Moscow is the heart, and Saint Petersburg is the head
- an old saying
I landed in Saint Petersburg and reached my hotel around midnight to join my parents. On my way to the hotel, my driver being a talkative informed tour guide, gave me a glimpse of the city with name tags of the popular spots which included the calm Neva (river), the magnificent Hermitage and the marvellous Peter and Paul Fortress. St. Petersburg or SPB or Piter as the locals fondly call it, is an erstwhile capital founded by Peter the Great (you’ll find his stories and statues all around the city) is full of culture, art and history.
We started our day with the city tour. Our tour guide was a student but well informed. She took us to the Hermitage (Winter Palace), a renowned site and sometimes the sole reason to attract people to visit the city. The museum in itself has several sites but the main segment to see is the Winter Palace. It has one of the most sought-after painting collections and depicts not just Russian but also European culture. The palace was residence to a lot of kings and queens including Catherine the Great (another admired great figure) who founded it. We then glanced at the Peter and Paul Fortress from outside and moved to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, another architecturally stunning edifice. The saint was Peter the Great’s patron saint and thus it was built after him. The next stop was Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood or Church on Spilled Blood. It resembles St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow (in the iconic Red Square). We were then free for the evening and thus, decided to take a metro (you can also find trams in the city) and visit Nevsky Prospekt, a hustling bustling street with stores, restaurants, cafes and pubs. One can find people dancing, singing and playing music on the street giving it a great vibe. You can walk and see them perform and relish the evening.
The Hermitage (The Winter Palace)
The Hermitage (The Winter Palace)
The Hermitage (The Winter Palace)
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood
Nevsky Prospekt
The subsequent day we left for Peterhof (also called Petergof), as the name suggests, Peter the Great’s summer palace and is also called as the Russian Versailles. The grandeur of the palace with the dancing-singing fountains are the cherry on the cake. As we reached the entrance (a little walk from car park to the entrance), it was about to be 11 am and everyone gathered around the stairs and outer areas of the palace, just then the music started, and the fountains began to swing along. What a pretty sight! After the little show got over, we queued to enter the palace. The entire place is divided into the grand palace, the lower and upper gardens and the grand cascade. The Grand Palace has picturesque interiors, paintings, collectibles and several art-pieces. The gardens and the cascade are equally spectacular if not better. The gardens have many fountains and gorgeous waterfalls. Peterhof is a day’s trip from SPB and you must spend the entire day here to do justice with the magnificence of the place. In the evening we took the canal cruise on the Neva river- a must in every European historical city.
Peterhof (The Grand Palace and The Grand Cascade)
Peterhof (The Lower Gardens)
View of The Hermitage from river cruise
The following morning, we bid adieu to Piter and reached the railway station to catch the Sapsan train for Moscow. We reached in the afternoon and as booked earlier, we went to see the famous Russian Circus. It was also the last day of the performances and we were lucky enough to catch the last show. It was filled with some fabulous performances. No photography or videography was allowed here so the memories I have with me are not in a physical form.
This day, as strange as it sounds, we planned to take a small tour of the metro stations. Yes, if you’re in Moscow, you must at least check out a few metro stations as most of them are heritage sites and indeed are cultural centres in themselves. The carvings, sculptures, stones and mosaic work are predominant in most stations. Our first stop was Kievskaya, the platform walls are filled with paintings, which you realize are actually mosaic work when you get closer. Our next stop was Arbatskaya, the platform halls have tall arches and the yellow chandelier lights diffuse on the white marbles adding to the beauty. From the station we walked to come to Arbat Street (or New Arbat Street), a pedestrian shopping street with restaurants and cafes in the area. Being Sunday, it was quiet, and after shopping for a few souvenirs (Russian Dolls) and local stuff we sat down on the benches and enjoyed the ambiance.
Kievskaya (Metro Station)
Arbatskaya (Metro Station)
New Arabat Street
The following morning, we left for a trip to Moskvarium- aquarium but a huge one, from nemo and dory to dolphins and octopuses could be seen, followed by Annunciation Cathedral, fine-looking white building with golden dome, alongside a bridge over the Moskva river. We were finally here, the most awaited destination- Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral in the Red Square. The iconic creations could be seen from afar. We walked around in the Kremlin which houses Troitskaya Tower, Tsar Bell, Dormition Cathedral and many more structures and also, surprisingly is the residence of Mr. President! The fortress is huge and is the main attraction of Moscow along with Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the lovely colourful dome speaks for itself. Our immediate stop-over was the Gum shopping centre, old elegant departmental store, for an ice cream which we had heard was delicious and sure it was! Our day trip wasn’t over yet as the final plan for the day was the mandatory river cruise (as I said earlier, a must for any European city) on Moskva river. It was already dark, the boat was moving calmly, we had dinner on the cruise and retired for the evening.
Moskvarium
Moskvarium
Moskvarium (Nemo and Dory)
Annunciation Cathedral
View from Annunciation Cathedral
Dormition Cathedral
Tsar Bell
Troitskaya Tower
Saint Basil's Cathedral
View from river cruise
It was time to say dasvidania! The two-city trip came to an end with mesmerising architectures of palaces and cathedrals and the remarkably interesting sagas of the royals. The country is open for tourism, and has numerous visitors from all around the world, still you will feel some mystery surrounding you. Is it the enigma that we have about the nation or are there truly some stories to be unfolded?
