Just getting caught up after two days of witnessing the lives of emperors and empresses.

Wednesday our tour guide collected us at our hotel and we walked the 5 minutes to the Hermitage.   Part art gallery, part museum and part state apartments, the Hermitage holds a collection of over 3 million pieces; of course we saw only the highlights.  Our tour guide, Catherine, was very informative, sweet and obliging.   We toured several rooms of impressionist paintings and  saw 2 da vincis (of only 15 remaining in the world).   The white chandelier pictured below next to the mosaic of Peter the Great is ivory carved by Peter’s own hand around 1700 AD.   There are over 1,000 rooms but the rooms we saw were fabulous.  My favourite was the Raspberry Boudoir, what’s not to love?   Photographs can’t begin to capture the beauty of the palace, and Versailles pales in comparison.   Huge chandeliers, guilded and marbled walls, stunning inlaid wood floors.  Catherine was a great tour guide and we dubbed her Catherine III.   And Willie turned to us and said, if you like this, just wait until you see Peterhof!

Today the weather was damp and there was a real fall chill in the air.  Leaves on the trees were starting to turn.   Fall is upon St. Petersburg, yet the days remain long – it is around 8:30 pm when twilight falls.   By evening the temp had warmed and the dampness vanished, and Shirley and I went out in search of Fashion Night which we discovered was on another night, but we had fun shopping anyway and finished the day with delicious lemon tarts.  Tomorrow Peterhof!

Jan

PS thank you for all your lovely comments, it is awesome to hear from you from the other side of the world.  Sorry I haven’t responded individually, we have been on the go and I am huddled in the bathroom scratching out my post at 1am!

Tucked into poppy seed buns this a.m. en route to explore this beautiful city, doing a self-guided tour of Nevsky Prospekt and the shops and sights along it. Glorious summer weather with just a welcome tinge of marine air. Started shooting photos at the landmark Church on Spilled Blood (so named because it was built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated). Followed the Moika River to Nevsky Prospekt, a bustling street typical of any big city major street except the buildings along it are old and elegant, such as the Alexandrinsky and Stroganov Palaces. Stopped for lunch at an enticing food shop and cafe where they had the most beautiful cupcakes and macarons.

Found a fabulous shoe store and a yummy pair of Italian shoe/boots followed me home. Sochi gear is all the rage this year and Willie picked up some souvineers.

Carried on to the magnificent Kazan Cathedral where pilgrims lined up to kiss and bless icons of their namesake saints. The Cathedral has a long history dating back to Empress Elizabeth and her successor Catherine the Great.

Today I had in mind a description of the celebration of Catherine the Great’s marriage to Peter III (the marriage was disastrous but ultimely led to Catherine’s succession):

“A blare of trumpets and the thunder of drums signaled the start of the wedding procession. Twenty-four elegant carriages rolled down the Nevsky Prospect from the Winter Palace to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. The bridal pair sat with Elizabeth in the empress’s state coach, ‘truly a little castle,’ drawn by eight white horses, their harness adorned by silver buckles, the huge wheels of the coach shining with gilt, the side panels and doors covered with paintings and mythological scenes. ‘The procession infinitely surpasses anything I have ever seen,’ reported the English ambassador. Inside the cathedral, Catherine was surrounded by a sea of jeweled icons, lighted candles, clouds of incense and rows of faces. The [Russian Orthodox] service, conducted by the bishop of Novgorod, lasted three hours.”

[from Catherine the Great, Portrait of a Woman, by Robert K. Massie]

Along with beautiful canals and rivers winding through the city with mansions and palaces along their banks, the downtown is dotted with lovely parks and monuments. Past the Admiralty building we caught our first glimpse of the Winter Palace, Palace Square and the Alexander Monument, the largest free-standing monument in the world.

Wound our way back to our hotel for a brief stopoff before heading out for dinner. Willie had scouted a restaurant around the corner from our hotel where we dined on authentic Georgian cuisine (unusual but wonderful flavours with a strong Mediterranean influence). We asked the waiter to make up a platter of starters which were cheese-stuffed bread wtih a fabulous sauce, and various dill- and pomegranate-based bites. I ordered veal and it came sizzling in a pan with onions, sweet peppers, and crispy potatoes. A taxi was hastily ordered and we arrived at the Hermitage Theatre just in time for a performance of Swan Lake. It was incredible to sit in this marble-lined theatre thinking that Catherine and her “favourites” were entertained here. To see Swan Lake in this setting and in this city left me with goosebumps.

Wandered home on a balmy evening and finished this wonderful day with a visit to our roof deck for a final look at our Church of Spilled Blood.

Tomorrow – the Hermitage Museum, inside the Winter Palace. If every day is as good as today, I just don’t know what I’ll do.

…this is the most delicious moment of a trip. The whole adventure lies ahead, and taking the first step, literally, toward it.

And a right proper send-off in Vancouver!

Jan