Monday, August 12, 2019 - A City Walking Tour and Metro Tour
At 9:00 A.M. our group gathers with our listening gizmos for a walking tour. Our local guide gives us an overview of the history of Saint Petersburg and tells us about the Russian Siege.
We wander the Vasil’yevski district through back streets and along canals, all of which is picturesque and interesting.
Late morning, we stop for a coffee break at a gated and guarded island park. There is nothing of interest here except for the availability of restrooms and I gaze at the large pink snails attached to the brick walls with amused boredom.
We continue our fast paced walking tour over ornate hippocampus and trident grilled bridges spanning the vast canals of Saint Petersburg and end at Saint Isaac’s, an opulent Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
Standing under the impressive dome we ogle at the frescos, stained glass and opulence. Art and I make our way back to our Pushkin Hotel and have a blissful 45 minutes to recharge both bodies and electronics before meeting Eszter for an afternoon tour of the Saint Petersburg Metros.
I visited Russia with a University of Redlands tour in 1971 and after visiting the metros, I wrote a paper on the Soviet Realism Art. We ride a seemingly endless escalator hundreds of feet below ground to the first of many stations on the must see metro station list. Remarkable Soviet era mosaics decorate the end walls of some stations and stately marble pillars support crown molded ceilings. Countless wrought iron and brass chandeliers hang from arched ceilings. At one station, the columns are decorated with an iridescent golden molded glass imprinted with the Soviet star and bundles of wheat. Each metro stop we visit is spotlessly clean and decorated with impressive Soviet Era art intended to reinforce in the hearts and minds of Soviet citizens, the abundant lives they live under communist rule.
 |
| Along a waterfront canal |
 |
| Guide talking about the Russian Siege |
 |
| Along a waterfront canal |
We wander the Vasil’yevski district through back streets and along canals, all of which is picturesque and interesting.
 |
| Vasil'yevski alley |
 |
| Back street in the Vasil'yevski district |
 |
| Fashionable Cafe in the Vasil'yevski district |
 |
| Vasil'yevski alley |
Late morning, we stop for a coffee break at a gated and guarded island park. There is nothing of interest here except for the availability of restrooms and I gaze at the large pink snails attached to the brick walls with amused boredom.
 |
| Pink snails at an island park |
 |
| Pink snails! |
 |
| Along the canal |
We continue our fast paced walking tour over ornate hippocampus and trident grilled bridges spanning the vast canals of Saint Petersburg and end at Saint Isaac’s, an opulent Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
 |
| Hippocampus bridge railing |
 |
| Saint Isaac's Russian Orthodox Church |
 |
| Cathedral door |
 |
| Saint Isaac's Cathedral dome |
 |
| Saint Isaac's Cathedral dome |
 |
| Stained glass at Saint Isaac's Cathedral |
 |
| Ceiling fresco |
 |
| Interior detail |
Standing under the impressive dome we ogle at the frescos, stained glass and opulence. Art and I make our way back to our Pushkin Hotel and have a blissful 45 minutes to recharge both bodies and electronics before meeting Eszter for an afternoon tour of the Saint Petersburg Metros.
 |
| Our beautiful room at the Pushkin Hotel |
 |
| Descending into the metro |
 |
| Entering the metro |
I visited Russia with a University of Redlands tour in 1971 and after visiting the metros, I wrote a paper on the Soviet Realism Art. We ride a seemingly endless escalator hundreds of feet below ground to the first of many stations on the must see metro station list. Remarkable Soviet era mosaics decorate the end walls of some stations and stately marble pillars support crown molded ceilings. Countless wrought iron and brass chandeliers hang from arched ceilings. At one station, the columns are decorated with an iridescent golden molded glass imprinted with the Soviet star and bundles of wheat. Each metro stop we visit is spotlessly clean and decorated with impressive Soviet Era art intended to reinforce in the hearts and minds of Soviet citizens, the abundant lives they live under communist rule.
 |
| Puskin statue |
 |
| An ornate metro station |
 |
| Metro station mosaic |
 |
| The ArtBobo station:) |
 |
| Metro station chandelier |
 |
| Metro station with columns of iridescent pressed glass |
 |
| Column detail |
 |
| Bronze bas-relief sculptures on every corner |
 |
| Hammer and Sickle |
 |
| Our group on the Saint Petersburg metro tour |
 |
| Eszter and Art |
 |
| Evening boat ride panorama along the Neva River |
 |
| Saint Petersburg view from our boat on the Neva River |
 |
| Watch your head! |
Passing under many bridges we note the warning sign on the top deck of our boat. “Saint Petersburg has over 500 bridges, but you have only one head!” An hour later, out boat docks in front of a Georgian restaurant and our group of 25 enjoys a final dinner together. The food is both excellent and plentiful and the wine flows freely. There are a few farewell speeches and although many of us will see each other in the morning at breakfast, we say goodbye and goodnight to all.
 |
| Farewell dinner in Saint Petersburg |
 |
| Toasting to a wonderful tour with great guides! |
After breakfast with our tour group, we stow our luggage at the hotel. Today we will be semi homeless until our train to Moscow departs at midnight. Admittedly it is preferable to have a room to return to where one can recharge batteries both literally and figuratively but with resolve, we set off to the near-bye Hermitage on our own. Eszter has coached us that the best way to avoid the ticket lines is to buy them at the automated kiosks just inside the ornate gates of the Hermitage courtyard. Although we arrive 30 minutes prior to opening, snaking lines extend far into the plaza. Just as we are heading to the end of the very long line the gates of the courtyard open and we see tourists rushing the gates. We fast walk through the gates but instead of lining up at the museum door for tickets, we spot four automated kiosks inside the courtyard. Art is second in line at one until a Chinese family asks him a question and skillfully maneuvers in front of him. Discount tickets are not available at the kiosks but even full price tickets are only 700 rubles each (about $11.) Unfortunately, the kiosk does not become operational until 10:30 A.M, the same time that the Hermitage opens. A long line forms behind Art and at all the kiosks and precisely at 10:30 A.M. the kiosk comes to life. 10 minutes later Art holds up our tickets triumphal! The ticket line at the Hermitage door is moving slowly but those with electronic tickets can enter through a side entrance in the courtyard.
After being x-rayed we push through a turnstile and find ourselves in a nearly empty Hermitage. We have entered through a side annex and wander a series of beautifully furnished decorative arts rooms within the palatial rococo rooms of the Hermitage.
I wish to visit the treasury which requires a separate ticket and you can only visit on a museum tour with a guide. We are fortunate to time this perfectly and there are only 6 or 7 of us on the tour. Unfortunately we are not permitted to take photos but the hour long tour is wonderful. The opulent collection is varied and much of the jewelry is from ancient civilizations. The highlight for me is a single display of baroque pearl jewelry where master craftsmen cast and fabricated fanciful designs of mermaids and knights and dragons around irregular pearls. The high carat gold designs are opulently set with gemstones and richly enameled. After the tour we share a quick sandwich in the crowded museum cafeteria unable to even find seats together and balancing our half sandwich on our laps.
 |
| The line to enter the Hermitage Museum |
 |
| Museum ticket kiosk |
After being x-rayed we push through a turnstile and find ourselves in a nearly empty Hermitage. We have entered through a side annex and wander a series of beautifully furnished decorative arts rooms within the palatial rococo rooms of the Hermitage.
 |
| We have this wing of the Hermitage to ourselves |
 |
| Alone in the Hermitage |
 |
| Alone in the Hermitage |
 |
| Exotic jungle screen |
 |
| Serpent jardinier |
 |
| One of the many decorative art rooms |
 |
| Gallery room in the Hermitage |
 |
| Library |
 |
| Griffin base display cabinets. |
 |
| Exiting the gates to the Hermitage onto the Palace Square |
 |
| Fanciful horse drawn carriages on Palace Square |
 |
| Archway on Palace Square |
On the way, we stop at what appears to look like a lovely bakery café and choose two pre-made salads and an apple pastry. Art orders what he believes to be ice coffee for us to share but he is given an undrinkable, sickly sweet hot almond coffee. We pick at the salads, eat the pastry and leave the coffee. My legs are tired and my feet hurt but we walk across a Neva river bridge to the Kunst Kamera museum. It is 4:40 when we arrive only to discover that ticket sales end at 5:00 P.M. and the museum closes at 6:00. We take our place in line and hope that we will make it to the head of the line before 5:00 P.M. Art takes out his phone and sets his stopwatch to estimate the number of people ahead of us and the time it takes each to purchase a ticket. Our chances are slim but we keep our place in line. At precisely 5:00 P.M. the door slams in the faces of a group of young European travelers ahead of us. One young woman exclaims “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” and pounds on the door. We are disappointed but decide instead to visit the Basilica but it has mysteriously disappeared from the river bank as well as our map. We later discover we are on a different branch of the Neva River. Defeated, Art calls Uber and we return to our hotel and sit in the tiny lobby along with a few others from our group killing time until their various departures.
 |
| Shopping for stacking Maruska Dolls |
 |
| Russian lacquer boxes |
I haven’t shopped at all and want to buy a set of stacking Maruska Dolls before I leave Saint Petersburg. I leave Art sitting at the hotel and cross the street to look in one of the nearby gift shops. The choices are overwhelming and the prices are high but I like the dolls in one particular shop and I also like Natasha who is not nearly as pushy as some other sales people in other shops. She explains that there are many workshops that make these and that each workshop has a unique style. She also explains that there are specialists in each work shop. One artist will paint only faces, another will do the under painting or the decorative flowers or may specialize in painting just one storybook character or a particular building or church. I finally make my decision and am able to pay with American Dollars which pleases Art since we are trying to save our Rubles for the small purchases when we can’t easily pay with Apple Pay or a credit card. We walk up to the main street in search of dinner and although it is not my pick, we eat at a buffet style cafeteria that Eszter has recommended. I’m tired and want to sit and be served but I abdicate and we wait in different lines to order entrees, salads and drinks. The interface is confusing and after waiting for a pasta dish for over 15 minutes, I am told I need to pay first and bring the paid ticket to the chef. I give up, choose another line where the chicken dish is already cooked and put it on my tray. The food is decent but it is not an experience that I would choose to repeat. Wine is only served upstairs and after dinner, Art placates me and we have a drink before returning to our hotel. We have agreed to share a taxi to the train station with Allen but decide we want to leave earlier to give us more time at the station to sort out our tickets. I have a printed conformation but we may need to show this paper at a ticket office in exchange for tangible tickets with a bar code. This proves not to be the case and we board our luxury train as soon as the track is announced.
 |
| Settling into our cabin on the midnight train to Moscow. |
 |
| The Grande Express Train hallway |
 |
| The dining table in our cabin |
 |
| Our tiny private bathroom |
 |
| A technically challenging toilet |
Our private sleeping car is upholstered in red with gold and red curtains. A tiny table is set with silverware, a bowl of fruit and chocolate. We have a small but private bathroom with a shower and a high tech toilet with butt washing buttons. I cannot figure out how to flush the toilet and Art comes to offer technical support and grimaces when he gets a squirt of water in the face from the “personal cleansing hose.” Our stewardess knocks and enters to take our breakfast order and to get the name of our hotel in Moscow. Apparently the Grand Express train ticket also includes a taxi from the station to our hotel. She is tall and extremely sweet and demonstrates how to swivel the table, lower the upper bunk and convert the couch into a bed.
 |
| The midnight train to Moscow |
No comments:
Post a Comment