After a whole day on a bus and some drama at the border, I was tired, hungry, and traumatized (international travel is not for the faint of heart) by the time we made it to Russia. I really just wanted to come home! But after a good dinner, a good night's sleep, and a new tour guide (who was awesome) I was ready to go again. St. Petersburg did not disappoint.
Our first visit was to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery which was founded by Peter the Great in 1710.
Holy Trinity Cathedral is located inside the monastery and it was magnificent.
Since we were at the monastery, I asked our guide if we could visit the Tikhvin Cemetery. I have such a passion for Russian music and literature and many famous composers and authors are buried there. He asked me who I wanted to see and I told him Dostoevsky, one of my favorite authors. He was thrilled! I said that The Brothers Karamazov was one of the greatest books ever written and he replied, "Yes of course. But I really like Demons." We had a great conversation about both books! He took me to Dostoevsky's grave (L) and Tchaikovsky's (R)
Next we visited St. Isaac's Cathedral
Monument to Nicholas I
The Peter and Paul Fortress is where all of the Russian Czars, including Nicholas II and his family, are buried.
The inside is absolutely spectacular! The chapel is where Nicholas II and his family are buried.
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Palace Square. I had chills standing here because this is where the Russian Revolution began.
The Alexander Column
The Winter Palace
Inside the Palace
The Grand Ballroom! As I walked through the Winter Palace I kept thinking about The Russian Ark, an amazing movie about Russian history, which was filmed there. I wish that I could have attended a ball during the time of Catherine the Great!
My favorite room was the Throne Room. So much history!
Inside the Hermitage Museum which contains over three million pieces of art. It was almost overwhelming!
I really loved all the lapis lazuli vases that were in every room.
The next day we went to the Gulf of Finland to visit Peterhof, an amazing palace built by Peter the Great. Here are some highlights.
The fountains are incredible and represent important events in the reign of Peter the Great. My favorite is the fountain in the middle showing Samson killing a lion signifying Peter's defeat of Sweden (above, right). I know everything there is to know about the Great Northern War with Sweden after reading Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert Massie (My guide was impressed that I had read it). The fountains run completely on water pressure!
When we got back to St. Petersburg I asked our guide where the Bronze Horseman was located. This statue, commissioned by Catherine the Great as a memorial to Peter the Great, was the inspiration for the epic poem by Pushkin (another favorite author). He had the driver turn around to take me there to get a picture! He told me I had to read the poem in Russian because the meter mimics the sound of the horse galloping.
That evening my guide was able to get me tickets to the ballet Swan Lake performed in the Winter Palace Theatre! This is where Catherine the Great watched performances! It was an absolutely incredible experience, both watching the dancers and listening to the music of Tchaikovsky. I've always felt that Russian music sounds so much better when performed by Russian musicians because they are so passionate! I've seen Swan Lake before but never performed so beautifully! When Prince Siegfried battles Rothbert in Act 4 it was so intense that I was holding my breath! It was a lovely way to spend my last night in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg!
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