Tuesday, July 21, 2015

St. Petersburg!

St Petersburg!

After going through lots of security and customs, we entered Russia!  We had a short time in St. Petersburg so we had to little down time.  We took a bus tour of the city, went to one of the most intricate cathedrals, Isaac’s Cathedral, had lunch at a quaint restaurant, and then toured the Hermitage, which was Catherine the Great’s winter palace. 

In 1703 Peter the Great founded his capital. Outside of St. Isaac’s Cathedral there is a statue of Nicholas the first, who was conservative an unpopular with the people after his orders to make the swampy St. Petersburg into a great city.  There is a cathedral with a gold spire where most of the Czars are buried. 

St. Petersburg also claims to be the Venice of the North since it is built around canals and islands as well.  In comparison to Stockholm and Helsinki, and Tallinn, St. Petersburg was gray and reserved.  We didn’t have a lot of interaction with people like we did in the other cities.  I was enthralled by the floors in the Hermitage and all the different textures.  It was a very impressive mix of classical artists, sculptors and architects.  One of the highlights was seeing a couple of famous Da Vinci and Rembrandt paintings. 
Nicholas the first and St. Isaac's Cathedral 

The church of the Spilled Blood 

The Hermitage 

Inside Isaac's Cathedral 

An apartment complex 

Where the Czars are buried. 



the floors in the Winter Palace






I wish we had been able to spend more time in Russia to explore the culture a bit more. But, I am very grateful to have been able to see Russia and especially the beautiful buildings in St. Petersburg. 

No comments: