Thankfully it turned out to be a really nice sunny day….but at our first couple stops, we were feeling doomed for rain all day. The Hermitage and Winter Palace are directly behind us.
The Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum The Winter Palace was the official Residence of the Russian Monarchs from 1732 to 191. Expanded by three additional Palaces by Catherine the Great, known collectively as the Hermitage—the name by which the entire complex, including the Winter Palace, was to become known 150 years later. The turquoise color was really bright and neat against the gray sky. It is really tall….all the churchesand a lot of the buildings were massive in size in St. Petersburg.
Next we went to St. Isaacs Cathedral for a few outside photos and later in the day came back for the tour inside.
Next we hopped on a taxi boat for a ride out to Peterhof’s Palace or the “Versaille” of Russia.
Hallelujah the sun came out. I was distraught thinking we were gonna get rain the entire “only” day in Russia! The Barneys above and Davis Fawcett below are so fun to travel with! Carter, Davis, and Ridge or best buddies and all moved in at the same time last year so luckily should be here the whole time we are!
The Peterhof Palace:
Peterhof’s did remind us of Versaille but had its own unique features as well. We didn’t have time for the indoor tour, but the grounds were fabulous. It was constructed on the orders of Peter the Great (Peter I or Pyotr Romanov) who ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire starting in 1682. Through numerous successful wars he expanded the Tsardom into a huge empire that bacame a major European power. It has also been said that he led a cultural revolution that replaced the traditionalist and medieval social and political system with a modern, scientific, Europe-oriented system. (wikipedia)
Up above if you look straight out the water where we pulled up in our boat is right there! What a view. I had know idea St. Petersburg would have so many waterways through it. 
Next we took a quick ride on their subway system which was a very interesting experience. They are totally decked out like a fancy mall or something. Marble archways and golden accents everywhere. A stark contrast to any American subway stations!
The money was pretty amazing….their currency is Robles and there are about 30 robles per 1 euro or dollar don’t remember completely ,but all the prices were up in the thousands!
Next our bus took us to a restaurant for a traditional Russian lunch. We had a potato salad appetizer, red cabbage soup, beef like stroganoff with potatoes and ice-cream for dessert. It was really nice!
Hanna got to dine with Sierra, Allison, and Maddie
St. Isaac’s Cathedral: (again with sunshine!!) Two words: Massive and detailed. Quite amazing. It is the largest Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the city. It was ordered by Tsar Alexander I to replace an earlier structure, and the fourth consecutive church standing at this place. The Cathedral took 40 years to construct from 1818 to 1858. Under the Soviet government, the building was stripped of religious items. In 1931 it was turned in to the Antireligious Museum. With the fall of Communism, the museum was removed and regular worship activity resumed in the cathedral.
The bright blue and Green columns are made from rock named malachite and lapis lazuli. They have not been dyed but are a rare rock that is naturally these colors.
Can you find the dove in the dome? Above these mosaics used to be paintings….but when they got to old and damaged they were reconstructed as mosaics painstakingly.
The Bronze Horseman: This famous statue has become an icon of St. Petersburg. It is of Peter the Great and was commissioned by Catherine the Great, a German princess who married into the Romanov line. The stone is inscribed with the phrase: Petro Primo Catharina Secunda MDCCLXXXII 'Catherine the Second to Peter the First, 1782', an expression of her admiration for her predecessor. The pedestal is a giant thunder stone claimed to be the largest stone ever moved by man. It weighed 1500 tons before being carved and shaped. The equestrian statue of Peter the Great is situated in the Senate Square (formerly the Decembrists Square), in Saint Petersburg. Catherine the Great, a German princess who married into the Romanov line, was anxious to connect herself to Peter the Great to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the people
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood:
This Church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was mortally wounded and was dedicated in his memory.
The Church is prominently situated along the Griboedov Canal. The embankment at that point runs along either side of a canal. On March 13, 1881 as Tsar Alexander’s carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded. The tsar, shaken but unhurt, got out of the carriage and started to remonstrate with the presumed culprit. A second conspirator took the chance to throw another bomb, killing himself and mortally wounding the tsar. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace where he died a few hours later.
A temporary shrine was erected on the site of the attack while the project for a more permanent memorial was undertaken. It was decided that the section of the street where the assassination had taken place was to be enclosed within the walls of a church. The embankment was therefore extended out into the canal to allow the shrine to fit comfortably within the building and to provide space on the exterior wall for a memorial marking the spot where the assassination took place. Inside, an elaborate shrine was constructed on the exact place of Alexander's death, garnished with topaz, lazurite and other semi-precious stones. Amid such rich decoration, the simple cobblestones on which the tsar's blood was spilled and which are exposed in the floor of the shrine provide a striking contrast.
The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture. (Wikipedia) I think my friend Rebecca said it best when she said, “ I loved that church, it was so cool I just wanted to lick it, it looked like candy “. I’d have to agree doesn’t it belong in Candy Land?!
Below is the shrine built over the cobblestone where Alexander II’s blood was spilled. This is an awesome church, we LOVED it! The mosaic tiles are each placed perfectly on each picture to capture light and give it depth. We all were amazed at this church.
It was hard to get JUST a glimpse of Russia. We left wanting more. One day was just not enough. Carter was talking about going back for a trip before we were even back on the boat. He has become quite our travel buddy!!!
We only had a few minutes to do our shopping for Russian dolls etc. It was panicked crazy shopping where we didn’t have time to think it over or browse and think on it. It was grab it pay for it and run for the boat before it pulls away kinda shopping. My least favorite kind.
Below are some pictures of our purchases which I thought we did pretty good for the 10 minutes we had! The one on the left is mine and is the most expensive. Next over Hanna got the purple one and the little one. The purple one opens up like mine with 5 piece, but the little one opens up to 10! They are very detailed and the tiniest one is the smallest dot! Hanna loved the details of the ones she got. The middle one is a cheaper style one that we let Cole and the younger boys get so that they wouldn’t want to play with mine! A theory that is working most of the time. Cole calls his “Edward my Russian doll that is a boy with a girl face”! He loves it and plays with it quite often. I love mine! It has scenes from all over St. Petersburg. SUCH A GREAT DAY. And we were tired.
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