Pulling into the port at sunrise (or I assume the sun was rising behind the clouds) I was a little surprised to find us in the middle of a very industrial port. We seemed to cruise for miles past cranes and factories before pulling dockside in the heart of the city. However, we did glimpse the famed onion domes in the distance, a tantalizing look into what the day would had in store for us.
Russian immigration we were warned would be painfully slow our first time into the city. While not speedy, I didn't find it any worse than JFK or DFW. We opted not to obtain a Visa which meant we were only allowed to leave via a guided tour. The busses awaited us on the street, for our first adventure into the city. This driving tour took us by all the landmarks - The Hermitage, St. Issac's Square and the magnificent Church of the Spilled Blood. Since this is the Venice of the north, to truly experience it you must view it from the canals that connect the islands of the city. We were determined not to let the rain dampen our spirits and tollerated a few drops to capture the beauty of the city.
A brief history lesson. Peter the Great ( as opposed to Ivan the ok) founded this city with the intent of bringing Europe to Russia. Architects from all over western Europe were brought in to build this relatively young city and it shows. One is reminded of Paris and Rome with imposing, guided facades. The only nod to Russia was the onion doomed cathedrals. At night, the buildings are lit much like Paris with bridges lined with sparking lights. It is all quite breathtaking.
An afternoon tour took us into the restricted gold and diamond rooms of The Hermitage. The winter palace of the Czars, it now serves as a five building complex of museums which includes art, archeology and educational exhibits. If you spent one minute looking at every item in the collection you would be there for 10 years! The gold and diamond collection is housed in two separate areas in the museum and can only be viewed with a museum guide. Lots of gold, lots of jewels, not many people.
A brief nap on the ship helped prepare us for our evening at The Hermitage. Our group had the run of the museum (well, not really since we had to stay with our guide to keep from getting lost) to explore this Czar domain. You can understand why the people rebelled (much like in France) when you see the ornately decorated rooms with wood inlaid floors and vaulted ceilings. The collection includes an impressive European art collection and artifacts from ancient civilizations.
Our evening concluded with an orchestra performance staged just for us. The acoutics were amazing, whisking you back into the world of Catherine the Great who once roamed these halls. Simply magical.
Russian immigration we were warned would be painfully slow our first time into the city. While not speedy, I didn't find it any worse than JFK or DFW. We opted not to obtain a Visa which meant we were only allowed to leave via a guided tour. The busses awaited us on the street, for our first adventure into the city. This driving tour took us by all the landmarks - The Hermitage, St. Issac's Square and the magnificent Church of the Spilled Blood. Since this is the Venice of the north, to truly experience it you must view it from the canals that connect the islands of the city. We were determined not to let the rain dampen our spirits and tollerated a few drops to capture the beauty of the city.
A brief history lesson. Peter the Great ( as opposed to Ivan the ok) founded this city with the intent of bringing Europe to Russia. Architects from all over western Europe were brought in to build this relatively young city and it shows. One is reminded of Paris and Rome with imposing, guided facades. The only nod to Russia was the onion doomed cathedrals. At night, the buildings are lit much like Paris with bridges lined with sparking lights. It is all quite breathtaking.
An afternoon tour took us into the restricted gold and diamond rooms of The Hermitage. The winter palace of the Czars, it now serves as a five building complex of museums which includes art, archeology and educational exhibits. If you spent one minute looking at every item in the collection you would be there for 10 years! The gold and diamond collection is housed in two separate areas in the museum and can only be viewed with a museum guide. Lots of gold, lots of jewels, not many people.
A brief nap on the ship helped prepare us for our evening at The Hermitage. Our group had the run of the museum (well, not really since we had to stay with our guide to keep from getting lost) to explore this Czar domain. You can understand why the people rebelled (much like in France) when you see the ornately decorated rooms with wood inlaid floors and vaulted ceilings. The collection includes an impressive European art collection and artifacts from ancient civilizations.
Our evening concluded with an orchestra performance staged just for us. The acoutics were amazing, whisking you back into the world of Catherine the Great who once roamed these halls. Simply magical.
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