"such was life...In Leningrad."
We spent a lot of time here. Six days a month for three and a half months straight. Three days per two week cruise. It was a popular season. There is so much to see and all the guests on the ship were out all day touring so the crew had plenty time off.
Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia during Tsar rule. When the communists took over the capital was moved to Moscow. St. Petersburg was Peter the Greats vision and was Russias window on the west. He designed the city around western architecture and culture.
I have spent a lot of time here and there is so much I have left to see. The Hermitage museum which is the original tsarist Winter palace is a have to see. It is the second largest art museum in the world after La Louvre in Paris.
The Tsars amassed a huge collection of western art. Remabrandt, Picasso, Dali, Da Vinci and Michealangelo are all on display. It is awesome. For me too stand and gaze upon an original Van Gogh was a real highlight. They reckon that if you spend 1 minute looking at every single piece in the museum for 8 hours a day you would be there for 3 years or there abouts.
I have many stories about this city, too many to bore you with in one posting. Our "Vodka appreciation evening" is one that I am already drafting. So here are some shots of a two and a half hour walk I took one day.
Nevsky Prospekt
St. Isaac's Church on the spilt blood
The Hermitage Museum
again...
Anyone who is an avid collector of useless information will enjoy reading up on this vibrant city's often tragic past. The seige of Leningrad, Rasputin, The Romanovs, The Russian revolution and not forgetting the lavish lifestyle of the Tsars (Hey If I was digging coal my whole life and my Tsar lived in a palace with 1200 rooms during the winter, I would also revolt.
This is definitely a place that has moved me and will definitely be seeing me again.
Have a safe week
CB
The stretch Hummer- A wedding favourite
4 comments:
can i please climb into yoru suitcase and join the trip??
Anytime...my suitcase is firmly unpacked though and gathering dust under my bed. But it is keeping things fresh in my mind.
I was so upset I couldn't make it to St Petersburg - went on a Contiki tour to Scandinavia and had the option of adding on Moscow and St Petersburg, except at that stage it would have cut into Honours third term and a project due! Sigh... another time... tell us more about this beautiful part of the world, please :)
Oh WOW! This brings back memories. I was at each one of these places you photographed. Did you see the bridge, with the golden winged lions too?
Of course, I don't have any photos. I don't suppose I can get some from you? Pretty, pretty please?
PS: Did you have time to go to one of the palaces? Just as mind blowing as the Hermitage.
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