The band played When The Saints Go Marching In as our group from New Orleans came out of the St. Petersburg airport. This was followed by The Stars-Spangled Banner.
This was definitely NOT the old Soviet Union but the new Russia in June of 1993. There was even a sign at the airport which said, in English—Welcome to St. Petersburg. The city had only recently officially changed its named from Leningrad to its original name. What a pleasant surprise for our group who were on an Art and Architecture tour led by Tulane University Professor William Brumfield. It was made up of students, faculty, staff and outsiders--like me. We had just had a short flight from Prague where we had spent a day and a half.
Riding through the streets of St. Petersburg, I was struck by its drabness. All the splendor had been wiped away. There were no people on the sidewalks and it was a warm evening. The location of our hotel was on Nevsky Prospect, the main thoroughfare of St. Petersburg. It was built across the street from the train station where Tolstoy got his inspiration to write Anna Karenina.
Our hotel was under renovation but I could tell that it would one day be a beautiful building again. For now, it was being run by leftovers from the Soviet Union's bureaucracy, who could care less about tourists or tourism and the benefits it brings to the city. But, believe it or not, our room was equipped with a modern television set and a refrigerator. Unfortunately, several light bulbs weren't working but these were immediately replaced as soon as we called about them. The hotel's name included October so it had something to do with the Bolshevik Revolution of October, 1917.
I had bought six-packs of Bloody Mary mix from the States with me and I'm so glad I did. While we were to have tomatoes served at breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Russians had never heard of tomato juice. We bought our first bottle of Stolynicka vodka for $1.39 and mixed up a batch of bloody Marys. We celebrated our arrival in Russia, our former arch-enemy. Going to bed at midnight, we noticed it was still light outside. We were here for the famous White Nights where it never gets dark.
Nobody smiles in Russia!
Monday morning we had a sightseeing tour of the city. We drove down Nevsky Prospect towards the Neva River passing the Kazan Cathedral, no longer a church; St. Isaac's Cathedral,
and the Bourse or Stock Market.
We stopped at Vasilylosky Island where there is a column commemorating the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703 by Peter the Great. Then there was astop at a state-run gift shop for us to purchase things. They were reasonable somewhat. I bought nine t-shirts at $6.00 each. But the beautiful lacquer box , painted with a fairy tale by Pushkin, costs me $56.
Going across town near the Neva, we went to the exquisite Smolny Church and convent. It was built by Elizabeth I for her to retire to and repent after a life of extravagance. Painted in an vivid contrast of cobalt blue and white, it is a stately group of buildings all with small onion domes on top, colored white with accents of gold. I purchased a record of music from the period when it was built.
There were vendors located outside the church so I bought more lacquer boxes and nesting dolls for incredibly low prices. I will buy from vendors from now on.
After lunch, we toured St. Isaac's Cathedral, set in the middle of Nevsky Prospect with Greek porticos on all four sides . It displays a radiant, gold dome at the top with diminutive ones on all four corners. The interior was a bit gaudy for me with its green, malachite columns adorning the iconostasis or front altar, but it had striking mosaics and lovely chandeliers.
We had full tours in both places we went today covering in great details everything about the art and architecture of each place. The students on the tour were gaining college course credit. I found all the talk very interesting although I could leave when I wanted to so I could take pictures. I spent a lot of time doing this as my photos are some of the most important things I get from a trip.
Back at our hotel, I found champagne selling for $3.00 a bottle. After dinner at the hotel, we went walking outside around the kiosks and found champagne for $1.30 a bottle. It was incredible! We came back to our room with some of the group and drank the champagne which was very good. It was made in the Republic of Georgia.
I also bought a bottle of Rasputin Vodka for $1.50 which I'll take back home. I liked the label.
At breakfast on Tuesday, we had meat balls and pate which was a little strange. Then we went out on a day of sightseeing. First, we went across the Neva to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the first edifice built in St. Petersburg. You can spy its long, tapered, gold spire from faraway.
We went into the Cathedral where the tombs from Czar Peter the Great and after were buried. The two famous Czarinas, Elizabeth and Catherine the Great, my heroine, are buried here. We also toured the prison where Czar Alexis was kept captive for years and then killed. Climbing on the ramparts which overlooked the Neva River, we had great vistas of St. Petersburg. An official group picture was taken there. We heard the cannon go off. We were told it ignites every day at noon. We were surprised that one of our group, Brian, fired it today.
Entrance to Fortress
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Many people, including students, were sketching and painting scenes of the fortress. Musicians were everywhere playing every type of music: from martial music to violinists and flutist playing classical music; there were jazz combos; and a man playing a guitar and singing Russian folk songs. Vendors were also abounding and I bought more lacquer boxes and eggs. But I got my prize possession here—a balalaika!
I bargained until I got two balalaikas for $30 so, of course, my roommate, Ellen, had to buy the other one. They are so pretty, all painted in lacquer, again depicting a scene from Pushkin's works. Mine consists of a castle with a troika—a three-horse sleigh—full of characters in front of it.
After lunch, we made a long visit to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. A monastery here never consists of just one building, but a multitude. Alexander had defeated the Swedes in the 13th century and is one of the great Russian heroes. This complex consists of four, traditional churches located on each corner, all done in strong tones of pink-fushia and white. A Neo-Classic church was incorporated into the eastern wall.
But the main attraction here is the cemetery, famous for the illustrious men who are buried here. I had my picture taken in front of Dostoevsky's grave with a bust of him rising above me. The other great men were all composers: Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Mussougsky, in various tombs ranging from ones that looked Celtic to others which had mosaics around the bust of the man.
Rimsky-Korsakov Tomb
There was an art exhibit in one of the buildings off the cemetery and we were invited in to take a look. The work was all done by students from the Academy of Fine Arts. Then we found out the art was for sale. So I bought a painting, mostly in gold-leaf. It was an exquisite rendering of the church that reminds me of St. Basil's here.
We rode across town again, through a factory district, to go see the spectacular Church of St. Nicholas. Distinguished by its five, golden, semi-onion-shaped spires, it is clad in blue with many white columns in the design. It has a separate bell tower, again topped in gold. This was the first Russian Orthodox Church that was operating as a church that we had been to. A baptism ceremony was taking place.
Many people were lighting candles in front of the exquisite icons, all made of gold. Many were encrusted with jewels. Some people were kissing the icons. I was taking a lot of pictures until a guard came and told me to stop. I was glad I got as many as I did.
There were so many beautiful icons.
After dinner back at our hotel, we saw a sign advertising the Kirov Ballet's production of Anna Karenina for this Thursday night. We'll try to get tickets as we will be here for that. The tickets cost seventy-five cents for Russians and twenty dollars for tourists. We bought a bottle of water here for $2.50—the most expensive drink yet. At these prices, we could brush our teeth in champagne!
The Winter Palace
We woke up to rain Wednesday morning but that was okay because most of our sightseeing was indoors today at the museums. We went first to the glorious Winter Palace located beside the Neva River. It was painted in forest green and white. It houses one of the most famous museums in the world—the Hermitage.
Unfortunately, most of its vast collection was on loan, leaving very little for us to see. There was a nice Leonardo, a couple of Raphaels and some Gauguins that I liked. But I loved seeing the architecture and the lavish, interior design. There were more green malachite columns here but incorporated into the rich, gold doors and scrollwork of the ceilings.
Today was my personal day devoted to Catherine the Great, my heroine. She's the only woman I know who got everything she wanted, including titles, palaces, jewels and men! At the Hermitage was the same exhibit that had been to Memphis and other parts of the United States on Catherine the Great. Now it had finally come home. I saw one of Catherine's beautiful carriages and many paintings and objet d'art of hers or given to her.
We went out into the immense Palace Square, which is bounded by the Hermitage on the north. A yellow-painted, circular building, with a huge arch in the center, encircles the rest of the Square. We could look west and see the gold dome of St. Isaac's to the left and the golden spire of the Admiralty Building to the right, with trees in between. We walked through the giant archway back to our bus. A man was out by the busses with a Russian baby bear. I had my picture taken with it.
Palace Square with Triumphal Arch and Alexander Column
After lunch, we visited the Russian Museum full of the history of Russia, mainly pre-Soviet. A tall, ample statue of Catherine, surrounded by men at the bottom of her skirt, stands in the grounds of the museum. There are many paintings and statues of Catherine inside the museum as well.
The sun came out just in time for our visit to the gorgeous Church of the Resurrection of Christ, the Savior of the Blood. I think that is the full title. It’s the church that I bought the gold-leaf painting of yesterday. It resembles St. Basil's in Moscow but was built much later, in the 19th century. We could just admire this magnificent structure from the outside as the inside was under renovation. I loved the onion domes of the church, some in gold and others resembling huge, ceramic balls in various colors.
The church is located on one of the many canals of the city
I had my picture taken in front of the church. I am wearing the Russian blouse I bought in the hotel yesterday. I was the only person in all of St. Petersburg wearing a Russian blouse. The people wear western dress. I am wearing this now because my luggage has still not arrived from the USA although I've been in Europe for four days.
Two of the palaces we saw on our way to our hotel
At the hotel, sometimes the "keeper" of the floor lets us take the elevator, which goes directly to the dining room. I am not going to comment on any of the food here like I usually do when I'm writing pieces about any other country. The food was plentiful but bland and we had the same thing every day—baked chicken with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. These were the only vegetables and they were served at breakfast as well. Sometimes we had borcht soup. After a while, Ellen and I started skipping either lunch or dinner because it was just putting on weight for nothing. But at other times the "keeper" told us the elevator was not working. So we had a ten minute walk all around to the front of the hotel, down the stairs then all around the hotel again to the dining room. This got tiresome.
Tonight Ellen, Tom and I decided to take a walk around our neighborhood. First, we crossed over to the train station. There were many kiosks located inside and this is where the Russians shop. I bought some lipstick for 25cents, a small bottle of Stoly for 73 cents, a bottle of beer for 18 cents. There was a small demonstration of Communists around the bust of Lenin inside the train station. We gathered that the government wanted to remove it and these people wanted it to remain.
We discovered a new type of capitalism outside, very pathetic. A line of people, mostly women, stand silently, holding between one to three items. These can be one apple, a canned product, a bottle of beer. They sell these to other people. Are these poor women starving and trying to sell what little they have to get something for their children. I couldn’t understand this. I guess they keep their dignity by not begging.
Then we went shopping for flowers, which were expensive in comparison to other items like the liquor. Roses, narcissus, and baby's breath cost us $5.00 but we bought a big vase for $2.00. Very proud of our purchases, we returned to our hotel, arranged the fresh flowers in the vase and had drinks. Tom told us there were prostitutes on the 4th floor of our hotel. We saw a pimp when we walked in!
Thursday was the most beautiful day of all! The weather was clear and sunny as we journeyed to some of the most fabulous palaces in the world. We drove along the Gulf of Finland and were able to see the architecture of the poorer classes of people. But there were so many deserted palaces along the way as well. No one has any money to renovate these. Maybe things will improve in Russia and more of these beauties can be brought back to life.
Church of Peter and Paul
We passed another interesting Russian church dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul. It was closed also. At least the Soviets didn't tear down all the churches. I am so interested in all of these, for their architectural values. No two are alike.
Peterhof, built by Peter the Great, was our first stop. It was in ruins after the long siege of Leningrad by the Nazis in World War II. But the Soviet government decided to restore many palaces as they were considered heritages of the Russian people. Peterhof consists of a lavish palace and spectacular gardens, filled with fountains and statuary extending to the Gulf of Finland. The palace is painted in the deepest shade of yellow with white and gold accents.
Inside, we were able to see the famous Turkish bed that both Elizabeth and Catherine the Great used, so I've been told, for orgies. Also, there was the famous painting of Catherine on horseback. Outside, we took a long time strolling in the gardens. They were impressive not for the flowers because they weren't in bloom yet, but for all the gold statues and the gorgeous fountains.
We had lunch on the bus and continued to Tsarskoe Selo—the Czar's Village. It had been renamed Pushkin but has just reverted to its original name again. The village contains a group of palaces but our destination today was the elegant and impressive Catherine Palace, named for Peter the Great's second wife. It consists of the main palace done in cobalt blue and white. From its roof emerges five, golden, onion domes over the chapel at one end. Golden caryatids on the first floor act as if they are holding up the second floor.
There were bands playing everywhere. This time they played Dixie for us. They knew in advance where the people coming in on the bus were from
No gold has been spared either inside or out. Restoration was still taking place inside the palace as workers were executing delicate plaster work which would later be covered in gold leaf. Bill, our professor-guide, told us that there had been no souvenirs shops when he was here last year. Now, there were a great many. I bought some more t-shirts and another Russian blouse.
Many artists tried to sketch our pictures as fast as they could then asked a price for them. I finally succumbed to one for $3.00 but it wasn't very good.
The gardens were extensive here as well and had blooming flowers. A large lake has a miniature palace created on its bank. Called the boat house, it is the fanciest I've ever seen.
The day continued to be splendid when we attended the Kirov Ballet tonight. It is housed in the beautiful Mariinsky Theater, named for Empress Maria, the wife of Tsar Alexander II. Our box was located not far from the Czar's sumptuous affair. The ballet was Anna Karenina, created and choreographed by Andre Prokovsky with music by Tchaikovsky. The arranger of the music, Guy Woolfenden, Artistic Director of the Cambridge Festival, had a daunting task before him. He was to use original music by Tchaikovsky but which was unfamiliar to the ballet-going public. He succeeded wonderfully and the whole experience was thrilling.
Can you find us?
Another chance
Using a train in the prologue when Anna is welcomed to Moscow on a visit, it reappears at the end for the final tragic scene in which, in her desperation at having lost everything—her son, her lover, her reputation—she throws herself in front of the coming train.
If this wasn't enough wondrous events to be packed into one day, when we came out of the theater at 11:00 P.M., there was more to come. Nature provided it with glorious sunshine and a rainbow over the golden onion domes of St. Nicholas Church. These White Nights are impressive! We rode back to our hotel in a new Mercedes cab with a driver who spoke English and loved jazz!
Friday was our last day in St. Petersburg. We went over to the Senate Square where the Decembrist Revolution took place and failed in 1825. The statue of Peter The Great on horseback, erected by Catherine The Great, is located there. We went in the Marble Palace built for one of Catherine's lovers. It was the first place Lenin went after his arrival at the Finland Train Station upon the success of the October Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
We then took a lovely boat ride through the canals of St. Petersburg. I have changed my opinion of the city the more I've gotten to know it. There are so many beautiful places here and one of the best ways to see them is from a boat like we were doing now. We passed the Stroganov Palace, Trinity Church, the Michael Palace, the Mariinsky Theater and the Church of the Resurrection.
After lunch at our hotel for the last time, we went shopping. I bought two strands of amber beads, one of the best items to buy in this area.
We passed by the beautiful Admiralty as we went to the Vitebst Train Station to go by train to Novgorod, our next stop. It was at this train station that the young Marc Chagall, destined to be one of the 20th century's great artists, arrived in St. Petersburg from his native town of Vitebsk. But that is another story!
Sandra Robert
1993
