Day 10- Second day of St. Petersburg. Our day started very early, 7:30 am. We started the day with a boat ride on the rivers and canals of St. Petersburg. We were able to see many beautiful palaces that faced the waterways. However the surprise of the ride was a Russian teenage boy. We first saw him on the first bridge that we passed under. He was standing on the bridge smiling and waving. Then we got to the next bridge (a long ways away) and there he was again smiling and waving. We then began to watch him run down the sides of the canals to meet us at each bridge. All the boat passengers were cheering him on to see if he would make it to each bridge in time. Our tour was just over an hour long and he ran to meet us the whole time. When we arrived back at the pier, he was waiting there to greet us! Austin couldn't wait to have his photo taken with this legend.
We then began the drive out to the suburbs to see Catherine's Palace. The drive through St. Petersburg was very interesting. You saw the juxtaposition of extreme wealth with the palaces and important buildings and then the architecture of the Soviet era apartment buildings. We saw the Singer sewing machine office building, which was elegantly decorated.
We then visited the Yusopov Palace, which was beautiful, but by this point we were getting a little palaced out. They were all ornate, huge, and a waste of money by Russia when many of their people were starving. It became very clear how the Russian revolution happened and why communism was able to take hold. At the palace, we were told the story of Rasputin and how he was murdered. We also learned about the end of the tsars and the Russian revolution.
We arrived at Catherine's Palace and were taken with the gold leaf on everything. The shocking thing was that some of the leaf had been removed because Catherine decided it was "too much". The rooms were amazingly decorated with colors, porcelain, and yes, gold leaf. The palace was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but it has been meticulously rebuilt. Most of the furnishings and artwork was saved.
On the way to our final stop, we stopped the bus for a quick celebration. It was another person's birthday on our tour so we had a champagne toast and a few rounds of Happy Birthday in 4 different languages. It was great fun and an excuse for a few group photos.
Our final stop was the Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens. The gardens were huge and we spent about an hour roaming just a small portion of the area. The most impressive thing was the fountains all over the gardens that were created and installed over 300 years ago and still operate with no electricity or pumps. It is hard to imagine the engineering that went into this feat. They also had several "trick fountains" that you could play in and possibly get wet. Austin took the dare to cross them and ended up very, very wet.
Our time in St. Petersburg went very quickly and I am thankful for having 2 days here. It was so interesting to meet some of the people and to see how the Russians lived in the past and present. It was very clear that some people are nostalgic for the past while others are thriving in the present. Still, they know there are issues and are hoping for continued change.
We then began the drive out to the suburbs to see Catherine's Palace. The drive through St. Petersburg was very interesting. You saw the juxtaposition of extreme wealth with the palaces and important buildings and then the architecture of the Soviet era apartment buildings. We saw the Singer sewing machine office building, which was elegantly decorated.
We then visited the Yusopov Palace, which was beautiful, but by this point we were getting a little palaced out. They were all ornate, huge, and a waste of money by Russia when many of their people were starving. It became very clear how the Russian revolution happened and why communism was able to take hold. At the palace, we were told the story of Rasputin and how he was murdered. We also learned about the end of the tsars and the Russian revolution.
We arrived at Catherine's Palace and were taken with the gold leaf on everything. The shocking thing was that some of the leaf had been removed because Catherine decided it was "too much". The rooms were amazingly decorated with colors, porcelain, and yes, gold leaf. The palace was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but it has been meticulously rebuilt. Most of the furnishings and artwork was saved.
On the way to our final stop, we stopped the bus for a quick celebration. It was another person's birthday on our tour so we had a champagne toast and a few rounds of Happy Birthday in 4 different languages. It was great fun and an excuse for a few group photos.
Our final stop was the Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens. The gardens were huge and we spent about an hour roaming just a small portion of the area. The most impressive thing was the fountains all over the gardens that were created and installed over 300 years ago and still operate with no electricity or pumps. It is hard to imagine the engineering that went into this feat. They also had several "trick fountains" that you could play in and possibly get wet. Austin took the dare to cross them and ended up very, very wet.
Our time in St. Petersburg went very quickly and I am thankful for having 2 days here. It was so interesting to meet some of the people and to see how the Russians lived in the past and present. It was very clear that some people are nostalgic for the past while others are thriving in the present. Still, they know there are issues and are hoping for continued change.
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