Day 28 Back in the USSR

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The Princess Anastasia arrived in St Petersburg at around 8:00 am and after breakfast, we joined the VIP departure at 8:50 am towards Russian Immigration then followed by the Shuttle Bus to St Isaacs Square. After all the travelling we have done over the last 36 hours coupled with arriving in a place with a language that is very different to English we were both pretty disorientated but the penny finally dropped with our orientation on the three maps we were carrying and we made the short 5 minute walk to our accommodation. After dropping our bags off, we headed straight for St Isaacs Cathedral and the hop on - hop off bus and travelled the two routes around St Petersburg, The audio narration of the bus was excellent and provided us with a background to all the sites and places we will want to visit over the next 3 days.

There are two Egyptian granite Sphinx’s on the banks of the River Neva, transported from Egypt in the 1800’s And we were amazed that they were just planted on the River Bank, 3,500 years old. Just as the name of the City suggests, Peter the Great has played a big part in the City‘s history so just about every landmark is about him including the palaces and founding of the museum’s and universities. After taking the green and red line tours, we set off on foot to the banks of the River Neva walking past the Bronze Horseman statue and its huge granite pedestal. We then checked out the famous lion statutes and ventured over to Hare Island and the “Peter and Paul Fortress” which as a centrepiece includes the St Peter and St Paul Cathedral containing the remains of Peter the Great and the last Romanov’s all executed in 1918 including Anastasia.

Hare Island was also the bastion of the 1917 Revolution as the leadership group formed in the ex mansion of a Prima Ballerina who was forced the flee to Paris. The mansion os now a museum but balcony overlooking the park is still there and is where Lenin gave speeches from. We then caught the hop on hop off bus back to St Issac’s Square for some dinner tucker before retiring to our hotel room around 9:30 pm just as it was getting dark.

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Photos

St Petersburg
Our first glimpse of St Petersburg

St Petersburg
St Issacs Cathedral right next to our hotel

St Petersburg
The spire of St Peter St Paul Cathedral on Hare Island

St Petersburg
Metro Station at Victory Square in St Petersburg

St Petersburg
Tish on the steps of the Central Exhibition Hall righ outside our Hotel

St Petersburg
The bronze horseman - Peter the Great as. Roman Soldier trampling on a snake (Russia’s enemy’s)

St Petersburg
Tish on the River Neva with the University on the opposite vank

St Petersburg
Tish with St Isaac’s Cathedral in the background

St Petersberg
The Admirality Palace in St Petersburg

St Petersburg
The famous lion statues that guard the hydrofoil landing on the River Neva

St Petersburg
Looking across the River Neva at Peter and Paul Fort on Hare sland

St Petersburg
Tish looking back at the Hermitage from Gustaf Eiffel’s drawbridge

St Petersburg
Rostral Columns on either side o fthe old stock exchange building - all in the same proportions as Solomons Temple - Masonic Architecture

St Petersburg
St Peter and St Paul Cathedral Spire on Hare Island

St Petersburg
Tish on the bridge to Hare Island looking back at the Rostral Columns and Old Stock Exchange building

St Petersburg
Tish contemplating a dip in the River Neva at Peter and Paul fort

St Petersburg
Tish on the beach at Peter and Paul Fort on Hare Island

St Petersburg
St Isaacs Catherdral view from our hotel window

St Petersburg
On the bridge about to enter Hare Island

St Petersburg
Andrew clowning around on Hare Island

St Petersburg
They don’t call it Hare Island for nothing - The island was a swamp when Peter the Great first visited and he had to discard his boots upon which a hare jumped into one of his boots so he called the island “Hare Island”

St Petersburg
Peter the Great’s coffin in St Peter and St Paul Cathedral

St Petersburg
Inside the St Peter and St Paul Cathedral

St Petersburg
St Peter and St Paul Cathedral on Gare Island at the Perter and Paul Fort

St Petersburg
Our last view of St Peter and St Paul Cathedral at Peter and Paul Fort on Hare Island

Comments

[Shauna Carroll]

To Russia With Love!
Wow Guys! Looks incredible! How fascinating! How are you finding Russia generally? The people, the food.... Dying to hear all! Enjoy your last leg, and safe travels!