Apparently we are headed for the boat tomorrow evening, and the boat has no internet connection. I'm tired - it has been another long day - but I will at least try to bring you up to date on the last three days.
Wednesday, I hoped to use my newly honed skills on the public transit. I waited and waited - together with what seemed like half of St. Petersburg - and no buses. I started walking - and walking - and walking - and still no buses. And then there were no cars. And then, at the Kazan Cathedral, a religious procession filling all twelve lanes of Nevsky Prospect - for miles.
Well, it put paid to my tourist plans, but a religious procession in St. Petersburg is not bad. And I did get to sneak in a visit to the Stroganov Palace, a part of the Russian History Museum.
And I did get to experience some of the infamous wind off the Baltic Sea. No rain, but the wind certainly howled...
I managed to get buffeted back to the hotel, and met with my new group, with whom I'll share part 2 of my adventure. At first blush, they don't seem as lively as the train bunch. The composition is certainly different. On the train, only three couples, two assorted pairs (one pair of sisters and one of friends) and nine singles, five women and four men. Of course, the fewer the number of couples, the more overall mingling. The next leg, there are only two singles, a man from Utah and myself, and ten couples. Everyone is nice enough, of course.... Well, it is early days yet...
Yesterday, we went as a group to see the infamous Fabrege Museum. I have always been fascinated by the eggs and it was lovely to see them live - those that are back in Russia (8 in all). The story is that the Soviets sold them all to (as they still say here) pay for building a new country. However, one of the oligarchs (they call him the Russian Rockefeller) bought as many of them back as he could, together with a lot of other Fabrege works, restored an old palace, and, voila.....
The group was doing the impressionists in the afternoon, so I broke off and managed to knock off two of my personal agenda items - The Pushkin House and The Dostoeyevsky Museum. I was worried that there would not be enough English signage for me to make heads or tails out of anything. Instead, both had the best audio guides I've ever experienced in a museum, and I came away touched, really, and with a much deeper understanding of both authors' lives and works. I will certainly have my reading cut out for me when I get home. Certainly two highlights....worth the trouble finding them - it was not easy - and the long walk back, which included a demonstration (yes, in Russia) about Putin's proposed increase in the retirement, and a street rock concert (America's gift to the world - rock concerts!)
Factoid - Peter the Great introduced potatoes to Russia (prior to that, they ate turnips. Turnip pancakes? Doesn't have quite the same ring...). Did you know that? I didn't know that..... He also brought coffee, to which Catherine the Great later became addicted. And yes, before you ask, there are, indeed, Starbucks here....
Today, we went to the Peterhof, Peter's summer palace on the Baltic, 29 km from the city. He wanted it to be the Versailles of the East, and the grounds and fountains are pretty spectacular.
The day ended with a five course Russian dinner (Russian salad, a mushroom dish from the time of Napoleon, borscht, chicken Kiev, and cake) followed by a concert of Russian folk music in the hall of yet another restored royal palace. It was actually a pretty spectacular concert, music, singing, dancing and costumes all first rate - and bubbly and nibblies at intermission!
A few more factoids and I will call it quits. The population of St. Petersburg is about 5 million. And apparently the 5,000 square kilometers of the center city have been designated as a UNESCO heritage site, hence the 18th and 19th century architecture and the lack of skyscrapers.
We still have another few days, but the jury is back. St. Petersburg wins over Moscow by a country mile....
If I was misinformed, you will hear from me sooner rather than later. Otherwise, ta ta till Moscow...
Wednesday, I hoped to use my newly honed skills on the public transit. I waited and waited - together with what seemed like half of St. Petersburg - and no buses. I started walking - and walking - and walking - and still no buses. And then there were no cars. And then, at the Kazan Cathedral, a religious procession filling all twelve lanes of Nevsky Prospect - for miles.
Well, it put paid to my tourist plans, but a religious procession in St. Petersburg is not bad. And I did get to sneak in a visit to the Stroganov Palace, a part of the Russian History Museum.
And I did get to experience some of the infamous wind off the Baltic Sea. No rain, but the wind certainly howled...
I managed to get buffeted back to the hotel, and met with my new group, with whom I'll share part 2 of my adventure. At first blush, they don't seem as lively as the train bunch. The composition is certainly different. On the train, only three couples, two assorted pairs (one pair of sisters and one of friends) and nine singles, five women and four men. Of course, the fewer the number of couples, the more overall mingling. The next leg, there are only two singles, a man from Utah and myself, and ten couples. Everyone is nice enough, of course.... Well, it is early days yet...
Yesterday, we went as a group to see the infamous Fabrege Museum. I have always been fascinated by the eggs and it was lovely to see them live - those that are back in Russia (8 in all). The story is that the Soviets sold them all to (as they still say here) pay for building a new country. However, one of the oligarchs (they call him the Russian Rockefeller) bought as many of them back as he could, together with a lot of other Fabrege works, restored an old palace, and, voila.....
The group was doing the impressionists in the afternoon, so I broke off and managed to knock off two of my personal agenda items - The Pushkin House and The Dostoeyevsky Museum. I was worried that there would not be enough English signage for me to make heads or tails out of anything. Instead, both had the best audio guides I've ever experienced in a museum, and I came away touched, really, and with a much deeper understanding of both authors' lives and works. I will certainly have my reading cut out for me when I get home. Certainly two highlights....worth the trouble finding them - it was not easy - and the long walk back, which included a demonstration (yes, in Russia) about Putin's proposed increase in the retirement, and a street rock concert (America's gift to the world - rock concerts!)
Factoid - Peter the Great introduced potatoes to Russia (prior to that, they ate turnips. Turnip pancakes? Doesn't have quite the same ring...). Did you know that? I didn't know that..... He also brought coffee, to which Catherine the Great later became addicted. And yes, before you ask, there are, indeed, Starbucks here....
Today, we went to the Peterhof, Peter's summer palace on the Baltic, 29 km from the city. He wanted it to be the Versailles of the East, and the grounds and fountains are pretty spectacular.
The day ended with a five course Russian dinner (Russian salad, a mushroom dish from the time of Napoleon, borscht, chicken Kiev, and cake) followed by a concert of Russian folk music in the hall of yet another restored royal palace. It was actually a pretty spectacular concert, music, singing, dancing and costumes all first rate - and bubbly and nibblies at intermission!
A few more factoids and I will call it quits. The population of St. Petersburg is about 5 million. And apparently the 5,000 square kilometers of the center city have been designated as a UNESCO heritage site, hence the 18th and 19th century architecture and the lack of skyscrapers.
We still have another few days, but the jury is back. St. Petersburg wins over Moscow by a country mile....
If I was misinformed, you will hear from me sooner rather than later. Otherwise, ta ta till Moscow...
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