially, at some places by more than 4 m, making mergers of several islands, and changing the hydrology of the city.

Besides Neva and its distributaries, other important rivers of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg are Sestra, Okhta and Izhora. The largest lake is Sestroretsky Razliv in the north, followed by Lakhtinsky Razliv, Suzdal Lakes and other smaller lakes.

St. Petersburg's position on the latitude of ca. 60° N, causes variation in day length across seasons, ranging from 5:53 to 18:50. Twilight may last all night in early summer, from June to mid-July, the celebrated phenomenon known as the white nights.

Saint Petersburg experiences a humid continental climate of the cool summer subtype (Köppen: Dfb), due to the distinct moderating influence of the Baltic Sea cyclons. Summers are typically cool, humid and quite short, while winters are long, cold, but with frequent warm spells. The average daily temperature in July is 22C (72 F), summer maximum is about 34C (94F), winter minimum is about -27 °C (-17 °F), the record low temperature is -35.9 °C (-33 °F), recorded in 1883. The average wholeyear temperature is +4 °C (39 °F). The River Neva within the city limits usually freezes up in November-December, break-up occurs in April. From December to March there are 123 days average with snow cover, which reaches the average of 24 cm (9.5") by February. The frost-free period in the city lasts on average for about 135 days. The city has a climate slightly warmer than its suburbs. Weather conditions are quite variable all year round.

Average annual precipitation varies across the city, averaging 600 mm per year and reaching maximum in late summer. Soil moisture is almost always high because of lower evapotranspiration due to the cool climate. air humidity is 78% on average, overcast is 165 days a year on average.

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. 2002 census recorded population of the federal subject 4,661,219, or 3.21% of the total population of Russia. The 2002 census recorded twenty-two ethnic groups of more than two thousand persons each. The ethnic composition was: Russian 84.72% • Ukrainian 1.87% • Belarusians 1.17% • Jewish 0.78% • Tatar 0.76% • Armenian 0.41% • Azeri 0.36% • Georgian 0.22% • Chuvash 0.13% • Polish 0.10% and many other smaller ethnic groups. 7.89% of the inhabitants declined to state their ethnicity.

The 20th century saw hectic ups and downs in population. From 2.4 million in 1916 it had dropped to less than 740 thousand by 1920 during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and Russian Civil War. The sizeable minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were almost completely expelled from Leningrad by the Soviet government. From 1941 to the end of 1943, population dropped from 3 million to less than 700 thousand, as people died in battles, starved to death during the Siege of Leningrad, or were evacuated. After the siege, some of the evacuees returned, but most influx was due to migration from other parts of the Soviet Union. The city absorbed 3 million people in the 1950s and grew over 5 million in the 1980s. From 1991 to 2006 the city's population decreased to current 4,6 million, while the suburban population increased due to privatization of land and massive move to suburbs. Birth rate remains lower than death rate, people over 65 make more than 20% of population, and the median age is about 40 years.

People in urban Saint Petersburg live mostly in apartments. Between 1918 and 1990s, the Soviets nationalised housing and forced residents to share communal apartments (kommunalkas). With 68% living in shared flats in the 1930s, Leningrad was the largest city in the USSR by the number of kommunalkas. Resettling residents of kommunalkas is now on the way, albeit shared apartments are still not uncommon. As new boroughs were built on the outskirts in the 1950s-1980s, over half a million low income families eventually received free apartments, and additional hundred thousand condos were purchased by the middle class. While economic and social activity is concentrated in the historic city centre, the richest part of Saint Petersburg, most people live in the commuter areas.

For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 9.1 per 1000



As in other large Russian cities, Saint Petersburg experiences fairly high levels of Street crime and bribery. In addition, in recent years there has been a noticeable increase in racially motivated violence. On the other hand, unlike in Moscow, there have been no major terrorist attacks in St. Petersburg in recent years.

In the end of the 1980s - beginning of the 1990s Leningrad became home to a number of gangs, such as Tambov Gang, Malyshev Gang, Kazan Gang and ethnic criminal groups, engaged in a racket, extortion and violent clashes with each other.

After the sensational assassinations of City Property Committee Chairman Mikhail Manevich (1997), State Duma deputy Galina Starovoytova (1998), acting City Legislature Speaker Viktor Novosyolov (1999) and a number of prominent businesspeople, Saint Petersburg was dubbed capital of crime in the Russian press.

The majestic appearance of St. Petersburg is achieved through a variety of architectural details including long, straight boulevards, vast spaces, gardens and parks, decorative wrought-iron fences, monuments and decorative sculptures. The Neva River itself, together with its many canals and their granite embankments and bridges gives the city a unique and striking ambience. These bodies of water led to St. Petersburg being given the name of "Venice of the North".

St. Petersburg's position below the Arctic Circle, on the same latitude as nearby Helsinki, Stockholm, Aberdeen and Oslo (60° N), causes twilight to last all night in May, June and July. This celebrated phenomenon is known as the "white nights". The white nights are closely linked to another attraction — the eight drawbridges spanning the Neva. Tourists flock to see the bridges drawn and lowered again at night to allow shipping to pass up and down the river. Bridges open from May to late October according to a special schedule between approximately 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.

The historical center of St. Petersburg, sometimes called the outdoor museum of Architecture, was the first Russian patrimony inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Saint Petersburg is built on what originally were more than 100 islands created by a maze of rivers, creeks, canals, gulfs, lakes and ponds and other bodies of water that flow into the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Neva river.

Peter the Great was designing the city as another Amsterdam and Venice, with canals instead of streets and citizens skillful in sailing. Initially, there were only about ten bridges constructed in the city, mainly across ditches and minor creeks. By Peter's plans, in the summer months, the citizens were supposed to move around in boats, and in the winter months when the water froze to move in sledges. However, after Peter's death, new bridges were built, as it was a much easier way of transportation. Temporary pontoon bridges were built across Neva in the summertime. The largest temporary bridge across the Bolshaya Neva was in operation from 1727 to 1850.

The first permanent bridge of bricks and stones across the main waters of Bolshaya Neva river was the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, built from 1843 to 1850, and opened in 1850. A familiar view of St. Petersburg is a drawbridge across the Neva. Every night during the navigation period from April to November, 22 bridges across Neva and main canals are drawn to let ships pass in and out of the Baltic Sea.

Today, there are 342 bridges over canals and rivers of various sizes, styles and constructions, built at different periods. Over 800 smaller bridges over smaller ponds and streams are gracing public parks and gardens, the popular places for entertainment and leisure.

Thanks to the intricate web of canals, St. Petersburg is often called the "Venice of the North" which is a popular poetic name for the northern capital.While many cathedrals and buildings formerly owned by churches and monasteries still belong to the Russian government, since their seizure in 1917, some were eventually returned to congregations. The largest cathedral in the city is St Isaac's Cathedral (1818-1858), it is the biggest gold-plated dome in the world. It was constructed over 40 years under supervision of architects Auguste de Montferrand and Vasily Stasov. The Kazan Cathedral on the Nevsky Prospekt is a national landmark in the Empire style, modeled after St Peter's, Vatican. The Church of the Savior on Blood (1883-1907), is a monument in the old Russian style which marks the spot of Alexander II's assassination. The Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712-1732), a long-time symbol of the city, contains the sepulchers of Peter the Great and other Russian emperors. The St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Great Choral Synagogue are near the Mariinsky Opera Theatre. Most cathedrals and temples operate today as places of worship as well as museums, and there are numerous other places of worship in all major religions.

Of baroque structures, the grandest is the white-and-blue Smolny Convent (1748-1764), later the Smolny Institute, a striking design by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, but never completed. It is followed by the Naval Cathedral of St Nicholas (1753-1762), a lofty structure dedicated to the Russian Navy, the outside being covered with plaques to sailors lost at sea. The church of Sts. Simeon and Anna (1731-1734), St. Sampson Cathedral (1728-1740), St. Pantaleon church (1735-1739), and St. Andrew's Cathedral (1764-1780) are all worth mentioning.

The Neoclassical churches are numerous. Many of them are intended to dominate vast squares, like St. Vladimir's Cathedral (1769-1789), not to be confused with the church of Our Lady of Vladimir (1761-1783). The Transfiguration Cathedral (1827-29) and the Trinity Cathedral (1828-1835, fire-damaged) were both designed by Vasily Stasov. Smaller churches include the Konyushennaya (1816-1823), also by Stasov, the "Easter Cake" church (1785-1787), noted for its droll appearance, St Catherine church on the Vasilievsky Island (1768-1771), and numerous non-Orthodox churches on the Nevsky Prospekt.

The Alexander Nevsky Monastery, intended to house the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky, is graced by two cathedrals and five smaller churches in various styles. The monastery is also one of three main centers of Christian education in Russia, having the Russian Orthodox Academy and Seminary and the residence of the St. Petersburg Patriarch. It is also remarkable for the Tikhvin Cemetery, with graves of such dignitaries as writers Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Ivan Krylov, composers Pyotr Ilyich Tchaykovsky and Modest Mussorgsky, pianist Anton Rubinstein, director Georgy Tovstonogov, actors Fyodor Stravinsky, Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Nikolay Simonov, mayor Anatoly Sobchak and many other notable Russians.

The Grand Choral Synagogue of St. Petersburg is the second largest in Europe. It was opened in 1893, with the building permit obtained in 1869 from the Tsar Alexander II. The Small Synagogue was opened in 1886. On 5 Tamuz 5761 (June 26, 2001), the greater hall ("Bolshoi Zal" in Russian) was reopened after reconstruction.

Two small churches in the early Gothic Revival style, both designed by Yuri Felten, are the St John the Baptist (1776-1781) and the Chesmenskaya (1777-1780). The late 19th century and early 20th century temples are designed in the Russian Revival or Byzantine Revival styles. Saint Petersburg Mosque (1909-1920), once the largest in Europe, is modeled after the Gur-e Amir Mosque in Samarkand.

St Petersburg Buddhist temple was the first in Europe. Construction was funded by subscriptions of the Dalai Lama and Russian and Mongolian Buddhists; the structure was inaugurated in the presence of Itigilov in 1914 and served as a valuable resource to transient Buryats, Kalmyks and other Buddists during World War I. It did not function from 1935 to 1991, when the lamas passed into gulags, and temple and its grounds were used for secular purposes. In 1991 the St. Petersburg datsan was reopened for worship.


The ensemble of Peter and Paul Fortress with the Peter and Paul Cathedral takes dominant position on the right bank of the Neva river, across the Winter Palace in the center of the city. A boardwalk was built along a portion of the fortress wall, giving visitors a clear view of the city across the river to the south. On the other bank of the Neva, the spit (Strelka) of the Vasilievsky Island is graced by the former Bourse building (1805-1810), an important lanmark in the style of the Greek Revival, is now home of the Museum of Navy. The spit of the Vasilievsky Island is designed as a classic lawn-park on the waterfront, and is highlighted by two tall and colorful Rostral Columns, decorated with statues and prows of battleships. This is a traditional place for music festivals and public events, such as the White Nights festival.

The most famous of St. Petersburg's museums is the Hermitage, one of the world's largest and richest collections of Western European art. Its vast holdings were originally exhibited in the Greek Revival building (1838-1852) by Leo von Klenze, now called the New Hermitage. But the first Russian museum was established by Peter the Great in the Kunstkammer, erected in 1718-1734 on the opposite bank of the Neva River and formerly a home to the Russian Academy of Sciences. Other popular tourist destinations include the State Russian Museum and the Summer Garden, the Ethnography Museum (1900-1911), Stieglitz Museum of Applied Arts (1885-1895), the Suvorov Museum of Military History (1901-1904), and the Political History Museum (1904-06).

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Photos

ST.PETE
HERMITAGE

ST.PETE
HERMITAGE

ST.PETE
FAREWELL PARTY

ST.PETE
TONY

ST.PETE
TONY AND AMY HOPING FOR A WAVE

ST.PETE
DINNER

ST.PETE
OUR CITY TOUR GUIDE

ST.PETE
EROTICA MUSEUM PASSPORT

ST.PETE
SILLY HAT DAY ON CITY TOUR; ST. ISAAC

Comments

[Jose]

Cultural Meссa St.Pete
Nice story and lots of useful travel tips :) thanks for sharing. By the way there are plenty of extravagant places in the centre along Nevsky and besides. I recollect a cafe in a gothic style, dark sombre entourage inside and waiters are vampires. I forgot the name, but I do remember another one it's called a show-bar Zavist https://www.instagram.com/zavistbar/ nice entertaining place with dance shows, hookah and decent bar in case you feel like chilling after a day-trekking