Animo: St. Petersburg

The boat tour made it possible to see
many magnificent landmarks

Our boat tour on the canals took us
along side The Hermitage

The small throne room, The Hermitage

Like Venice and Amsterdam, St. Petersburg is a city on water, laced by rivers and canals, connected by hundreds of bridges. St. Petersburg is patterned after Western capitals with a grand boulevard that evokes Paris. It was once the capital of Imperial Russia and playground of Russia's elite.

Extravagant

We crossed the Neva River contained within granite banks

St. Petersburg is so many things but I was most surprised with it's beauty in general. We decided to spend the first day at the Hermitage which is breathtaking in it's splendor and the second day on a city tour that included a boat tour. St. Petersburg has only 40-50 days of sunshine each year and we were fortunate to be here on two of those. People are enjoying the sun on every park bench and patch of grass. It was a short drive from the pier to The Hermitage Museum. There is not much traffic and people move briskly along without making eye contact. Seabourn arranged a special early opening at the Hermitage for their guest. Our guide through the Hermitage was pleasant and obviously proud of her country. Her English was good but she added er to every word that ended in ed. The museum is housed in an extravagant Baroque Palace designed for Empress Elizabeth in 1754. Catherine the Great was the first monarch to live in the palace and over her 34 year reign she laid the foundation for the extensive collection of artwork. In the Winter Palace section we toured room after room icluding the small throne hall, the armorial hall, memorial gallery, the grand throne hall. The 3 million items in the Hermitage were acquired by 7 Tsars and confiscations of private collections after the revolution. The Hermitage is too vast and requires more than one day, so on line before we left, I check the stars of the show, so to speak. I made a point to see Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna Litta, so touchingly beautiful, Rembrandt's sensual Danae, Velasquez's the Drinkers, real people in real life, Cezanne's Woman in blue. There is room after room of Gauguin, Matisse, Renior, Van Gogh, Picasso. Our second day started with a coach tour stopping at points of interest and then we took the boat tour through the waterways, crossing the Neva River. I will have to mention here that Phil's Mother's name was Neva. Our guide the second day looked like a Russian character out of James bond and acted like she was holding a kissing contest for lepers. The architecture is fascinating and there are canals like Venice. Many buildings along the water way are condos and our guide said 80% of the Russian people own their own home. Peter the Great ordered that palaces should have a landing on the river, and many of these elaborate structures are best seen from the water. Crossing the Neva River, there is a view of the Spit of Vasilievsky Islanford with it's historic Rostral Columns and the imposing Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral. We passed the Aurora, the battleship that signaled the start of the Revolution 1917. I can't name it all and probably have already bored you to tears. There were so many tours offered and an amazing number of people opted for private tours costing up to $1,800. per day. I was surprised that many people arranged a private shopping tour (furs). Many people took up to three tours a day (one of those at night). We learned a lot and were exhausted by the end of the day with one tour each day. The lectures held before arrival give you the information and insight you need. It was a fascinating, wonderful experience.

Smolny Cathedral, exquisite symmetry, remains a glorious
example of onion dome architecture. Phil was completely
enthralled and took dozens of photos.

This floor is an all wood design in The
Hermitage

The Grand Jordon Staircase in The Hermitage

Peter the Great seems to be the national hero.
He built this magnificent city from a marshy swamp.
Bronze Horseman also known as Peter the Great's
Monument.