Now, where were we? Yes, the Peter and Paul fortress, with my guides Vanya and Alice. So, after thoroughly scoping out the citadel, we headed back towards the city center, when unfortunately the weather just stopped being nice. I had read that St. P's weather is notoriously fickle, and yesterday was a good example. It went from sunny and warm to cold and rainy in 0 seconds flat.
As we headed towards a market to pick up some water, and find some shelter as well, we linked up with Vanya's girlfriend, Veronica. A sweet girl, her English was even better than the other two, as she spent some time in London. Anyway, since the weather wasn't agreeable, we figured an indoor activity might be a good idea, and what better place than the Hermitage?
Now, frequent visitors to FC know that museums don't rank very high on my To Do list, but I figured if I came to St. Petersburg and failed to check out the Hermitage, my Aunt Elena (born in Russia, for those who haven't paid close attention), would probably refuse to speak to me again. So, I thought I should pay homage. Of course, it is much more expensive for foreigners to enter the museum. Quite a difference exists between ticket prices for Russians and non-Russians. Luckily I hang with some pretty smart folks. Vanya (even though he isn't a student anymore) still carries his student card, and students get in for free. There were multiple lines to buy tickets (maybe 5 or 6 windows)...do you see where I am going with this? We all queued in different lines and Vanya, after getting a ticket, would go replace the one nearest a window, and then so on. Boom, into the Hermitage for free.
So, of course, the museum can be pretty overwhelming with the amount of art and artifacts on hand. I actually liked the temporary exhibit they had on hand, which had dioramas of recent or ongoing architecture projects. You couldn't take photos though, so you just have to take my word for it. We scoped the rest of the museum for an hour or so, including a room paneled in gold. Soon we could see that the rain had passed on, but more importantly hunger was setting in, so we made it back to the flat, where we dined on Vanya's mother's delicious borscht.
After lunch we walked about a bit more, stopping by the Church on Spilled Blood (but held off on going in...that was today) and the statue of Pushkin, the famous Russian poet. From there we set off for Vanya's friend's place, where he had an invite to hang out for the evening.
This was a really cool part to the trip. This friend, Vladimir (or Vova, as we called him) lives in an old building that was used during the Soviet era to house workers, but now rents out space. Its a pretty bizarre set up, with dark and dreary hallways and communal kitchens and bathrooms. Vova proved to be a cool dude, speaking decent English to beat. He and Vanya played guitar and sang (the singing needs work, but they are both ace on the guitar), while we all snacked and swapped stories and jokes. His apartment was filled with all kinds of old odds-and-ends and well, including an old-style sewing machine, a Turkish water pipe, and a traditional Russian tea-maker. A great time, and also a window onto how Russian youth like to spend their free time. One of the early highlights of the trip for sure.
So we dropped off Veronica and drove around for a bit in the night, but eventually had to call it in. We had to rise a bit earlier today, has we had a ferry to catch. After another delicious breakfast (same stuff, but just as good), we (the four of us) made our way to Peterhof, the summer palace of the Tsars, about a 30-minute boat ride away, located off of the Bay of Finland. I suppose the best short-hand I could offer here is to describe it has a mini-Versailles. The fountains in front of the palace are pretty stellar, and the surrounding grounds, while not as expansive as Versailles, are still beautiful. We had great weather for the occasion, and it proved a worthwhile trip.
Upon returning and after a quick lunch, just Vanya and I set out, taking in St. Isaac's Cathedral, a massive domed structure not far from his home. We climbed to the top of the cuppola, which offered awesome views of the city. From there we went back to the Spilled Blood. I am mainly impressed by the outside, which is stunning, but the interior, which is wall-to-wall with mosaics, ain't chopped liver either.
After these to spots the dinner hour was approaching, and we again met up with our two girls and Veronica's parents and younger brother, and we dined at a Korean restaurant (apparently the best in the city). Her father is ethnic Korean (he only speaks Russian though, but looks Korean. Born in the far east of Russia), hence the choice of venue. Not exactly local fare, but still very good.
The day wouldn't end there though. I accompanied them to do a little bit of grocery shopping, then at 2200 we met with another of Ivan's friends, also named Vladimir (Vova tagged along as well). We hung out in a cafe for a while, chatting (well, they did, Alice and Vanya had to translate). After we walked around a bit in the twilight (remember, darkness doesn't set in until REAL late), but eventually called it a wrap.
Whew....and there is that. I hope I didn't miss anything, but this is a bit condensed, for I don't like these to be too long, and I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is the small matter of Moscow.
But, as a reward for your patience, here are some photos:
As we headed towards a market to pick up some water, and find some shelter as well, we linked up with Vanya's girlfriend, Veronica. A sweet girl, her English was even better than the other two, as she spent some time in London. Anyway, since the weather wasn't agreeable, we figured an indoor activity might be a good idea, and what better place than the Hermitage?
Now, frequent visitors to FC know that museums don't rank very high on my To Do list, but I figured if I came to St. Petersburg and failed to check out the Hermitage, my Aunt Elena (born in Russia, for those who haven't paid close attention), would probably refuse to speak to me again. So, I thought I should pay homage. Of course, it is much more expensive for foreigners to enter the museum. Quite a difference exists between ticket prices for Russians and non-Russians. Luckily I hang with some pretty smart folks. Vanya (even though he isn't a student anymore) still carries his student card, and students get in for free. There were multiple lines to buy tickets (maybe 5 or 6 windows)...do you see where I am going with this? We all queued in different lines and Vanya, after getting a ticket, would go replace the one nearest a window, and then so on. Boom, into the Hermitage for free.
So, of course, the museum can be pretty overwhelming with the amount of art and artifacts on hand. I actually liked the temporary exhibit they had on hand, which had dioramas of recent or ongoing architecture projects. You couldn't take photos though, so you just have to take my word for it. We scoped the rest of the museum for an hour or so, including a room paneled in gold. Soon we could see that the rain had passed on, but more importantly hunger was setting in, so we made it back to the flat, where we dined on Vanya's mother's delicious borscht.
After lunch we walked about a bit more, stopping by the Church on Spilled Blood (but held off on going in...that was today) and the statue of Pushkin, the famous Russian poet. From there we set off for Vanya's friend's place, where he had an invite to hang out for the evening.
This was a really cool part to the trip. This friend, Vladimir (or Vova, as we called him) lives in an old building that was used during the Soviet era to house workers, but now rents out space. Its a pretty bizarre set up, with dark and dreary hallways and communal kitchens and bathrooms. Vova proved to be a cool dude, speaking decent English to beat. He and Vanya played guitar and sang (the singing needs work, but they are both ace on the guitar), while we all snacked and swapped stories and jokes. His apartment was filled with all kinds of old odds-and-ends and well, including an old-style sewing machine, a Turkish water pipe, and a traditional Russian tea-maker. A great time, and also a window onto how Russian youth like to spend their free time. One of the early highlights of the trip for sure.
So we dropped off Veronica and drove around for a bit in the night, but eventually had to call it in. We had to rise a bit earlier today, has we had a ferry to catch. After another delicious breakfast (same stuff, but just as good), we (the four of us) made our way to Peterhof, the summer palace of the Tsars, about a 30-minute boat ride away, located off of the Bay of Finland. I suppose the best short-hand I could offer here is to describe it has a mini-Versailles. The fountains in front of the palace are pretty stellar, and the surrounding grounds, while not as expansive as Versailles, are still beautiful. We had great weather for the occasion, and it proved a worthwhile trip.
Upon returning and after a quick lunch, just Vanya and I set out, taking in St. Isaac's Cathedral, a massive domed structure not far from his home. We climbed to the top of the cuppola, which offered awesome views of the city. From there we went back to the Spilled Blood. I am mainly impressed by the outside, which is stunning, but the interior, which is wall-to-wall with mosaics, ain't chopped liver either.
After these to spots the dinner hour was approaching, and we again met up with our two girls and Veronica's parents and younger brother, and we dined at a Korean restaurant (apparently the best in the city). Her father is ethnic Korean (he only speaks Russian though, but looks Korean. Born in the far east of Russia), hence the choice of venue. Not exactly local fare, but still very good.
The day wouldn't end there though. I accompanied them to do a little bit of grocery shopping, then at 2200 we met with another of Ivan's friends, also named Vladimir (Vova tagged along as well). We hung out in a cafe for a while, chatting (well, they did, Alice and Vanya had to translate). After we walked around a bit in the twilight (remember, darkness doesn't set in until REAL late), but eventually called it a wrap.
Whew....and there is that. I hope I didn't miss anything, but this is a bit condensed, for I don't like these to be too long, and I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is the small matter of Moscow.
But, as a reward for your patience, here are some photos:
The Hermitage, in the rain.
Jammin' out
Alice inspects the shoddy electricity in Vova's building.
Fountains at Peterhof.
View from St. Issac's.
Two dudes in front of the Church on Spilled Blood.
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