Part 4 of 4
St Petersburg is often called the Venice of the North, very similar to Venice, Italy and Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded by Peter the Great and is Russia's second largest city. St Petersburg lies on 42 islands and has over 400 bridges and over 70 rivers and canals. Sunset is around 11:18pm and sunrise is around 4:48am. It doesn't become dark until around midnight, and even then there is still a little bit of light in the sky - this is called the white lights. Amazing it is still daylight at 11pm. Alesia served as our guide for St Petersburg.
After checking in to the Anabel Hotel at Nevskiy 88 we started our tour of St Petersburg. We visited the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - very stunning inside and outside. The exterior design of this church was inspired by the St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Crossing the Neva River, we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Cathedral of Peter and Paul. We then had our welcome to St Petersburg dinner at Hunter's House where I was fortunate to be seated in front of a Russia-style guitar. Afterwords, we went on a boat cruise in the canals of St Petersburg and got a nice overview of the city. Around 11:30pm, 3 of us climbed over 260 steps to the dome of St Isaac's Cathedral to enjoy the sunset. It was a real workout - the key is to pace yourself and start slow. In the end, it was worth it for the views of St Petersburg, including the St Petersburg TV tower which looks like the Eiffel Tower.
The next day, we boarded a hydrofoil for an excursion across the Gulf of Finland to Peterhof. A hydrofoil is a boat with a ski-like structure on the bottom - this structure raises the boat above water and reduces drag, allowing the boat to go faster. It is basically a cruise ship that runs like a jet ski. Upon arrival at Peterhof, we visited the Grand Palace. The palace lies behind beautiful fountains. Afterwords, we went inside St Isaac's Cathedral to experience its beautiful interior including a mosaic of Jesus. Then, we visited the inside of Kazan Cathedral - another masterpiece.
The next morning, we traveled to the Imperial Winter Palace to visit the Hermitage Museum, a large gallery of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from all over the world and from different eras. This museum has the world's largest vase (though it looks more like a bowl). In the afternoon, we traveled to Pushkin to visit the Catherine Palace. The palace was created by Catherine the Great, second wife of Peter the third, and is yet another example of exemplary design on exterior architecture and interior including a ball room and a chess game set. In the evening, we concluded our St Petersburg visit watching a Russian folk show, "Feel Yourself Russian" at Nikolayevsky Palace.
My favorite Russia pictures
St Petersburg is often called the Venice of the North, very similar to Venice, Italy and Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded by Peter the Great and is Russia's second largest city. St Petersburg lies on 42 islands and has over 400 bridges and over 70 rivers and canals. Sunset is around 11:18pm and sunrise is around 4:48am. It doesn't become dark until around midnight, and even then there is still a little bit of light in the sky - this is called the white lights. Amazing it is still daylight at 11pm. Alesia served as our guide for St Petersburg.
After checking in to the Anabel Hotel at Nevskiy 88 we started our tour of St Petersburg. We visited the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - very stunning inside and outside. The exterior design of this church was inspired by the St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Crossing the Neva River, we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Cathedral of Peter and Paul. We then had our welcome to St Petersburg dinner at Hunter's House where I was fortunate to be seated in front of a Russia-style guitar. Afterwords, we went on a boat cruise in the canals of St Petersburg and got a nice overview of the city. Around 11:30pm, 3 of us climbed over 260 steps to the dome of St Isaac's Cathedral to enjoy the sunset. It was a real workout - the key is to pace yourself and start slow. In the end, it was worth it for the views of St Petersburg, including the St Petersburg TV tower which looks like the Eiffel Tower.
The next day, we boarded a hydrofoil for an excursion across the Gulf of Finland to Peterhof. A hydrofoil is a boat with a ski-like structure on the bottom - this structure raises the boat above water and reduces drag, allowing the boat to go faster. It is basically a cruise ship that runs like a jet ski. Upon arrival at Peterhof, we visited the Grand Palace. The palace lies behind beautiful fountains. Afterwords, we went inside St Isaac's Cathedral to experience its beautiful interior including a mosaic of Jesus. Then, we visited the inside of Kazan Cathedral - another masterpiece.
The next morning, we traveled to the Imperial Winter Palace to visit the Hermitage Museum, a large gallery of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from all over the world and from different eras. This museum has the world's largest vase (though it looks more like a bowl). In the afternoon, we traveled to Pushkin to visit the Catherine Palace. The palace was created by Catherine the Great, second wife of Peter the third, and is yet another example of exemplary design on exterior architecture and interior including a ball room and a chess game set. In the evening, we concluded our St Petersburg visit watching a Russian folk show, "Feel Yourself Russian" at Nikolayevsky Palace.
My favorite Russia pictures
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