If you read my post on my pre-trip reading, you know that I read Robert Massie’s Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman just before heading to my Baltic destinations, and found both Catherine and the clashes of European histories during that era to be absolutely intriguing. With two full days and one night in Russia, arriving via the port of St. Petersburg, we spent the first day touring the historic heart of the city, spying after onion domes throughout the former capital while focusing on two main sights: The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood and the Hermitage Museum. The second day we headed out of the city to take in a summer residence of the Russian tsars.
First stop, St. Isaac’s Cathedral. St. Issac’s is the largest cathedral in St. Petersburg. Standing in the square before the cathedral, I found this fact to be particularly interesting: during World War II, the outside of the massive dome was painted gray to avoid being used as a point of direction and a target by enemy planes. Sculptures throughout St. Petersburg were removed from their pedestals and buried in an attempt to prevent these national treasures from being carried off.
Next up, a waterfront drive to view the many mansions and museums along the riverbank, as well as the Peter and Paul Fortress and the many beautiful bridges.
Our next stop was a scenic view of the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood from the Field of Mars. This was my favorite viewpoint of all of St. Petersburg. The park itself is very elegant, with a sculptured French garden feel, and is home to the first eternal flame of Russia. But the opportunity to photograph the Church on Spilled Blood, if you have a good lens, is second to none. I wouldn’t mind taking in that view on a park bench for a while again.
After drinking in the preview, we headed off for our close up with the Church on Spilled Blood. The Church on Spilled Blood was built in honor of Catherine the Great’s great-grandson Alexander II, who was assassinated where the church now stands. The inside is completely covered with intricate mosaics, rising up into the domes. However, the outside architecture, with the romantic nationalistic feel of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow and the beautiful multicolored onion domes, is my favorite feature.
After lunch, the rest of our day was spent at the Hermitage, which, according to what we learned on our way in, would take 9-11 years if we spent one minute at each exhibit. So, we set off to take in the gorgeous former palace and absorb some of the splendors that we were about to see.
It would probably take me 9-11 years as well to detail what experiencing the Hermitage is like, so I’ll just touch on a few details.
The Hermitage first greets its visitors with the Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace, a royal staircase of a caliber similar to the sweeping hall of L’Opera Garnier. The chandeliers in the following rooms are also Phantom-worthy. The throne room was another highlight, ornate and opulent with rich red fabrics and Baroque gold and white ceilings. Another ballroom was decorated entirely in gold and white, with excellent space for dancing. Other highlights included the peacock clock, the table with a mosaic top titled “Apollo and the Muses”, the Rembrandt Room, da Vinci’s Madonna Litta, the doors to the room that contains the Madonna Litta, and endless more halls of urns, statues, paintings, gilded ceilings, and more.
Day 2 is soon to come, all photos are included in the gallery below.
Photos: Nikon D3200
anchored & adrift 