Sep 072014
 

Peter III (Peter the Great) toured Western Europe (1697-98); founded the fort at the site of St. Petersburg (1703); moved the capital there and defeated the powerful Swedes. He then spent the rest of his reign dragging his country out of the middle ages. Bent on reform and enthralled with architectural novelties, Peter oversaw the installation of a rational street plan, stone buildings, and academies making St. Petersburg a thriving capital emulating European fashions and discoveries. He used his capital as experimental laboratory, trying out his ideas before filtering them through to the rest of Russia.

After Peter’s death came the “petticoat period” when Russia was ruled by women. Their taste set the celebrated architectural aesthetic of St. Petersburg.  Anna put her court on a footing with the most frivolous in Europe and encouraged a flowering of the cultural arts.  Tsarina Elizabeth’s foremost legacy is the Baroque architecture she commissioned designed by her favorite, the Italian Rastrelli

Peterhof

With a commanding view of the Baltic, Peterhof was built during the reign of Peter the Great.  But it was transformed during the reign of Tsarina Elizabeth by Bartolomeo Rastrelli who indulged his love for guilded Baroque decoration both inside and out,  when he added a third storey and wings with a pavillion. Peterhof stands at the center of a magnificent landscaped park with both French and English gardens.

 

 

The Catherine Palace

Designed by Rastrelli in 1752 for Tsarina Elizabeth and named by her in honor of her mother, Catherine. A 980 foot Baroque façade adorned with sculptures of Atlantes and individually ornamented window framings.

A Russian River Cruise

 Major adventures, Russia -- 2014  Comments Off on A Russian River Cruise
Sep 052014
 
Our Ship--MS Rossia

Our Ship–MS Rossia

Our route on Google Maps

Our route on Google Maps
(Click to enlarge)

Our route on Google Earth

And on Google Earth
(Click to enlarge)

After an easy flight, two silly movies to Atlanta plus two nice meals followed by a “sleep over” to Amsterdam, a quick flight to St.Petersburg, we were greeted by one of our tour guides Mischa. Luggage gathered and noses counted we were quickly taken aboard the MS Rossia to join our fellow travelers. The MS (motor ship) Rossia was docked a thirty minutes bus ride outside the center of historic St. Petersburg–but just a five minute walk from a bus line which directly connected with the metro three stops away. Our cabin was quiet, comfortable and centrally located with an outside window.

We were up and about to explore St. Petersburg the next day.

AnticipatIng St. Petersburg
In 1703 when Peter the Great re-claimed Eastern European lands along the Neva River at the Eastern shore of the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland), he established a fort to protect the area from possible attack by the Swedish army and navy. This fortress was founded on one of many small islands in the Neva delta on May 27, 1703 and that day became the birthday of the city of St Petersburg. Since 1721 the fortress has housed part of the city’s garrison and rather notoriously served as a high security political jail. Early inmates included Peter’s own rebellious son Alexei and later a the list of famous residents included Dostoyevsky, Gorky, Trotsky and Lenin’s older brother, Alexander.

Since it’s founding, it appears that St. Petersburg was the instrument of the Romanov dynasty to display their power and European cultural presence. Whether The Hermitage, the massive cathedrals or castles-Peter I was bent on out doing his continental counterparts by incorporating all the 18th century innovations he had observed–military, architecture, social or technologic.

Along Rivers, Canals and Over Bridges: St. Petersburg by Foot and Metro

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Sep 042014
 

St. Petersburg is a wonderful walkabout city with wide boulevards and numerous converging rivers and crisscrossing canals. It seems easier to appreciate and savor the city afoot. We were soon confident using a combination of bus and metro to take us the short distance from our ship into the historic central part of the city. We meandered around the network of canals and rivers which are still the life-blood of the city and make it feel a bit like Venice and Amsterdam. According to locals these waterways create the city’s seasonal atmosphere–glittering mirror façades in summer, eerie mists rising in winter, and glowing sunsets. The many bridges are vital as linkage between the islands but are a lovely adornment with their decorative sculptures, intricate grills and light works.

Anichov Bridge Detail

Anichov Bridge Detail

The Demidov

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Tripartite Bridge

Tripartite Bridge

Nightview from Our Dock

Nightview from Our Dock

Pevchesk

Exploring St. Petersburg

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Sep 012014
 
A Chilly Fellow Traveler

A Chilly Fellow Traveler

We get an early morning start into the Imperial City. Since it is Saturday, we benefit from light traffic which allows our tour bus to proceed slowly down the magnificent boulevards usually congested during the work week. We learn that there are five different areas of the city, each with their own distinct character.

Entering the city from the east, we drive through the  Smolnyy District stopping briefly at the Smolnyy Cathedral and the adjacent convent buildings.  Suddenly it is apparent that five days in this city will just be skimming the surface. This convent complex was founded by Tsarina Elizabeth to educate young noblewomen. Designed initially by the Italian architect Rastrelli who came to Russia under Peter the Great, it is a fusion of Russian and Baroque styles.

 

Early Morning at Smolnyy Cathedral

Early Morning at Smolnyy Cathedral

Cathedral at Closer Range

Cathedral at Closer Range

Back on the bus we are headed across the Neva River to Vasilevsky Island with a view of the iconic Rostral Columns originally a pair of lighthouses guiding ships through the busy port today are distinctive features of the Imperial city skyline.

Rostral Column

Rostral Column

Our next destination is Petogradskaya, the neighborhood of the Peter and Paul Fortress and site of the founding of St. Petersburg. Enclosed in the fortress walls is the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul. The interior of the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul contrasts dramatically with those we have seen thus far. Glittering chandeliers, pink and green corinthian columns and overarching vaults with a iconostasis of gilded woodcarving all designed to celebrate extravagance of the the Romanov dynasty.

The Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul

Entering Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul

Romanov Sarcophagi

Romanov Sarcophagi

Everyone Welcome in The Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul

Everyone Welcome in Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul

St. Petersburg Historic Icon Collage

St. Petersburg Historic Icon Collage

In the afternoon we walk to The Hermitage and Winter Palace all deserving a separate post. Too much, too fast and very intense!