Europe 2012; Part 2

Wed 26 Sep Istanbul to St Petersburg

It was a long boring flight to St Petersburg and on landing the quaint sight of a “Follow Me” vehicle, which led our aircraft on a long taxi around numerous construction works, buildings, runways and taxiways.  A new airport terminal is being built hence the detour to get to the old terminal.   Then as warned, the inevitable long delay in the queues to pass through passport control but eventually we were through and could say we had arrived in St Petersburg, Russia.

Some hotel entrance!

Visiting St Petersburg has long been a dream for both Pat and I as we are both fascinated by the long complex and enigmatic history of this gigantic country which for which St Petersburg was once capitol city. Before we left Cape Town I had prepared a detailed guide for each stage of our trip as to how to get from airports to hotels etc.  Now the proof of the pudding was in the eating.  As planned we took the airport bus to the Metro station and the metro to town and then followed my guide on foot.    Being dark we had difficulty in actually finding our hotel although we were in the right street.   We were looking for a typical hotel entrance foyer leading off the pavement but this was not the case.  Eventually Pat noticed a small illuminated sign which had just been switched on.   Silly us- the hotel was tucked away in an inner courtyard behind a massive wrought iron gate with only a small unmarked bell push with nothing to indicate what was inside! 

Inside

Once inside we found a dark and rundown courtyard and an archway leading to yet another courtyard. We saw a small hotel sign over a large steel-covered security door with another small bell push.  We rang, the door clicked, we pushed it open to find a really decrepit worn-down and dimly lit stairwell which probably had not been painted since Lenin passed by.  A sign pointed upwards and although apprehensive, we decided to continue so climbed up the five flights of stairs to reach a modern glass and aluminium foyer. Inside a pretty young Russian woman welcomed us to the hotel in fluent English and asked us why we had not used the lift?

The hotel was situated on the 5^th and 6^th floors of an old building and consisted of tiny but clean and modern rooms about the size of a railway compartment!  It had all mod-cons just made for midgets!   Anyway we only needed it to sleep in, so after unpacking all of the 8 kilogrammes from our backpacks we decided to venture out for an evening look-around.  But by then it was  cold, damp and dark so after a short recce of our street, we bought bread and cheese for supper and after a good hot shower retired for the night.

The Winter Palace St Petersburg

Thu 27 Sep St Petersburg

Fortified by the good and substantial breakfast provided by the hotel, we set off for the Palace Square and arriving early we wandered around this historical site until the Hermitage’s opening time. 

Winter Palace. Today the Winter Palace forms part of the State Hermitage Museum together with the adjoining buildings of the Small, Old [Great] and New Hermitages and Hermitage Theatre.

Grand staircase

The malachite room

Reception room in Winter Palace

The Winter Palace was home to the Tsars from 1752 until 1917 although after the assassination of Alexander II in 1881 the Romanovs moved to a smaller and more easily guarded palace on the outskirts of St Petersburg and the Winter Palace was only occasionally used for State functions.  It was built by Peter the Great to reflect the might of the Russian Empire which at its peak covered almost 1/6 of the World’s landmass.  The present building is the end result of many additions and alterations which took place over the years and has a commanding view out over the River Neva with its 250m long façade.    Inside it contains about 1 500 rooms with 1786 doors and 117 staircases.   .

We spent the whole morning walking through this incredible museum and art galleries but could only see a fraction of what is on display.   To properly see it all would take at least a week.

Overall it is truly a magnificent palace, well preserved and guarded by eagle eyed “Babushkas” in every room who view all tourists as enemies of the state!

Entrance to Peter & Paul Fortress

Peter & Paul Fortress.     Almost directly opposite the Winter Palace on the Northern bank of the River Neva is this famous fortress built to defend the city from the Swedes by Peter the Great in 1703.  Today this fort, which reminded us of our own Castle in Cape Town, contains The Peter and Paul Cathedral which is the burial site of the Romanov Tsars.  In 1998 the remains of Nicholas II and his family recovered from the well in Yekaterinburg were interred here.   This is a beautiful yet serene church but unfortunately for us, major renovations were being undertaken so we could not see it properly.

We walked around the fort and visited the grim prison with its bleak cells which at one time held the likes of The Tsar’s rebellious son, Leon Trotsky, Josip Tito and the provisional government ministers who were brought here after being captured in the Winter Palace. 

I had a quick look around the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology which is also housed in this fortress.   An interesting exhibition but the lack of information in English left me guessing as to much of the detail of what was on display.

Soviet space capsule

Close to the cathedral is a small building which contains the preserved sailing boat in which Peter the Great learnt to sail.  It reminded me of the old 32 foot cutters in which we learnt to sail at the General Botha, nothing much changed in sailing technology from his day to mine.

Prison cell

Fri 28 Sep St Petersburg

Peterhof looking up the sea canal

We set out in a chill autumn morning to catch the hydrofoil Peterhof Express ferry from the Neva River to Peterhof 20 kms away out in the Gulf of Finland.  The ferry looked like a bullet train on skis. Anyway it

was reasonably comfortable with a spacious cabin giving protection from the biting wind and spay thrown up as we skimmed our way out to sea at about 25 knots.

Looking down the canal from the terrace of Peterhof

Peterhof.  This summer palace was originally built by Peter the Great in

Gilded tower of Peterhof

1714 as a stopping off palace on his way to and from the deep-water harbour of Kronstadt and St Petersburg.   It was expanded and added to by Empress Elizabeth, Catherine the Great and subsequent Tsars.    During WW2 the employees at Peterhof were able to hide some of the valuable treasures before the invading German army arrived.  It was then occupied and ransacked by the German Army who when they retreated in 1944 blew up the palace and left it a burning ruin.    Restoration was begun almost immediately by military engineers and over 1000 volunteers.   When one looks at the photographs of the ruins taken shortly after the Nazis left, The Russian’s painstaking restoration of the palace, done from records and old photographs is a remarkable achievement.

The classic view of Peterhof is from the sea canal looking up the Grand Cascade with the Grand Palace behind on top of the hill.  It is truly an impressive sight with the many gilded statues lining the canal and surrounded by trees and gardens on either side.   I am not known for my gardening interest but these gardens and parks really resonated with me.  The simple muted elegant  blending of a formal geometric layout of gardens, paths, fountains and statues with that of rustic free-flowing woodlands really appealed to me.

Although the Grand Palace looks imposing because of its commanding presence on top of a buff it is actually quite small and narrow containing only 30 rooms.  However these rooms are incredibly ornately decorated and furnished.  It is said that Peter the Great eventually decided it was all too much and preferred to live in the smaller Monplaisir Palace on the shoreline.

Looking back on our stay in St Petersburg I would say that our visit to Peterhof was far and away the most awe-inspiring.

Ornate ceiling inside Peterhof

Having returned to the city by ferry we then visited three of St Petersburg’s renowned cathedrals.

Church on the Blood.    It was given this name by Peterburgers because it is built over the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Its formal name is the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It’s more traditional style of bright multi-coloured brickwork and spiralling onion domes makes it stand out

"Church on the Blood"

from the more modern neo-classical styles of the buildings surrounding it.   It was closed in 1932 and used as a morgue during the siege of Leningrad and after the war as storehouse for the nearby opera theatre.   In 1970 it was made a part of the St Isaac’s museum and after a 4.6 million rouble restoration it was re-opened in 1997.   Inside we saw the elaborate shrine to Alexander erected over the exact spot where he was attacked as well as its extensive collection of mosaic icons.

St Isaac's Cathedral

St. Isaac’s Cathedral.   This impressive and yet reasonably modern Cathedral, building only having been started in 1818, is one of the dominant features of the St Petersburg skyline with its impressive gold-plated dome soaring skywards.   It was ordered by Tsar Alexander I and designed by the French architect De Montferrand.  Its outer facades are majestic and include 112 massive dark-red granite columns supporting the ornate portico above.    The interior is richly decorated with multi coloured granite and marble facings and columns and intricate mosaics.   Due to the meticulously detailed work involved it took 40 years to complete!
Inside we saw a scale model of the wooden framework needed to raise the 40 ton marble columns which had to be done before the outer walls were built.   It is claimed that the design later influenced the design of the US Capitol in Washington.  

St Nicolas' Cathedral

Sailor’s Cathedral of St Nicholas.  This beautiful pale blue and white church with golden Baroque spires and domes situated on the banks of a canal and surrounded by a park is officially called the Naval Cathedral and contains historical scenes from the Russian Navy. 

It was one of the very few churches that the Soviets allowed to remain open during World War 2 and it became the seat of the Metropolitan [Bishop] during the 900 day siege of Leningrad. The original wooden church was built on the orders of Peter the Great for the sailors who lived in the area. 

Sat 29 Sep St Petersburg

AURORA

Cruiser Aurora.  We were too late to actually board this historic cruiser which is one of the few survivors of the old Russian Navy’s involvement in the Battle of Tsushima against Japan.  Her real historical significance is the shot fired from her forward six inch gun which changed the course of history.   At 2145 on 25 October 1917 she fired a blank shot to signal the start of the assault on the Winter Palace which led to the downfall of the Provisional Government and the takeover by the Bolsheviks, which in turn lead to the creation of the Soviet Union and the Cold War.   From the exterior she seems well preserved and a good example of a warship from her era.

Lenin's balcony

Museum of Political History.    This fascinating museum is housed in the art-nouveau mansion that originally belonged to Mathilda Kshesinskaya a ballerina at the Marinsky Theatre and Nicholhas II’s mistress before he became Tsar. 

In 1917 it was taken over by the Bolsheviks and used as their headquarters.  Today it contains a vast collection of artefacts relating to the political evolution of Russia right up to the present day. It strives to dispassionately reveal the truth of much of soviet history which until recently was kept secret.

Amongst its exhibits is the actual office in which Lenin worked and one can also see the first floor balcony from which he would harangue the crowds below.  On display are personal items, banners, posters, dresses and uniforms, weapons, a signed decree from Napoleon and the video camera used by Gorbachev.  Despite its uninspiring name this is a must see museum well worth a visit.

Our compartment in the "Red Arrow Express"

Red Arrow Express Overnight Train.  This was perhaps the highpoint in luxury of our rather Spartan trip because the Krasnaya Strela or Red Arrow Express is to Russia more or less what the Blue Train is to South Africans.  It was once the special train for top communist party officials travelling between the two cities.  It leaves St Petersburg daily at 2355 to the stirring sounds of “The Hymn to the Great City” [The hymn adopted by St Petersburg].   The coaches are immaculate and the compartments are really well fitted out for comfort with spotless white linen and towels.   We had a middle aged “babushka” for attendant, who after carefully examining our tickets and passports showed us to our compartment and, although brusque in the Russian manner, proved helpful and explained to us how to let down the beds, control the air-conditioning and various other matters.  Her English was as good as our Russian but we got along fine!

You can hardly feel the train moving, no clickity-clack, just a faint tremble now and again.   Definitely the best night’s sleep I have ever had on a train.  

PART 3 has been moved under OLDER POSTS

Click on tab below