diary of an adventure to Eastern Europe.. Part 20 Tour around Pushkin..... St. Petersburg, Russia

On our last day in St. Petersburg, our tour guide brought us on a city tour to Pushkin. We had lunch at the restaurant that Pushkin ate. Here is what was served to us.

 We also had a souvenir shot.

Here are the other places we saw after lunch....

The Moika Canal....

The Kazan Cathedral...

This Cathedral was inspired by the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, Italy. It was built in 19th century. This cathedral is a good example of Russian Orthodox .

The rostral column outside the stock exchange building.

The Gostiny Dvor.....

It was constructed around the 18th century and is now one of the world's largest shopping malls and is now the largest department store in St Petersburg.

That evening we had dinner at our hotel. We had to be up early the next day to catch our 7:30 flight to Moscow.. Our wake up call is at 4:30 am... and we will be served with a light breakfast at the lobby as soon as we bring down our suitcases and boarded into the bus.

I have enjoyed our stay in St. Petersburg.. and from the several cities I have seen in the past week and a half... I would like to come back to St. Petersburg. There are so many places I have not seen yet.

diary of an adventure to Eastern Europe.. Part 19 Peter Paul Fortress.... St. Petersburg, Russia

our next stop... Peter Paul Fortress

The Peter Paul Fortress was the first structure that Peter the Great built in 1703. Today it is one of the famous landmarks in St. Petersburg. It was used as a political prison for  centuries and the cathedral holds the tombs of the Romanov Czars, from Peter the Great to Alexander III. This cathedral was the first church that was built of stone. On top of the cathedral's gilded spire stands a magnificent golden angel holding a cross. This weathervane is one of the most prominent symbols of St. Petersburg. Its spire stands 404 feet tall and is considered the tallest building in the city.

Inside the Cathedral....

The tombs of the Czars of Russia.

We were then ushered to a room in the Cathedral to listen to gregorian music and after the 20 minutes presentation we bought their CD's.

A view outside the Fortress..

Bronze statue of Peter the Great..

I found the baroque architecture of the cathedral fascinating, especially it is so different from the other Russian Orthodox churches.

diary of an adventure to Eastern Europe.. Part 18 Catherine Palace..... St. Petersburg, Russia

Today we went to PUSHKIN, the home of Russia's last czar and visited another famous tourist attraction in St. Petersburg, the magnificent Catherine Palace named after Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great. It was  designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who is also the creator of the Winter Palace.

This gorgeous gold and blue architecture of the Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg is just a taste of this stunning testament of the Czar's weath. This palace is also known as the Summer palace. The palace sits on top of a hill overlooking an English-style landscape park with a beautiful river running through it. I was not able to take that photo ... it was raining..

The entrance hall of the Catherine Palace. Since it was raining when we arrived at the palace, we ( again ) were asked to leave our umbrellas, coats and was given shoe coverings so as not to soil the parquet floors of the palace.

The Great Hall is filled with mirrors and gilded carvings. It is a perfect remembrance of what life was like in the Russian Aristocracy of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Catherine palace dining room and traditional Russian ceramic stove.

Another gilded dining room at Catherine Palace....

The sleeping boy at Catherine Palace.

Here are photos of the other rooms and ceiling treatments in the palace.

Please take note of the parquet flooring... each room had a different design.

Ceiling treatment in the main dining room of Catherine Palace.

The Amber Room is the most famous of the palace rooms. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos of that room.

Next time you travel to St Petersburg try and ask your tour guide to bring you to PUSHKIN, to visit the Catherine Palace and see the famous AMBER room. Our tour guide told us that every first monday of each month the palace is closed.

diary of an adventure to Eastern Europe.. Part 17 Russian Folkloric Dance at Nikolayevsky Palace ...... St. Petersburg, Russia

Our next stop......                                                                                              

We went to the Nikolayevsky Palace to watch the Russian Folkloric Dance. As we entered the grounds of  the palace... a man playing the banjo started to play the philippine national anthem. It makes you feel good listening to the song when a foreigner plays it for you. It made me miss home...

Inside the Palace..

The main hall where the show was held... It was filled with tourists.
Let the show begin!!!...

I was amazed how these dancers performed for the audience... They were gliding thru their steps.. and flying in the air in some parts.. The beautiful ladies in their crinolines and the elegant cavalier accompanied by a string quartet. The dance lasted 90 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.

During the intermission, refreshments were served. There was a buffet table of fruits, canapes of red and black caviar ( which went as fast as the server laid it down on the buffet table ), ham, cheeses, smoked sausages, wines ( white and red ), Russian vodka, champagne, mineral water, juice and soft drinks.... During the interval, classical music known worldwide is performed by a string quartet.

There is no doubt without the folk show, your visit to Russia will be incomplete. This show is the unique opportunity to experience the history and spirit of Russia throughout one evening.