St Petersburg Day 2

Day two in this fantastic city and we are out tour escorting again. (Hopefully my passengers will be better able to keep up with the guide today.  Our day trip includes a panoramic tour on the coach where the guide will explain the history and point out structures of interest. We also get to visit the Church on the Spilt Blood and the Hermitage, both of which are outstanding places to visit, and a must for any tourist.

St Isaacs Cathedral in the centre of St Petersburg.  The granite columns show damage from siege bombing in World War II

So, what have learnt about St Petersburg?  Well, it was Peter the Great's idea,  it was born in 1703 and originally called  Petrograd.  It was the capital of Russia from 1712 until 1918, (just after the revolution) and became Leningrad.  It is now known as the nothern and cultural capital of Russia. It has been built on the estuary of the River Neva as it runs into the Gulf of Finland and the city used to spread across an area of 105 islands.

This blue and white church is quite beautiful inside.  Built for one of the princesses of Russia

The city is still divided by numerous rivers and canals, giving it the name of the Venice of the North, but the number of islands has been reduced to 45. The underground rail system is extensive with 65 stations and 5 Iines, the deepest is 102 metres down apparently. We've not seen them, but the underground stations have a reputation for being quite beautiful, with sculptured and painted ceilings etc.

The Aurora.  This little battleship fired the blank round that was the signal for the start of the revolution in 1917.

St Petersburghas an extraordinary selection of museums, including a museum of toys, a museum of cats and a museum of water suppy.  It also has the only museum that you can enter sober and come out drunk......... the museum of vodka.

The river Neva is still the largest watercourse running through the city, and it is still navigable by ship as the many bridges are drawbridges which are raised at night.

During the second World War the city was surrounded by the Germans in 1941. The Siege of Leningrad lasted 900 days. In the first winter, temperatures dropped to -40°C, there was no water, no power and no food and 650000 Russians died. It's no surprise that the people of St Petersburg are proud of the fact that they never surrendered.  The city is surrounded by the so called 'Ring of Glory', 35 War Memorials dedicated to the bravery of the soldiers that defended the city during the siege. The Germans eventually retreated in 1945, but not before they tried to destroy anything of beauty or value, Catherines Palace included which is why most of what we saw yesterday was restored copies.

Church on the Spilt Blood

After the bus tour, we were taken to see the Church on the Spilt Blood. Dedicated to an assinated prince, this church is extraordinary. The decoration is breathtaking and you could stand and stare for months and not be able to take it all in.  There is no way photographs do it justice, but here are the attempts anyway.

Our tour included lunch and a souvenier shop, both of which were thoroughly taken advantage of, before we were taken to our last stop, the Hermitage.

Stunning, amazing, beautiful, astounding, gorgeous, incredible, breathtaking and awesome. I could go on, but it would get boring.

All I can says that if you are go to St Petersburg. You HAVE to go to see the Hermitage. (Be prepared for a lot of walking and standing though,  the place is massive and very busy.) Here are the pictures.

This clock was designed by a British Clockmaker - the mechanism is brilliant - the peacocks feathers open, the cock crows, and there are loads of little moving details.  There is one other version, which can be find in the museum in Barnard Castle

I have so many more pictures - I may add them later I have a desk and stronger wi-fi.

So that was St Petersburg.  We've left it still wanting more.  Looks like Peter is going to have to get himself on another Baltic Cities cruise dunnit?

Tomorrow we are in Helsinki, and we will be escorting again. Somehow, I don't think we'll be able to match these last two days.  We'll just have to wait and see. 

Saturday 8th October 2016 - St Petersburg

Today we berthed in St Petersburg.  It's the port everyone has been waiting for and many of the passengers only booked this cruise in order to tick St Petersburg off their respective Bucket lists.

Peter and I are due to act as escorts on the St Petersburg "2 day Package", today is the first day, and we are due to visit Catherine's Palace and the Peterhof Gardens, we've not been before and are really looking forward to it.  So it was up and to breakfast early, although a lot of passengers were a lot earlier than us!  Considering the fact that as escorts, we have to be the first off the ship, passengers wrapped up and queuing on the stairs ready to go were in for a long wait!

We breakfasted as usual in the Bistro, and couldn't help being caught up in the actions of the woman on the table next to us.  We are quite used to the fact that many passengers will take a couple of danish pastries, or bananas, or both from the restaurant to eat later whilst they are ashore.  Understandable really.  However the woman on the table next to us was either trying to feed about 10 people, or was expecting a famine.  She started with a plate of rolls and cold meat, which she made into sandwiches, wrapped, and put into her shopping bag.  Then she went back for another plateful, then another, then another.  Me n Peter were quite dumbfounded.  What was she going to do with all that food?  We know that the tours are either half day and bring you back at mealtimes, or are full day with a lunch included.  And what about the Russian immigration people.  What would they make of her if they found all them rolls in her shopping bag?

Sadly, we didn't see her again, so we never did find out what she was up to. Anyway, moving on, we finished breakfast, got our stuff and then sidled past all the queues to be the first off the ship cos we were the escorts.  Oh the priviledge!

There were 6 bus loads of passengers on this tour and I was number 5.  My 33 passengers loaded up and we were off, first stop, Catherine's Palace for what proved to be quite an awesome walk through the spectacular rooms of the palace.  It really is a fantastic place to look around, my only problem were the passengers.

Catherine's Palace - St Petersburg.  Beautifully restored after the germans tried to destroy and burn it down during the 2nd World War. 

I had couple of problem couples.  In the palace, couple number one caused all sorts of problems with security because they didn't hand in their rucksack to the cloakroom staff as instructed, and were subsequently called out of the queue and sent back to swap it for a cloakroom ticket.  Not a worry, but they didn't hand their coats in either, and had to take them off and carry them around the building.  They were constantly dropping things or stopping to find something stashed somewhere in one their pockets. And then they complained that they had forgotten the camera because it was in the rucksack.  I didn't know it at the time, but that was a bit of a godsend.

Inside one of the rooms of Catherine's Palace

Gold guilding every where

And then there was couple number two.  The husband seemed to be on a little planet of his own, looking for all the world like a walking washing line, with his shoe laces undone, his coat flying open and his trousers falling down. He was oblivious of the need to keep up with the guide, didn't listen to or follow any instructions and insisted on reading great swathes of information when we were already well behind the rest of the group. He happily dawdled, whilst I sort of forced him along and his wife disappeared in all directions looking at the shops and the stalls!  I daren't tell him to tie his shoelaces fearing that would slow him down even further. I finally got him to the end, but even though I had got him to the cloakroom to collect his things, I had to go back for him  to get him to go out of the exit.

Such an opulent lifestyle. 

After the palace we were taken for lunch, where we enjoyed traditional Russian Borscht (as well as a main meal and icecream for afters), before boarding the bus to our next stop, Peterhof Gardens.

By this time, the weather had deteriorated, and we were stood just inside the entrance of the gardens shivering in the cold wind and blustery rain.  It was at this point that couple number two elected to go explore the market stalls rather than follow the guide on the tour of the gardens, much to my relief.

But....Couple number one now came back into their own.  They now had their camera and insisted on taking pictures of themselves at every fountain we came to, and if you know the Peterhof Gardens, then you'll know how many flamin' pictures they wanted to take. Good job I'm a patient lady innit!

It's a shame we didn't get to see the gardens in the summer.  They are probably quite stunning.  The fountains were still awesome though

No matter, the fountains, despite the cold and the rain, were quite wonderful.  It's a shame the weather wasn't better because we could have enjoyed them more, but maybe another day?

The main fountain cascade.  The photo doesn't do it justice. 

So then we were back on bus to return to St Petersburg with just a souvenier shop between us and the ship.  We were treated to vodka liqueur and coffee whilst we were there.  Lovely.

So that was our 1st day in St Petersburg.  I've not said much about the city although I learnt quite a few bits and pieces from the guide.  Maybe on my next blog post, cos we escorting Day 2 of the 2 Day Package tomorrow.  The sites we'll be visiting really are something special, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

Day 8 on the Black Sea - Sochi

We didn't arrive into Sochi until the afternoon..... A wet, miserable afternoon. The clouds had come down to meet the hills and we saw very little of them through the mist.

The thing about Russia is that you can't get off the ship unless you have a visa. Some people can arrange a visa independently, but most of us rely on the arrangement Russia has with cruise companies, that is, we can get off the ship as long as we are on tour. If you don't have a tour ticket, then you don't have a visa - so to speak.

So, like every other passenger, we were on tour. Peter was to escort the Agura Waterfalls tour, and as usual, I was escorting him. We've been to St Petersburg, and we remember the nightmare of immigration process from then, so we got off the ship well early for our tour.

It was a good job too, the queues were extensive. I remembered to tell Peter to remove his seaman's book from his passport as we went through. It would only cause problems as the customs people would not understand why he had it. It was a good job I did as well! One of thip's staff wasn't able to get through, because of a problem with his seaman's book. He was due to escort one the tour coaches, and because he didn't make it, an escort reshuffle ensued. So now I was escorting one bus to the waterfalls, and Peter the other.

Well, it was one wet walk! It rained the whole time we were out, and we got thoroughly drenched.  It's about 1.5 km each way, and took us around 30-40 minutes. The waterfalls were at their best though.

The longer of the Agura Waterfalls on the right.  >>>>

Back on board, we stripped off and spent another leisurely evening on the ship. A wonderful meal as usual, and an after dinner speech by an ex foreign diplomat whose name I forget (shameful) and bed. It really has been a busy few days with all the ports. Tomorrow is a sea day, which is almost a day of rest, except for Peter's class. Let's hope the weather is better!

St Petersburg, Russia, Day 2

Early up this morning, because we have to be ready outside to escort the tour to the Hermitage Musuem.  And it was freezing! 

We loaded up the buses, and then sat listening to the tour guides as they explained how things were going to work out for the tour.  You can't take back packs, large bags, coats or bottles of water into the museum.  Why? Cos some numpty in the past tried to damage the paintings.  They do provide a very good cloakroom service, so it's not so bad and once we'd discarded all the excess, we set off for a 2 hour wander around what used to be the Winter Palace to the Russian Royal Family.

The palace itself is absolutely outstanding.  I would describe it as a feast for the eyes, but that is an understatement.  It didn't matter which direction you looked, the walls, floors and ceilings were covered in beautiful ornate decoration.  It could be a painting, or a mosaic, marble or plaster, it didn't matter as it was all just stunning.

And then there were the paintings and sculptures throughout.  In the two hours, we whizzed past so much - and there was so much that we didn't have time to even see, never mind stop to admire for a minute or so. 

A person would need months, if not years, to look properly at all the exhibits in the museum and we only had a couple of hours.  Words can't really describe it so here are a few pictures.  I didn't bother to photograph the paintings, I wouldn't be able to do them justice. (Except one, that I couldn't resist, and I don't even know who painted it!)

After the Hermitage Museum, we went back to the ship for a quick lunch, and then we were out again on a trip we'd booked ourselves on, rather than escorting.  We wanted a few hours to walk around St Petersburg just to see what we could see, so this trip was basically a bus to the city centre, where we left for a couple of hours to wander.

We set off to see St Isaacs Cathedral, but sadly, it turns out that it's closed on Wednesdays (as is the Church of the Spilled Blood by the way).  We were a little disappointed, but decided to make the most of it anyway and headed towards the River Neva to have a look at the Monument to Peter I

St Isaacs Cathedral

Monument to Peter I

Looking across the River Neva to the St Apostles Peter and Paul Cathedral

From there, it was only a short walk past The Admiralty Arch to the Winter Palace, the Alexander Column and the General Staff Building.

The Winter Palace

The Alexander Column and the General Staff Building.

Then we popped into one of the jewellers for a souvenir from the trip.  I'd particularly wanted a small amber pendant and chain and I'm dead chuffed with the one I now have around my neck.

After a little retail therapy, we started back down Nevskiy Prospect for the bus, with a little diversion to have a look inside the Cathedral of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan.  It was the building we saw yesterday and didn't know what it was.  It doesn't look like a cathedral. 

But it is, and it was very much in use.  I didn't take any pictures as it just seemed wrong to photograph this place of worship whilst people were praying.  It was lovely though, the altar was quite stunning.  I recommend it.

Then it was back on the bus, back to the ship and back to the cabin - absolutely shattered.  Looking out the windows at dinner time and this evening, we can see large flakes of snow.  It seems quite fitting as we leave the city.

That doesn't mean we have any time to catch up on ourselves though, we have Helsinki tomorrow.  Another place I'm looking forward to.  Awesome. 

St Petersburg, Russia, Day 1

The ship docked this morning, and we went out on deck to a dark and very cold St Petersburg. Ship announcements told us that that the temperature should reach a balmy 2^oC today.

The thing about being on a cruise ship in St Petersburg is that, unless you have arranged a visa, you can't just get off and wander around the city.  You can go see however, if you booked on a tour & stay with your tour group.  So Peter and I were escorts on the tour this afternoon to go visit the Church on the Spilled Blood, (also known as the Church of the Resurrection). 

The church was built on the orders of Alexander III in memory of his father, who was assassinated.  The "Spilt Blood" refers to the fact that the altar was built on the exact spot where Alexander II was murdered, leaving spots of blood on the cobblestones.

 It's was a Russian Orthodox church, with the ornate onion domes much loved by the Russians.  I learnt today that these onion shaped domes are intended to imitate the shape of a candle flame.  They make more sense to me now.

 The church took 24 years to build, which I think calculates out that it was completed about 1920, but like many churches it was abused during communist rule.  The Communists had no time for religion and closed many churches and cathedrals.  The Church on the Spilled Blood was turned into a store.  Racks were fitted and it was used to keep vegetables.

It wasn't until the 1960's that it was reclaimed as a building of beauty in its own right.  It has taken nearly 40 years for the building to be restored to its former glory and it is now a museum.

And it is stunning.

Sadly, no matter how hard the restorers tried, they could not completely match the original work. If you look, you can still see the scars left by the racks drilled into the walls during the communist years, they show up as slightly discoloured, faint lines across the images, at knee height on many of the Saints.  There are also icons missing from the north and south icon panels.

Once we'd completed our look around the inside of the church, we took a short walk across to the Square of Fine Arts to see Alexander Pushkin's monument and then we were left to have a look around by ourselves.

Since I was on a different tour bus to Peter, and mine was ahead of his by about 15 minutes, I waited for him in the Square.  It was freezing!  I decided I should have put me thermals on.  We even got a light dusting of snow.

Peter arrived and we had a quick potter around the area.   The city is massive.  Wide streets, grand buildings of huge proportions, many of them ornately decorated. Canals criss cross the city, the traffic is mad, with horns going off all over, and of course, everything is written in a totally illegible script and language.

We managed to find this building, but I am not yet sure what it is. 

This street is Nevski Prospect, a road about 3 miles long apparently, but also where we as tourists could go shopping. Peter and I did check out one of the souvenir shops.  There were thousands of pieced of amber jewellery in the room at the back.  Hundreds of chains and pendants hanging on rack after rack, looking for all the world like the sort of £5-£10 stuff you'd find on a market.  All I can say is it wouldn't be hanging like that in England - one piece I picked up worked out at £90, and that was a cheap one!

I will almost certainly pick up a pendant or something tomorrow, as a little momento.  But we left it for today and took the bus back to the ship.   The ship's announcements declared that temperature had dropped to -2^oC and getting colder.

Tomorrow we are escorting tours to the Hermitage Musuem in the morning, and we should be able to go back to Nevski Prospect in the afternoon.  Awesome!