Started day 11 of my Viking River Cruises with a tour of St. Petersburg. This city has a much more European feel than Moscow, and its one of the reasons that the symbol of Russia is the double-headed eagle - one head gazes east, the other west, just like Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city was founded by Peter the Great, who dreamed of developing a route that would allow trade with Europe. He chose a site close to the Gulf of Finland and then dug dozens of canals to drain the swampy site hed chosen. Today the canals are a beautiful element of the city, earning it the nickname Venice of the North. But for me the two things that really define the city are its churches and palaces. Russians everywhere are especially proud of their churches, as the institution of religion was so discouraged under Communism. People could go to church, but if they did they couldnt get a decent job. Now religion is back in fashion - encouraged by Putin - and all the churches are being restored. The palaces of the wealthy were nationalized by the State during the days of Lenin. Those that were not destroyed by the Nazis during WWII, also survived the Stalin era. He believed that, though they were symbols of the decadent wealthy, they had been build by the common worker and were an important part of Russian history. Today, they are being gradually restored. I visited one of the most opulent palaces of all this afternoon, Catherine Palace, built for the Empress Catherine, who ruled after the death of her husband, Peter the First. The entire interior is drenched in gold leaf and regal reds. The photos below show just a few of the rooms: the magnificent ballroom, dining room with its table decorated with carved marzipan, a room with red foil decor said to be as expensive as gold in its day. Really stunning.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 17:28:00 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015