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Published: November 22nd 2008
Whilst on the plaskart to St Petesburgh I met Roma. He was in a band in St Petersburgh. I also met a dad and his son who lived in St Petesburgh and said at one point they had thought about making the move to Australia too. The traveling on the train was about 12 hours and I got to leningrad/ St Petesburgh at 2pm on the 22nd of August, 2008. Said good bye to Roma. He gave me his CD of his band and a small present. Luda ran into the train and hugged me. It was great like being reunited back in Olkhon! Her son Ilya (who is 21) picked us up and drove us home. I really like that name! We got stuck in traffic jams and made Ilya super late for work (cause we were about 3.5 hours from the station to home when really it should have been no more than
an hour). Yummy food for dinner, Chiboreki, greek salad, chicken and yum plum sauce. Zifir. Totally stuffed.
The next day (23/08/08) me and Luda ventured towards the Petrodovrets. Petrodvorets, on the gulf of Finland, is 29km west of St Petesburg. We got there by bus.
Luda's House 22/08/08
Dasha Luda's cat on my bed at Luda's place whilst I stayed there.The centrepiece of the palace is the Grand Cascade and Water Avenue, a symphony of over 140 fountains and canals. We got inside by first paying at the Lower Park (150R for Luda and 100R for me as a student). We saw the Grand Palace which is between the cascade and the upper gardens. Then we visited the colonade - like the small summer house Peter would escape to. He preferred simple this simple plainer house to the palace. We saw the sneaky fountains which start spraying water at you when you walk past them unawares. But most people were aware of this as the kids were taking turns running through the fountains. Luda brought me a present a shot glass with St Petesburgh written on it. It was really sweet of her and I thought it was really nice😊 We saw some musicians near some other fountains playing pipes - I'd never seen these types of instruements in action. After the Petrodovrets we went to the wooden church nearby. We had some chicken stew and potatoes nearby and the cafe forgot to deliver our lavasge - this Armenian/Georgia bread so I reminded them which they packed for us to
Luda's House 22/08/08
Dasha is such a model. take home.
On the way to catch the bus back to Luda's the bus tried to take off without Luda! When we were both safe and sound within our bus there was a lady that had passed out on the side of the road on our route back to St Petesburgh central. The bus driver pulled over and got out to see if the woman was ok. She got onto the bus and Luda gave her something to drink. She said she didn't know what happened it seemed she passed out on the side of the road.
When we got back to St Petesburgh central we went for a walk around. We saw some weddings and the Hermitage. We walked over the bridge to Vasilyevsky Island and past the fountains then up to St Isaac's cathedral. When we got to the Cathedral we went inside the museum and joined onto a tour. It was quite interesting all the details with the mosaics. Afterwards we climbed the 262 steps to the colonade and checked out the views around the dome's drum. Then we dragged ourselves back to the bus and eventually got home to tell the tale to Aunty
Olga - Luda's awesome 83 year old mum!
The next day (24/08/08) I woke a little later at 10:30. Anton drove to Pavlovsk. There we visited the park and palace designed by Charles Cameron between 1781 and 1786, and one of the most exquisite palaces in Russia. It was burnt down in WWII but restored again in 1970. After joining on to a guided roue we went around the park and walked past a reception for a wedding. After dancing to the music and having some guy cheer for me we walked along a road that turned into a meadow and it seemed we had gotten lost and we were on our way to another city! We turned back to try and make it Pushkinsko in time. On the way out we had some cheborekie for lunch that Luda had packed for us.
We got to Pushkinsko and then headed to Tsakskoe Selo & Pavlosk. We walked past the Rastrelli-designed Catherine Palace (the beautiful blue building we saw on the first day). It was built between 1752 and 1756 but almost destroyed in WWII. We didn't go inside however as it was closed. Then we went to the
Metro 23/08/08
A lady plays accordian. outer section of the park fringed by an intriguing array of structures, including a Chinese Pavilion (chiong palace), purposely Ruined Tower and Pyramid where Catherine the Great buried her dogs. We ended up getting lost near a fence somewhere and were trudging through mud for a while but its always fun to get lost with Luda so I wasnt disappointed.
The next day (25th of August 2008) Luda had to work so she left me to my own devices. I woke up at 10am and got the mashrutka to the city centre around 11am. I got the metro to Nevsky Prospect and walked to the Kazanskie Sabore. There is a really special icon there I think of the mother and the child. I don't really know why its special but people were lining up to venerate it. I decided these locals/tourists might know whats best and I followed suit.
I said a really meaningful prayer before kissing the icon and it actually felt really good you know maybe if you believe in confession and get something good off your chest to a priest, or when you say something to your bestie that you have wanted to say for
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Me at the entrance to the Lower Gardens. a while or really just get into the zone with your thoughts during a session of meditation of something (well you get my drift). And if you've never had this feeling and you feel were just not on the same page - well I don't know how to describe this feeling but read on anyway if you can be bothered. So I kissed the icon and put up a candle and it felt good. And then after that I just had an amazingly perfect day.
I went to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. This multi-domed church was partly modelled on St Basil's in Moscow (built between 1883 and 1907) on the spot were Alexander II was assassinated (hence the name maybe?) The interior is made up of crazy beautiful mosaics (about 7,000 sq metres according to the trans sib Lonely Planet 2006 guide). And costs maybe 150R to get in for students or Russian adults. In true Dasha style (or rather its the style I prefer most) I just casually walked in past the counter and continued may way into the church like I had to be there. No one asked me about paying and I
quickly attached myself to one of the many tours.
Unfortunately this tour was near its end. I quickly dislodged myself from the tour and continued to survey the premises. I kept peering to see when another tour would start. Eventually after about 10 minutes one did and like an annoying Australian, born in Russia commy tourist who sneaks into churches (and later museums) for free I quickly latched on to the second tour. Which was good cause I realised what the dead guys monument was all about and she told us about alot of the icons. After getting a good look around and being caught without having the proper sticker on my shirt to take photos - yep people this is Russia where they try to make money of you wherever possible - I made my way to the park with the eternal flame. The weather was not the best at this stage - it had gotten quite gloomy but I checked out this park anyways then I went and crossed the bridge to go to the Peter & Paul Fortress.
Dating from 1703, this is the oldest building in St Petesburgh, planned by Peter the great as
a defence against the Swedes. It never saw actions and its main use up to 1917 was a political prison. There was even a girl in history that was locked up here claiming to be one of Catherine the Great's illegitimate children (that Catherine would secretly visit in guards clothes) and rightful heiress to the throne. Walking up to the fortress I made myself useful and attached myself to a tour that was walking up to the fortress. I noticed a bunch of people getting left behind and taking photos so I followed suit. So we got told about the fortress and shown one of the new age monuments of Peter the Great who sorta looked abit buddha like and was shining from how much everyone rubbed him every time the tourists took photos with him.
We eventually made our way to SS Peter & Paul Cathedral, with its needle - thin, 122m- tall, gold spiral. Inside is a magnificent baroque interior, where Russia's prerevolutionary rulers from Peter the Great onwards have been lain to rest (excluding Peter II and Ivan VI). All the members of the Romonav family are buried here - you know the ones that got
shot in the basement - last royal family of Russia. Well apparently they even located the body of Anastascia (yes the one that they made a cartoon about - the one they thought got away) and I think she will be or already was buried there.
In the south wall is Nevesky Gate, where prisoners and executioners were loaded onto boats for executions. Also apparently a canon is fired at noon every single day - but I obviously missed it. Still it was great getting a free tour and getting into the church for free - sometimes I just love the fact that I can speak - or at least understand Russian.
Afterwards I walked up to the metro station. On the way up I saw this beautiful mosque - but couldn't find where to enter. It was made out of blue tiles. Then I got the metro back to Zvosdnaya and made my way home to Luda, Aunty Olga, Dasha, Ilya and Anton (her two sons being 21 and 26). Oh and I was very proud of myself as I managed to get all the correct transport to and fro to central St Petesburgh - a combination of marshrutka
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Grand Cascade and Water Avenue. for 30/40 mins plus metro woohoo!
So the next day I decided to go to the city again. This time again I got the marshrutkya and then the metro to Nevsky Propspect. However today was Hermitage touring day. The Hermitage is set in the Winter Palace, and its like the Lourve of the north maybe? Well its on the scale of the Louvre - actually someone - maybe it was Rubina I believe - told me she prefers it to the Louvre so there. Read some research that - at the time of print - to give justice to the art - it takes about 2 weeks to explore the whole thing. What a whooper of a museum. Anyway so the majority of tourists line up - and at the time I came it looked like a 40 minute line - via Dvortsovaya pl. IF your like me, and cant be bothered to wait - just go to the area where tour groups get in. Then wait in the waiting area, mingle, and eventually follow one of the bigger groups in at the back left - your less likely to get to get questioned by authorities this way and
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Grand Cascade and Water Avenue. less likely to be seen by the tour guide - in case she is aware of the people in her group. As soon as you get passed security - look to escape to the toilets and if no one comes and tapes you on the back - well voila your in the Hermitage - free to explore without paying and waiting in line. Also apparently you have to pay extra to take photos but there not strict on it here like they are in the Church of spilled blood they don't look at a sticker or ticket on you so even if you pay don't worry about paying for picture taking - just happily snap away at your life's content. As long as the staff there don't read this blog... well then I don't know.
Inside I joined a few tours along the way. Lucky they thought I was an English speaker and didn't quite kick me off but just asked me in English if I could get out of the way of the picture taking of the tour group members. I saw the beautiful, magnificent clock of the bird and the owl that gets wound up and played
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Grand Cascade and Water Avenue. every Wednesday at 5pm. I actually wanted to come back and see it get turned on but didn't get a chance to so I would advise people reading this and debating whether they should go to the Hermitage or not to firstly - do it, and secondly go on a Wednesday and go to the clock at 5pm to see it being wound up - but get there early as when I was there - maybe as it was summer - it was packed with lots of tourists in the room as it was. After a full day at the Hermitage - I stayed till close and me and this other guy were literally getting pushed out by security as I lingered and continued to discover beauty right until the very exit - I made my way back to Luda's and told her about my day. She was so very proud. I had also booked tickets to go to Tallin tomorrow. I didn't want to impose on Luda's kindness and genorosity any longer and I did want to spend sometime in Estonia before I got to Sweden. So I told her this - which she said she was happy for
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Grand Cascade and Water Avenue. me to see Estonia - she was a fan of Tallin - however she told me that I would never have been an imposition to her. She loved having me as a guest and despite the age difference - I think she was 28 years older than me - she felt like she had found a really close friend in me - like I in her. She would be sad to see me leave. Aunty Olga also. I brought her a cake as a thank you gift.
So the following day (26/08/08) I went and got my interneting done and got some vegetables and fruit for the bus ride that night to Tallin. I got up at 10:30am and didn't feel like I really did that much but before I knew it - it was 2pm and Luda was home to meet me to go to the station. Ilya was also was going to drive us. I felt a bit bad as I didn't want to put Ilya out again like I sort of felt the other day when he picked me up from the station but he insisted. So we got there in about 40 minutes which was
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Grand Cascade and Water Avenue. pretty sweet. Once we were there - I checked in my bags in the luggage minding facility. They checked in the baggage per item so I tried to shove bags into each other were I could and were I couldn't - well it was mainly my back pack left so i wore it.
Then I hugged Luda goodbye. I said thank you for everything - I was so very grateful for the awesome experience she gave me of St Petesburgh.
I know the St Petesburgh experience would not have been the same without her. I then went to look for a money changing place and she headed back home. I knew I would miss her. After finding the money changing place I realised they were open all night long so I decided I would squeeze one more thing of sight seeing before I got my money changed - so that I could change all my roubles to Estonian Kroner. I decided to head to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. It was a male monastery that still operated as a church. So I caught the metro to Pl Alexandra Nevskogo and made my way to the church/monastery. Its got the Tikvin Cemetery
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
There were quite a few people walking around in traditional clothes. In fact you could even hire this at some point and take photos in the clothes. there, The Lavrsky most and the Alexander Nevsky Gardens which are pretty nice to walk around and I did. One thing I noticed in Moscow and St Petesburgh is nobody really wears back packs - unless they are a skater or something. So hence if you are not carrying a shoulder bag or even a plastic bag with your goods then you are going to look like a tourist. And more like a foreign tourist not a Russian tourist. So when I got to the Lavra and took some photos, before making my way into the monastery complex I got stopped by the priest at the tourist booth. Who I was trying to ignore. He said in English to me - tickets please.
So I answered him in Russian but I thought this was a church. He said it is a church but it costs money if you are a tourist. I said I dont want to be a tourist I just want to go in put up a candle say a prayer and leave. He asked me where I was living. I said at the moment in St Petesburgh. He said it doesn't count if I had been living
Petrodovrets 23/08/08
Luda infront of some fountains. there for only 2 months. I said to him look I'm Russian shall I show you my passport? He said no no just go in. I was pretty shocked actually. Anyways that aside it was a beautiful church and the sermon was beautiful they had a lot of male priests and deacons and alter boys who were all men and the way they sang was beautiful. There were also these group of kids that came with a couple of adults - I thought maybe they were apart of an orphange group as there were some that looked Russian, some more Buyratian or Mongolian. Anyways it was amusing watching all their characters - some were trying to be very mature and set a good example, others were trying to push each other or just try and get the other person worked up a bit so that the other person would chase them and give them a bit of fun whilst they were at church. I went outside and walked around the garden. It was starting to get close to the time I wanted to catch my bus so I ended up heading to the bus station and I got some money
changed. I couldn't get in contact with Mikk. I ended up boarding the bus around 10pm.
On the bus I met this cool professor guy who worked between Russia and Estonia as a computer lecturer. He didn't know any Estonian but he didn't need to so much as he taught in English/Russian. He told me how he worked in America also and how one of his students used to tell him how she would travel Russia. With a much freer itinerary then my own. She would just leave the house - her and her boyfriend and then they would see how far east they would get from Moscow or St Petesburgh by hitchhiking and seeing ways they could get fed etc. I was like wow that's so random I love it. HE fed me all these lollies and drinks and he even gave me a blow up pillow to sleep on the bus!
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tatiana
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omg, i loved all the pictures :D all my memories just came back because i travelled to st.petersburg this summer too, it was amazing, best city ever! Everything there is just so beautiful, its such a rare city :)