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Saint Petersburg 2006 |
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Above: Panoramic view of
St. Petersburg from the SS Peter & Paul Cathedral
I arrived to
St. Petersburg by sleeper train from Moscow. Despite my initial reservations, I
actually slept fine on the train. St. Petersburg was in fact Russia’s
capital city throughout most of the 18th and 19th century and it is still
widely considered Russia’s cultural capital. Revered St. Petersburg is one
of the most picturesque cities in the world and the downtown area is a virtual
open air museum filled with beautiful baroque and neoclassical buildings and
sculptures at every turn. One of the most impressive of these is the Church of
the Savior on Spilled Blood which, despite its rather gruesome name, rises
majestically over a canal just off St. Petersburg’s main strip, Nevsky
Prospekt.
It’s virtually impossible to list all of the highlights
and attractions of St. Petersburg. Simply just getting lost, following the
crowds and wandering around the city itself is probably the highlight. With St.
Petersburg's 'white nights' in full swing, there certainly wasn't a shortage of
daylight hours. In a way it’s almost too much to take all at once. A visit
to the world famous art museum the Hermitage is an absolute must, as is the
Peter and Paul Fortress. A must-see side trip in the outskirts of St.
Petersburg is Petrodvoret's. Peter the Great's Grant Castle and Grand Cascade
& Water Avenue are simply stunning as the quirky SS Peter & Paul
Cathedral.
Left: Standing in front of the Church of the
Savior on Spilled Blood |
| There is plenty of action to
catch in St. Petersburg. The adjoining beach on along the Peter and Paul
Fortress was hosting an exotic sand-sculpture festival with live jazz
accompaniment which, with the fantastic views across the Balshaya River of the
Hermitage, made a great night out. I was sure to catch an opera at the world
famous Mariinsky Theater, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s the Snow Maiden.
Although not a huge fan of opera, it was absolutely stunning to see so many
people sharing a stage and singing at once. I also caught a hockey game but
that wasn’t quite as impressive. |
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Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood |
Petrodvorets |
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