Winter Palace and the Hermitage

     Kicker: all of those palaces we toured were the royal family's summer homes; their official palace is located in downtown St. Petersburg, appropriately named the Winter Palace.  Did I mention that summer is very short in St. Petersburg?  The justification of owning a summer palace: because they could!  

     PDub and I found it quite fitting to complete our palace day with the main one.  Today, the Winter Palace is a part of the Hermitage, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world (the collection began with Catherine the Great in 1764).  The museum is open late on certain days of the week, so if planned properly, you can completely avoid the queues and crowds (something I needed a break from).  We grabbed our Lonely Planet guidebook and lost ourselves in the large, ornate rooms of the palace and artwork composed of over 3 million items.  Starting at the Jordan Staircase, we headed to the great hall of Romanov portraits (the family who reigned for over 300 years), stopped in the grand pavilion to see the golden peacock clock that spreads its feathers at certain times (no longer does), and ended with mummies and paintings from the greats (Monet, Renoir, Van Goh, Rembrandt, Picasso, Da Vinci, etc.)  The museum is so large that it is very easy to get lost as we did on our way out; luckily no window jumping was necessary with museum employees placed in every room for such guidance.  Before heading to bed, we feasted on Russian beer and pelmeni, a Russian dumpling, at the well-named Pelmeni Bar; the waitress attempted to improve our Russian, but in the end, we really became her entertainment.  There ends our second day in Russia....

The Hermitage....PDub planned on matching his attire to the building color....Such a coordinator!

The Jordan Staircase where the Tsar (in blue here) would descend and watch the "Blessing of the Waters" ceremony down on the Neva River.

At the top of the Jordan Staircase which remains original from the 18th century.  The granite pillars were added later.

Monet, my favorite artist.

Another Monet.

Palace day really took it out of us!

The main object of butt resting for the Tsar: his throne.

Travel Day, Destination: Paris

     When it comes to travel days, I would say the general consensus is they are terribly dreadful; however, when one is placed in the middle of a vacation before and after intense touring, they are much needed.  In St. P, two exhausted travelers crammed their personal items back into their packs for the millionth time and headed for the ferry.  Surprisingly, the packing was easier, most likely due to the fluff loss in the fabric; an article of clothing can only take so much wadding up before it officially remains that way.  They boarded the 14-hour water ride headed for Helsinki.  After a night of happy hour and sleep, they hit land and proceeded to relax in the park where they remained for 5 hours, reading and planning their attack on their next location.  Finally after a 30 minute bus ride, 3-hour plane ride, and 1.5-hour taxi ride, they arrived at their destination, Paris.

     Two exhausted travelers entered their 5-star hotel, drained and ready for a hot shower.  Of course, the desk attendant greeted them with amusement on seeing their frazzled appearance and large backpacks.  He must have been used to upscale clientele with their rolly bags and perfectly sleek hair.  One of the travelers used his points to pay for the 1000 euro/night room, and they proceeded to lounge on the comfiest bed ever and shower for nearly an hour.  Each was necessary after a ferry bed and community bathrooms.  Today was for travel, tomorrow for exploring.

Before eating dinner (French onion soup.....do you call it French onion soup in France or just onion soup?, Caesar salad, and Bordeaux), we had just enough energy to walk up to the Arc de Triomphe and watch the cars chaotically circle with no guiding lines.

The Renaissance, a much needed hotel room.

Church on the Spilled Blood and Our Last Walk through St. Petersburg

     Sadly, our last day in St. Petersburg had quickly arrived.  We visited the Church on the Spilled Blood first where we were amazed by the intricate mosaic interior.  The church was built (1883-1907) in honor of Tsar Alexander II, who was bloodily assassinated at this location; hence, the name of the church.

Church on the Spilled Blood

Interior.

One of my favorite pictures; extra-large for your viewing pleasure.

The golden altar.

The walls were completely made of these small tiles (mosaic)....still impresses me!

Chandeliers!

At the back of the church.

     Before heading back to the ferry and recovering from our busy three days, we took one last walk and satisfied our appetite with pie from Stolle (Russia is known for their pie).  Our walk consisted of a journey from the Church on Spilled Blood through a park, across the Neva River to the Peter and Paul Fortress, and returning.

     The Peter and Paul Fortress was the groundbreaking location for St. Petersburg.  In 1703, Peter the Great said, "we shall build a city" (most likely in Russian), and there it began.  The fortress was strategically placed on the small Hare Island to protect the city during the Northern War; it never needed to fulfill its purpose.

View of Church on Spilled Blood from the park.

A palace built of granite.

Peter and Paul Fortress.

     There ends the Russian portion of our trip.  After the recent news with the US and Russia, I find that our trip was perfectly timed; I hope Russia gets their act together, so I can visit again!

Palace Tour in St. Petersburg: Fairytales Do Exist

     Once upon a time, Jasmine stepped off her palace balcony for a curb-side carpet ride, Cinderella fled from the castle losing her one-size-fits-only-her shoe, and Ariel swam from her castle in the sea to trade her fins for legs and a little silence.  Disney produced these fairytales for our viewing entertainment causing little girls to play princesses and older ones to wonder where their prince charmings are.  Although the magic may be a fairytale, the castles and palaces most certainly are not; as in, people actually lived (live) as extravagantly as these stories tell.  I guess it is a little more overwhelming to someone from the US to find out that palaces, exquisite fountains, golden ballrooms, and royal families actually did (do) exist.  My once upon a dream was made a reality on our palace tour of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Peterhof

     After searching for a great many touring companies, we came across Best Guides, who were able to organize a day just for us and exactly what we wanted to see for a decent price.  We started the day with a ride to the outskirts of St. Petersburg landing at Peterhof Palace, also known as the Russian Versailles; it consists of a series of palaces built by Peter the Great and expanded by his successors.  Like Versailles in France, the grounds are packed full of fountains for beauty and fun.  The main palace is a small one having only 30 rooms, but each has been restored to its original decor (WWII damaged the palace greatly).

At the entrance to Peterhof Palace, the church of the grounds in the background.  Yes, that is real gold plated on those fancy things.

Preparing for the fountains to begin.....again, real gold.

Some of the gardens with some pretty creative designs.  I plan on incorporating this into our terrace next spring.

Sound in my head: Opera singer backed by full orchestra.

Canal empties into the Gulf of Finland.

It only took us 5 tries to get this picture due to the interference of East Asian tour groups, their umbrellas, and own picture taking.

The fountains are completely natural (no pumps), powered by gravity and natural springs (hills sure do make a difference).

Swirls and shooting water.

I'm not sure which is prettier (the fountains or us).  Sheesh PDub, did you pack anything other than the track jacket?

Samson tearing into a lion; special to Peter the Great because he was considered Samson and Sweden the lion (he had just won a war against them).

Fountains with the Grand Palace in the background.

The view guests would see when they arrived from the sea.  Peter the Great would greet them with fireworks to make them feel special and him appear super loaded.

One of the many fountains on the grounds of Peterhof.

Peter's more modest villa and his favorite, Monplaisir.  (Still on the grounds of Peterhof).

Overlooking the Gulf of Finland, from Monplaisir.

One of the trick fountains where getting to the bench without triggering the fountain was the obstacle.  Little do the players know that an "onlooker" is triggering the water flow.

Another trick fountain.  Peter the Great would take his guests down this pathway where they would be surprised (and drenched) with the activation of this fountain.  The individuals here thought they were prepared for it, but the full-blown super-soaker firing squad looked to be a shock.

One of the beautiful fountains.

Checkerboard fountain aka Dragon fountain.

Pavlovsk Palace

     After lunching on some Russian pancakes, which happened to be exactly like French crepes, we headed for the next palace on our list, Pavlovsk Palace or Paul's Palace.  Catherine the Great ordered this palace to be built for her son, Paul, and his second wife, Maria.  Although this one was not as ornate as Peterhof, it was probably my favorite; I could actually picture myself living in it.  Again, WWII drove the palace into ruin; however, it has been completely restored to its original state.  Unlike the well landscaped grounds of Peterhof, Pavlovsk has more natural grounds, something that I also prefer.  I did not take many pictures at this one....

I could not capture the entire palace seeing that it wrapped around in a partial circle, but you get the gist.

Catherine Palace

     Our last stop for the day was the Catherine Palace, built by Catherine I and later revamped by Empress Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was well-known for her need for luxury and excess; she is reported to have owned 15,000 dresses!  Therefore, this palace was truly decked out with 100kg of gold for the exterior and an impressive interior including the well-known Amber Room (walls completely made of amber).  After Empress Elizabeth passed away, the palace was passed on to Catherine the Great, who it is named after; it was her favorite palace.  Again, the palace has been restored since its destruction during WWII.

The golden gates entering into the palace grounds.

Some fun photography of the palace.

More fun.

Catherine Palace.

So pretty...

I think this might be a new addition to the front door of our dream house.

Yes, the Beauty and the Beast ballroom does exist.

PDub wouldn't waltz with me.

The Amber Room with wall panels made of amber.  Restoration of this room alone cost over $12 million.  The original panels were most likely stolen by Germans and never returned during WWII.

The grounds of Catherine Palace.

Catherine Palace from the gardens.

The Hermitage with a dumbwaiter mechanism dining.  The food is elevated to the guests from the floor below.  No waiters necessary.

     I am still in awe as to the lifestyles of the Romanov (royal) family in Russia.  With their extremely lavish ways, I do not blame the peasants for overthrowing them back in the early 1900's sadly falling into communist hands.  I thank Russia for taking the time and money to restore these palaces to their original state; it makes Disney's happily ever after all the more realistic.