a baltic journey
/Best of St. Petersburg, Tallinn & Helsinki in 9 Days, a Rick Steves Tour
/st. petersburg
/st. petersburg
day 7 - catherine palace, monument and free evening
First thing in the morning we all jumped on the bus and took a drive outside the city to the Catherine Palace. This could be the most gold embellished building and interiors I have ever witnessed. And I LOVED it!
It is shocking to look at photos of what was destroyed during world war II; the Russians have done a wonderful job of restoring this beautiful historic Palace. It was built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine, who ruled for two years after his death. But it was not until later that the Palace was transformed to the extravagance that it is today.
Just unfortunate that my camera battery died halfway through our tour...just as I was sneaking video of the amber room :) In my defence, I only jumped at the opportunity after I saw our assistant guide George walk to the centre of the room and hold his phone out in front, without hiding it, and take photos. The security women in the room was on him in seconds. To be honest, I wish I videoed that. He basically used his shoulder to push her off and keep taking photos. I was in shock and completely jealous. Later, in talking to George, I find out that he did not know we were not allowed to take photos, he thought the girl was trying to take his prime spot at the front of the room...priceless.
After the guided tour of the Palace we were led around the gardens and lake before heading for a lunch stop. I really enjoyed viewing the various china patterns on display in a seperate building by the lake, and then just resting at the edge of the lake taking in all the beauty.
the monument to the heroic defenders of leningrad
This powerful and impressive monument was built as the focal point of Victory Square in the early 1970s to commemorate the heroic efforts of the citizens and soldiers of Leningrad to the repel the Nazis in the 900-day Siege of Leningrad during World War II. On street level there is a very large obelisk and various statues of the citizens and soldiers. But the underground memorial was the real experience; we watched a short documentarary and viewed display cases that gave insight into the living conditions during the 900 days. I'm glad we stopped here to give respect. Without the brave people who wouldn't back down; it is hard to say how much of St. Petersburg would be around today.
subway station tour
After our monument visit some of the group took the bus back to the city centre and the rest of us followed Elteka for a tour of the underground subway. Not only are the metro lines the deepest in the world, but some of the platforms are ornately decorated; glass columns, mosiac pictures and even chandeliers.
mariinsky theatre
After a long day of touring it was time to get ready for my ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre. I was flying solo and debating about actually going when we overheard some ladies at our front desk talking about their extra ticket. What are the chances?...so one of my tour friends got the extra ticket and we went to the performance together. Such a great experience. It wasn't the Russian ballet company, but it was worth attending to view the theatre in use. I also enjoyed our walk back to the hotel. I think we were thinking we were lost, then we turned the corner and saw the gold dome. St. Petersburg has so many monuments and unique buildings that you will never be lost.
