We all met at 7:15am to begin the second day of our tour to St. Petersburg. It was overcast and raining a bit as we headed out. We stopped by the pink and white Chesma Church (some call it the Wedding Cake church) for photos. Quite pretty, don’t you think?
On our way out to Catherine’s Palace, we passed American businesses such as Shell Oil, Wrigley, Coca Cola, etc. St. Petersburg is a growing metropolis. Some parts of it look like any large US city, other parts are quite depressed. The museums, palaces and castles are well cared for.
Catherine’s Palace (blue building above) was founded by Peter I for his wife Catherine 1 and rebuilt and enlarged for their daughter Empress Elizabeth. The luxury of the interior decoration of the palace was created by the bet artists of the XVIII and XIX centuries. The most famous Amber Room with the walls paneled with amber was completely lost during WWII and is now restored completely. Below is a replica of clothing worn by Catherine (she depleted the Royal treasury), the Gold Room, the Amber Room, and an example of a ceiling painting in each room.
We then visited a Jewish Monument erected by the Jewish community to honor those killed by the nazis. Then a visit to the Great Choral Synagogue.
Next, a visit to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, SP’s largest church, which was built between 1818 and 1858. It is decorated with 14 kinds of minerals and semi-precious stones as well as mosaic paintings.
The ceiling of St. Isaac’s Cathedral – a beautiful church with many mosaics.
After leaving the Cathedral, we boarded a canal boat to see the sights along the canal. We cruised along the canals, going under low bridges, until we reached the River Neva. Very interesting, seeing the city from a different viewpoint.
We had a wonderful overview of St. Petersburg, thanks to Helen and Red October.
Tomorrow: Tallinn, Estonia
Ok that threw me off. Day 10 is in the wrong order.
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