Random St. Petersburg thoughts
Trip Start
Jun 03, 2010
1
17
56
Trip End
Jul 02, 2010
Where I stayed
Norwegian "Sun" cruise ship
St. Petersburg, North-West Russia, Russia
Friday, June 11, 2010
Now for some random St. Petersburg thoughts and things I learned or saw. First off the traffic in St. Petersburg rivals any that I have seen anywhere else. Some of the streets are five or six lanes wide while others are just barely wide enough for a bicycle to fit down. There are cars everywhere, old, new, large, small and they park wherever they feel like parking. The middle of the street seemed to be a favorite parking spot.
Catherine’s Palace and the Hermitage were huge. What the Tzar’s needed with all those rooms I will never know and I am happy I don’t have to clean them. They were just amazing, but huge. Pictures will never do them justice, seeing them was amazing.
The cathedrals in Russia have mostly been restored either because of WWII or because of misuse during the Soviet years. The artistry in every cathedral and palace was amazing. From tiny, tiny pieces fitted into wall size mosaic’s to patterned wood floors matching a patterned ceiling.
The cathedrals that have services do not have seats, the people stand for the service. Hmmm I don’t think that would go over very well in the US.
Water closets (bathrooms) are often found in small souvenir shops and can be unisex, not only strange but also uncomfortable.
To close, St. Petersburg was beyond anything I could have imagined. It can only be appreciated if seen in person none of the pictures I have seen or that I took can or will ever do justice to its beauty. While I say that I cannot fathom what it looked like before it was looted and as amazing as it was I also understand why the Russian people revolted against the Tzar’s family, so much wasted wealth when there were so many people in need.
Other random things I learned or saw in St. Peterburg's. Some of the apartment buildings near the port are old and falling down and were terrible to think about living in. While other parts of the city are being rebuilt or restored. But the overall thing I noticed the most is how clean the streets are. There was no litter or trash to speak of, in fact we did not even see trash cans, however, I did see people sweeping the streets with brooms.
Brides—we must have seen fifty brides while we were touring. After they get married (at the marriage office where the bride and groom each get a stamp in their passports which signifies they are married) the bride and groom then get in for free at the tourist sights and they then have their pictures taken at the tourist sight by their photographer. So you see brides and grooms walking all over the place, strange.
Well that’s all I can think of right now that is interesting but I’m sure I’ll keep adding stuff as I think of it. Tomorrow we port in Helsinki, Finland and tonight we gain an hour back (will only be eight (8) hrs ahead of Michigan) yea.
Well until the next time luv to all, Ann, Sam, and Danielle
