St. Petersburg, Russia

So, Russia.  We had the privilege to visit a country many people will never see.  Of course, I could probably say this about many of the countries we are visiting on this voyage, along with the fall 2010 voyage.  We feel very fortunate.  And yet, I am at a loss for words to describe our experience in St. Petersburg, Russia.  This first picture is a nice illustration of where this blog is going.  It was one of our most difficult ports alongside Lisbon, Portugal.  A colleague, Jill, studied and lived in St. Petersburg for almost a year and absolutely loves this city.  She mentioned however that if this was her first time visiting she would not have such adoration.  This makes me feel slightly validated in my lack of excitement.  My lackluster feelings are not due to the city per se, but rather:

1.     Crowds.  There were a million people and tourists in this city.  There was a special festival for the military on Sunday, which only drew MORE people to an already crowded city. For example, sometimes when crossing a street at a crosswalk, we found ourselves weaving through hundreds of people going the opposite direction.

2.     Heat.  Believe it or not, Russia has been our hottest port!  The heat was sweltering.  Quinn fell asleep in her stroller and awoke soaked in sweat and with bright pink cheeks. 

3.     Logistics.  For whatever strange reason, Institute of Shipboard Education decided not to organize shuttles for this port.  Not only was it required to pass through customs each entry and exit (along with other cruise passengers), but we then had to take a bus into the city.  It took about an hour each way.  When we only have about a 4-hour window with Quinn, this does not give us a long time to sightsee.  We definitely pushed Quinn hard every time we went into St. Petersburg or beyond (3 out of 5 days).

4.     Well, it is a city.  And cities are not what I enjoy when I travel so this did contribute to my lackluster feelings.

Despite all of this, Russia has such a rich and fascinating history, especially in relation to the US, so it was an honor to step on its soil.  This past year, I “forced” my book club to read the classic book, Crime and Punishment , so walking around in Dostoyevsky’s home country was also pretty special.  The grandiosity of the buildings in St. Petersburg is what I will remember most.  The city is fairly easy to navigate because of these massive landmarks.  My favorite building was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (also known as Church of Spilt Blood; built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated to dedicate his memory) due to its unique architecture on the exterior (apparently, in the spirit of romantic nationalism from the medieval ages in Russia) and an interior almost entirely consisting of mosaic art, both of which are completely unique to any cathedral I have visited in the US or abroad (see pics above).  A glass case provided an up close view of the tiny mosaic tile sizes that were used for the art.  Incredible!   

We also visited the inside of St. Isaacs Church and walked the steps for a view of St. Petersburg.  We passed by the famous Hermitage museum with over 3 million pieces of artwork, but decided not to go inside due to the huge crowds, lack of AC, and a certain-to-be bored child.  Another impressive building in St. Petersburg is on Peterhof Island , Peter the Great’s summer palace (see pic).  The fountains are made out of pure gold!  Can you imagine having this as a second home?!  There was another building on the grounds for when he wanted to be alone…because I guess thirty rooms doesn’t lend a person to some privacy.  To get to the summer palace, we took the hydrofoil, or a quicker ferry, which is a famous mode of transportation in this city.

Apparently, St. Petersburg has 120 museums, so there were many interesting places we could have visited or spent more time if we didn’t have a two year old.  I just don’t think St. Petersburg is the greatest place to sight see at the height of tourist season with a toddler, and yet, I am pleased we visited a country such as Russia, managed to see a few interesting sights, and balanced the stress with some easy days and/or nights on the ship.  And, just look at this cute girl.  We wouldn't change things for the world. :)