13th November 2014: St Petersburg

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Today we had breakfast at a new cafe on the way to the Hermitage so as not to waste time back tracking. We joined the queue and waited in the chilly wind that was circling the Hermitage courtyard. School children and students gain free entry and many groups of small children were ushered through to waiting tour guides who gave talks geared to their understanding and needs.

The Hermitage is the oldest and largest museum in the world. Catherine the Great started it in 1764 as a private collection and it wasn't until 1852 that it was open to the public. It sits along the Palace Embankment on the River Neva and incorporates 6 buildings, including the Winter Palace which was home to the Imperial family for years.

Catherine acquired many full collections as well as individual pieces, and few art styles or periods are not represented. Sculptures, jewellery and various artefacts are among the 3 million items held, and it has the largest collection of paintings in the world. The reason I'm being so general about this is due to my lack of knowledge ( although I've never let that fact suppress an opinion before) and because it is just too large to explain. The buildings alone are worth the visit and they are an amazing glimpse at the excesses that possibly helped lead to the Revolution happening.

It's clear from our visit to St Petersburg that over the years Russia has produced some of the greatest cultural minds ever, and produced and preserved many of these cultural aspects of life for prosperity. The fact that young school children are taken and shown places like the Heritage can only help this continue.

As we left the Hermitage we were approached by a man enquiring if we would like a boat ride, an offer we took up as we had just finished discussing it; fate!. He led us to a boat moored in a canal and we joined a dozen or so other brave souls who were prepared to face the elements on the high seas. They supplied blankets for your comfort and Natalia quickly grabbed an armful to keep us warm. We sat on the outer deck for a better view and the wind was stinging. A few passengers went below to keep warm while up on deck I could barely feel my fingers. We went out into the Neva and then turned up a canal next to the Winter Gardens and wound our way through a number of canals and under quite a few bridges. I have read where St Petersburg has over 200 bridges and 300kms of canals so our one hour tour was a tiny taste.

Tim had bought a one hour guide book for the Hermitage which we followed pretty closely. It must have meant it took one hour to read it because after 5.5hrs, we walked out the doors having not covered the whole museum. This, combined with our boat ride, left us little time to go back to our rooms and get ready for the ballet. Sue did some souvenir shopping at the hotel gift shop and we were ready to go. The show starting time left us little time for dinner but the good folk at the Idiot Restaurant assured us as long as we avoided certain dishes we could be done in 15 minutes. As a bonus the waitress brought out complimentary vodkas to help us face the icy chill outside. Mine went to Tim so he was well insulated.

We made it to the Mariinskiy Theatre with minutes to spare and these are shows you don't arrive late too. If you are late I believe you wait until the first break in the performance. The original theatre was built in 1860 and is situated along the bank of a canal. I can imagine people turning up by boat as well as carriage and it would have been a fine affair in its glory days. The new theatre is on the opposite bank and is linked to the older one by an overhead walkway. We went to the new theatre and while missing the old world charm, it is an amazing high class building.

The ballet, another new experience, was a wonderful night out and many of St Petersburg's young and older fans had dressed up for this night. This is not a cheap night out so this is possibly a rare treat for many. I imagine the man in front of me who fell asleep did not share my view. The performance was on a huge stage and the speed, behind curtains, of the complex set changes was mind boggling. Buildings, staircases, bridges and all sorts of things were silently installed in minutes. At one stage Natalia counted over 60 performers on the stage so it was a big production, from St Petersburg's premier opera company. The story was Romeo and Juliet and the program explained each act in detail. We left before the applause finished so we could pick up our coats (Camino jacket in my case, waterproof and all) at the cloakroom and beat the crowd. Zoom Zoom was our last stop for a coffee, and indeed the final act in Russia for us.

I'd have to say Russia was not what I expected, but I only had a brief tourist view of the place. There is plenty to do and see, and while most of it is not ancient, as in say, Rome, it has experienced many changes just as important and dramatic as any other time in history. The fact that most of this occurred at the same time that Australia was experiencing white settlement makes it a pretty recent development . Having not mixed with Russian people, I can only form an opinion on what I experienced. In any establishment we went to the people were very helpful and friendly and were always interested to know if you enjoyed the food they had served you. Out in the street Russians seem to be in a hurry with a sense of purpose, but that could just be a determination to get out of the cold weather as soon as possible. The actual town of St Petersburg is spotless and, while the buildings show signs of weathering and greying, there is no sign of rubbish anywhere.

It would have been difficult touring St Petersburg without a Russian interpreter so I have to thank Tim for that. The difference in alphabet makes a cursory glance at a sign useless as the letters and word construction is so foreign to us. It was a great experience, I'm glad we did it, and now we're going to Italy; from structured organisation to complete chaos.

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Photos

Gosti Cafe
A good breakfast to start the day but I'm sure most places sell cappuccino to charge more money. They are rarely cappuccinos.

An internal garden.
During the war this was converted to grow vegetables.

The Malachite Room
Where the last meeting of the bourgeois government was held immediately prior to their arrest, starting the Russian Revolution

Comments

[Home and Away]

I've continued to enjoy your blogs...
I'm curious as to how Part 2 of your vacation has affected your memories of Part 1 on the Camino. Many pilgrims experience a downer after the exhilaration of the Way, but you've been on the go and perhaps have delayed this emotion. Is Part 2 in any way and anticlimax? Also, you might want to edit the location to show St Petersburg rather than Milan. Presently this blog and all your pictures will show up under Milan for those researching a trip to Milan.

[sherrys]

Part One vs Part Two
First, thanks for the tip about changing the cities and I'm glad you've enjoyed the blog. Since the Camino ended, does it really end?, we have been so taken up with the European part of the trip that the full impact of the Camino hasn't really kicked in.some people reading this will think its a bit 'airy fairy' but the Camino really is a pilgrimage, in some way, for everyone who walks it. Our Camino was taken up with a few issues and we had some time delays so the full impact is yet to be felt. I think you should really go it alone, take as little electronic gear with you as possible, if you do a blog make it small and unobtrusive; just walk, eat, sleep, enjoy and benefit from the company of others, help out where you can and just soak it up. Our Camino was great and I'm sure on reading the blog myself, many memories and emotions will come flooding back. Part Two was fantastic and we are so lucky to be able to have that much time away, let alone travel to amazing places, but the basis of the trip was always the Camino for me. Cheers Steve

[D MJ Binkley]

St Petersburg
Wow