A Little More Sight-Seeing - July 22

We got up early since we have to leave for the airport at 11:00am to head for the Caucuses and Mt. Elbrus. We decided to go for a drive to check out a few things we didn't have a chance to see yesterday.

First stop is Palace Square, an enormous space, ringed by the back of the Hermitage (formerly the Winter Palace) on one side, the Admiralty on another and by an immense long governmental building with a series of beautifully ornate arches, statues and columns. In the middle of Palace Square is a tall (200 foot) pillar with a statue of Alexander the 1st, who fought and defeated Napoleon at the top. Alexander is depicted as an archangel. (St Petersburg is on the Gulf of Finland which feeds into the Baltic Sea and has been historically the headquarters for the Russian Navy).

It is now 8:00am and a few people are walking across the square presumably on their way to work with the exception of a handful of soldiers milling around, and a few brightly colored babushkas carrying large baskets. The style of dress is predominantly Western, especially among the younger people, very few suits, which surprised me. Like yesterday, I would characterize the people as polite but cautious. They don't seem to smile easily but rather appear serious in disposition.

Another aspect of the city that surprised me is that it was not very crowded. Since St. Petersburg has a population of 4 million, I expected the streets to be much more crowded and busy, and apart from the main street called Nevskiy, you could really get around easily, either on foot or in a car, with one exception… The Hermitage was packed.

We are now at the apartment of Alexander Pushkin, the renowned Russian poet. The apartment is now a museum located right off Palace Square on the Neva River. I am reminded again of Venice as the Neva and the Moika Rivers wind their way throughout the City exiting at the Baltic Sea by way of the Gulf of Finland. However, it is much cleaner than Venice, as we haven't seen any graffiti and very little garbage, especially around the historical sites. It is another perfect day weather-wise which is a bit unusual, now 2 days in a row. I have been told that given the northern latitude (35 degrees) and proximity to the ocean, that rain is frequent - about 4 to 5 times per week. A brief exception is in the month of June, which is referred to as White Nights because the sun doesn't set until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. For us, it gets dark a little earlier… about 11:00pm to Midnight - Still late by our standards.

Now off to the so called Field of Mars, which is basically a very well kept meadow used for many years as a parade ground, as well as for military maneuvers, and much earlier as a barracks. Back to the part of the Neva River that leads to several of the islands that surround St. Petersburg. Crossing a bridge to the largest of them, Basil's Island, where we stopped and viewed an extraordinary panorama. Think: the Potomac in Washington D.C., or the Charles in Boston with incredible architectural statements on either side, one after another, some very old – such as the Fortress of Peter and Paul, which is the oldest building in the City (1703). And some less old- like the massive judicial buildings (which look like the U.S. Supreme Court) and the Hermitage (both built around 1830), and a sprinkling of newer buildings.

Now we are heading to the Fortress of Peter and Paul, situated on a small island in the Neva. This was originally a fortress during earliest times, later used as a prison, and now as a museum. It is also the burial ground for the Romanov Dynasty. (Another reminder that St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1703 until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917).

From the fortress we proceed down the Neva (we are on the other side of the river from the Hermitage and the center of town where we are staying) to Peter's cabin, the place where Peter the Great would come and plan for the construction of the City. Before Peter oversaw the creation of the City, he had to wrest it away from Sweden which owned and occupied it in the late 1600’s. He did that by declaring that the area had belonged to Russia historically (which was apparently true) and he was just taking it back.

Down from Peter's cabin is a series of military installations along the Neva, including several battleships across the street from a long building which is a naval training school. This area leads to a more modern part of the City which features newer apartment and office buildings. There are streetcars and a lot more people, as well as traffic (the first we have seen!). No real historical interest here, as it feels like any city anywhere - albeit with some gold domes and spires visible through the trees on the horizon. We then wind back around to a bridge which takes us across the Neva to our hotel. We will pack up and go to the airport for the next stop on this adventure, Mineralnye Vody, the gateway to the Caucuses.