What were our expectations about Russia? Nothing definitively, except perhaps that is where communism was born; where revolutions occurred that rocked the world; where people were oppressed. To be quite honest, we were a little apprehensive about visiting this country which the media in the west had described often in negative terms. The positives that we knew about related to Russia's excellent musical life and it was with great anticipation that we hoped to experience some of that. Also, we were well aware of the rich cultural and religious history but had little idea of how that looked. Well, we certainly were delighted to experience some wonderful revelations on those scores. However, the nicest revelation was meeting delightful Russian people. Once again, we were struck by their honest reflections about life in the 20th century and the negatives under Stalin and others. Once again the English spoken was also of the highest quality, which helped to appreciate the pride our tour guides reflected in sharing Russia with us.
Our time in Russia is far too extensive to be covered by one blog. St. Petersburg alone is worthy of more than one. But one will suffice. We loved visiting St.Petes even though our journey in from the airport gave little to recommend it.
By the way, a wheelchair was waiting for Carol at the bottom of the aircraft stairs and immigration and customs were mere formalities. We certainly were looking forward to our Cruise Ship that would house us for the next eleven nights. Bliss! Just unpack and no need to re-pack our bags for the next hurried connection. It was paradise and our cabin was truly marvellous. So, to get the ball rolling, here is our ship (well, one of them):
And here is Carol, well and truly settled for eleven nights:
A hearty breakfast saw us begin our first day in St.Petes; and hearty it was.
The meals were just amazing and far too big for people who needed to lose a few kilos, not gain them. Breakfast was huge. So was a four-course lunch and the evening meals were five-course affairs. We did tone things down a bit after the first couple of days and lots of walking around sites helped to balance things out.
Yes, we are on our way to the Summer Palace of the Tsars. We have to warn you that there will be lots of photos with gorgeous golden autumn colours. It brought the various places to life.
These were just the first glimpses of the treasures from the times before.
As we entered the palace, we were directed to place slippers over our footwear.
This was to protect the beautiful parquetry that met our eyes as we walked through the door into the rooms-
As we walked through these rooms, we were struck by the beauty of design and the art treasures. It all spoke about an era in Russian history of indulgence and opulence by the few privileged ones. Even so, what a treasure to leave in perpetuity for the Russian people:
These paintings in the ceiling, plus many others, left us open mouthed.
This is the lady, Catherine the Great, who contributed much to developing the summer palace and its treasures.
These treasures include the following examples of fine craftsmanship - a real wow factor!
Not to forget the many outstanding porcelain exhibits, such as this:
Then of course there were the dining rooms and an example of how royals dined in Russia....
....of course with delightful heating comfort provided by beautiful stoves like this:
Our Guide, Andrei, was most informative and had a great sense of humour as well as being very informative. He demonstrated how things were restored from the damage during the German occupation in World War II. Here is a bit of a contrast - what was....
...and what is:
Restoration continues and we were surprised at the amount of gold-leaf that was lavishly reapplied to bring back the authentic look. Note the guys up there - or rather, their feet!
The whole palace was just an amazing experience. But there was still so much to see on the outside and in the gardens. So just a couple of pics before we tear ourselves away to the next magic place on our agenda.
Oh, and if you think there are no Starbucks Coffee facilities, or its equivalent, how is this for copying the Americans:
After lunch we were taken on a tour of St. Petersburg that included a visit to the Peter & Paul Fortress & Cathedral which is the burial place for the Russian Tsars. It is certainly worth a visit as the cathedral which contains the tombs of the Tsars is very beautiful and ornate. Just have a look at these wonderful images and note the magnificent chandelier:
As we wandered through the cathderal, we were invited to view a special chapel set aside for the family of Tsar Nicholas II, who were assassinated by the communist revolution early in the 20th century. The remains of the family were located and exhumed to be re-interred in this cathedral. They especially stressed that Anastasia had been found. All but two members, the tsarevitch and the youngest princess were found and the following pic shows the memorial to this sad event in Russia's history:
This is a more general shot showing some of the tombs:
Well, this chapter is quite long enough. Time for a drink - Vodka maybe, if you are inclined. The next blog will cover other sights in St. Petersburg, which I am sure you will also enjoy. Let's leave you with a photo of a large church that we passed near Pushkin, but did not stop to look at:
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