RUSSIA 2015 #10

SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015

Another yucky breakfast to start our day.  The yogurt is warm, the omelettes are cold and the coffee is slop.  Sounds just yummy.  We were the only two for this tour to Tsarskoe Selo or Catherine's Palace.  This Summer Palace was quite large since it had been enlarged by the daughter Elizabeth at a later date.  This palace had extensive damage from the Nazis and is still in restoration.  The design and style are similar to Peter the Great's palace that we visited yesterday.  There is a lot of gold, marble, parquet floors and oriental items.  Most of the building had to be rebuilt.  They had old paintings and old plans to go from.  The outside was originally trimmed in gold leaf but Catherine the Great left it as yellow paint due to the cost of continuous gilting.

Red foil on the walls was rather unique.

This huge palace also had a hermitage (smaller palace for solitude). The smaller palace was almost the same style except much smaller.  I guess royalty have to get away from it all.  These summer palaces are out of town less than an hour now.  During that time it was a two day journey by the rocky and uncomfortable carriages and poor roads.  

Notice how small this Hermitage or small palace really is.  It is almost pathetically tiny.  I just don't know how they could live in such a humble manner.

There were also gardens at this summer palace also.  Catherine wanted to have special gardens since she actually enjoyed working in the garden.  The paths were straight and narrow and tree covered.  This was supposed to resemble the palace except outside.  The palace had fairly narrow halls going the length of the palace just like the garden walkways. Often there was something to see at both ends of the path to make it interesting, possibly a sculpture or some unique plants.  Artificial lakes were also added for beauty and relaxation.

There is even a Turkish bath that was placed in this building resembling a mosque. This was a cruel joke since the Turks were their enemies.

We got back into town only to find the sidewalks and streets even more crowded than yesterday.  There are hoards of people here this weekend for the Children's festival, School graduations, and the Economic Conference.  There are to be fireworks and the red galleon on the river also.  It is a madhouse.  

Security with police and military are all over the place.  

This is actually a very small group of police.  We were just a little leery of taking photos of some of the military and police that were present.  In fact, at some intersections there were about 20 police rather than a barricade.  There definitely was a military presence for this busy event.

This drop kick breed was also involved with the crowds.

Here is The Red Galleon going down the Neva River.  We could not get near the edge so therefore we took a photo from the TV.  We did see some of the fireworks which were quite good. We also saw on TV some of the groups that we had seen practicing yesterday.  

 Our last chilled glasses of Vodka to bid Russia farewell.  It was actually pretty good.  We know they just down the shot quickly but we are not able to do that.  Sipping worked for us.

RUSSIA 2015 #11

SUNDAY JUNE 21, 2015

We were picked up at the hotel at 2:00 AM to go to the airport.  The festivities had ended about 1:30 but the crowds were endless.  There were six people from our hotel that needed transportation to the airport.  The driver had to park about 10 minutes away since there were roads that were closed and traffic was a disaster.  We did eventually get to the airport and went through security a couple of times and then waited for our flight.  We were on a Lufthansa flight that wasn't too bad.

Our arrival in Frankfurt was fine.  We were able to go to the Lufthansa Lounge since we have the gold card for United and they are partners.  They have a very nice relaxing lounge with real food and enjoyable coffee and juice.  We were even able to take a shower so we are ready for a full day of flying.  Our flight from Frankfurt to Newark is over 8 hours long and we had already flown over 3 1/2 hours.  The shower felt so nice and refreshing.  Whew!

Just a little bit on my impressions of Russia.  Moscow did seem less friendly and dynamic and more communist if there is such a thing.  The Passport control folks were very grim and severe, but that may come with that job.  English was not written or spoke as much as we might have thought.  The older folks definitely did not speak anything but Russian and if we spoke to them some tried to assist while others thought we must be the enemy.  

The younger folks at least attempt to try to speak English but like our young guides they do not wish to give you any idea of their political position since they do not know who the future leader will be in 2016.    They did say that their parents are not happy. Previously they knew that they had a pension and now there isn't one.  Some of the things that the government took care of under Communism are not there for the safety net.  We thought it was interesting that when we owed one particular guide 150 rubles $2.70) and took out 2000 rubles ($36.00) for the day she thought it sounded like a lot. We had to eat out and that is costly even if you go to a small sandwich or coffee shop.  There were two of us also so we would need to double whatever we purchased such as beverages and then maybe the metro or whatever.  The items in the stores do seem pricey for the low income that most of the folks have.  Unemployment is low so most folks have jobs but not skilled positions whereby they might earn more.

This was an Austrian coffee shop but there were numerous other companies that are chains in the U.S. or in Europe that the young folks like to socialize at.  Sushi is the latest trend here also, which could be due to the Russsian cuisine being on the low end as far as taste.  There are lots of various ethnic restaurants.

I am not sure who buys from the upscale stores that they had in both cities.  There have got to be some wealthy folks but those stores did not appear to be very crowded.  How many Coach bags do you need to carry your rubles around in?

All in all, it was a nice trip but we would not plan another trip to Russia.  The younger folks seem upbeat but there is a feeling that exists that I can't explain.  The police presence was all over and always in twos, a sort of sense of always being watched.  Maybe it is because Putin is a former KGB and that influence is still alive.

Also lots and lots of Chinese tourists are there since Putin is trying to cull a serious relationship with China.  The economic conference that was there was initiated by Putin to try to gain more power with particular countries.  Not sure of the whole situation.  I do feel sorry for the folks of Russia since they are hard working and some do not know any different.  Their news is definitely different than what we read in the newspapers.  Capitalism of sorts seems to be helping the younger folks move on in their lives rather than living with the parents.  It is a tough call since this is a difficult struggle to change from Communism.  It has only been 14 years so it is something that takes time to instill and to see what works. This is a generational thing since the parents see it from a different perspective.

Nice trip but glad to be back in the United States despite who we currently have in the Oval Office.  I just had to get that in.  

RUSSIA 2015 #9

FRIDAY JUNE 19, 2015

We began our day with our lackluster breakfast at the hotel and went on our tour of Peterhof.  This summer home of Peter the Great had all sorts of gold, marble and beautiful wood parquet floors.  We had to put on shoe coverings to enter the rooms.  Most of the rooms also had silk on the walls that looked like it could be wallpaper but was nice silk.  There were also a couple of rooms that contained oriental screens and numerous other items from Asia.  This was something exotic at the time and was fashionable to display these types of things.  In fact, it was the trend to have architectural styles such as neo-classical, baroque or rococo because that was also fashionable.

Peterhof Palace

We also walked around the gardens with all sorts of fountains and sculptures.  The garden was very relaxing and enjoyable.  Some of the fountains were actually follies. If you sat on a particular bench, you could get a quick shower.  Another one was composed of cobblestones and depending how you stepped, you could generate a spray of water.  This would be great on a hot day.

This lovely view was down to the Gulf of Finland.

It was difficult to get photos without other tourists.  The place was just packed with tourists who were in large groups.

Notice there is gold on many of the figures.  They have to paint it with gold leaf about every three years because of the weather conditions.

This would be a nice bench to relax on, if only you didn't get wet.  This little girl was taking no chances.  Her umbrella is getting wet before she can get across the stones.

Water flowing over the edges from mock chessboard designs.

This is the other home of Putin. We aren't sure if it is his personal home or a government home.  He is originally from St. Petersburg so who knows.

The three photos above are for a special program that is scheduled for the weekend.  Some of the students are practicing.  We did think it was strange that the Russian sweatshirts for this Russian dance group were written in English.  

RUSSIA 2015. #8

THURSDAY JUNE 18, 2015

We met at the column by the Hermitage Museum.  There was a group of 9 including us.  We had to have some sort of listening device for our guided tour since there were more than 6 folks in a group.  We entered and had to take our jackets to the coatcheck.  It is required and also if you have a bag or backpack, that also must be checked.  You could take photos, but no flash photography.  It was extremely busy just like the Louve.  There were hoards of people making their way down the various halls.  The Chinese tourists seem to dominate the scene in numbers and by their rude behavior.  They push and shove their way in and then take a photo right in front of your face. Waiting in line is not something they do well, but the Russians are also notorious for merging into your line to get themselves to the front.  They are like Chicago drivers that see a lane closure sign for miles but butt in just before the lane closes.  So much for the Museum behavior.

The Museum offered some lovely items from many of the famous artists and sculptors.  I can't begin to tell about all of the items except it is royalty that started this collection so that should say it all.

 

Front entrance that is similar to ours minus the marble steps. 😀

This is almost as nice as our trey ceilings.

The Red Throne Room.

A nice size for a vase, which is made from malachite.

This clock was really unique.  It actually works as the peacock feathers expand while the peacock's head goes up and down and the rooster crows.  That is how it looked on the slideshow we saw.  It performs once a week in the evenings.

Walt took a lot more photos of paintings but my blog will be full if I publish all of those.

Next we went on a boat tour of the Neva River and the canals.  St. Petersburg used to be all islands which are now all connected by bridges.  This makes it ideal to go around the various important landmarks and view them from the water.  The Hermitage even has an arched bridge or gallery that also expands over the water.  It was misting when we started the tour but it didn't last long.  They do offer you a blanket when you board, so that says something about the temperature.  It was very windy and cold at times so the blanket did help.  A plastic glass of champagne was also offered which was fair.

This is the arch connecting the two buildings of the Hermitage Museum.  The Hermitage consists of several buildings and more considered for the future.

This photo even looks like it is cold.

Nice curved architecture.

This is the boat we were on.  When we were finished, we walked through another boat to get up to the dock.

We needed this after our boat tour.  The vodka is served very cold and it is actually pretty good at warming you up. 😀

RUSSIA 2015 #6 and #7

TUESDAY JUNE 16, 2015

We had taken the overnight train from Moscow but did not sleep much despite having a nice cozy train compartment.  We were met at the station and taken to a cafe for breakfast.  We had sort of a breakfast on the train so this one sounded pretty good.  We relaxed and chatted with the only other gal that was on this particular tour today.  We had an informative and good tour of the city of St. Petersburg.  It really is a well organized city that Peter the Great had planned during his reign.  There are wide streets (now with heavy traffic), lots of interesting museums and well designed buildings and cathedrals.  Some of the best artisans and builders were either brought in or other Russians were educated and trained to help develop this wonderful city.  It has a population of about 4 million which is easy to tell when trying to cross the streets.  

Our cozy train compartment.

 

A column along the embankment.  It has ship parts protruding.

St. Isaac's Cathedral.  We did climb to the top area and had a lovely view of the city. There were 262 steps to the top but fairly easy steps if there is such a thing.

St. Nicholas church is actually still used completely as a church so a tourist may enter in the back when services are taking place.  They are also free and no photos may be taken inside.  If the church or cathedral is a museum, you pay to enter and you can take photos.  Many of the churches can not afford to just remain a church which is the reason many are museums.

This is a neat sculpture of Peter the Great or Peter the I.  He was about 7 feet tall and was actually a talented boat builder or a builder in general.  That was very novel since most royalty didn't do anything to get their hands dirty.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2015

We had a tour of the Yursupov Palace which was visited very frequently by royalty.  Nicholas II and his family that were murdered by the Bolsheviks was a regular.  There is a special part of the museum depicting how they tried to murder Rasputin since he was trying to damage the image of the royalty and he was succeeding.  This Rasputin character was a conniving person and tried to get into the family by supposedly using his healing powers.  He was rather despicable and was given cyinide in his food and beverage, shot more than once, taken out to the river and thought buried only to climb out.  He did eventually die by freezing to death.  The royalty weren't looked at as people of interest since they were royalty.  Some of folks involved fled to France and therefore avoided any further issues.

We spent a better part of the day seeking out some of the places we had seen on our city tour.  We wanted to get up closer in order to take a few photos.

 

This is a game whereby a bat is used and thrown at whatever formation of sticks are on the ground.  We had never see this before.  It looked rather interesting.

Not sure of the rules.  

This is the burial place of the Romanov family.  You hear about Anastasia (a daughter of Nicholas II) since it was rumored that a woman in the U.S. claimed to be Anastasia.  She has since died and the DNA proved she was not.  This was in the St. Peter and Paul church on the fortress island.  

This was the home of Peter the Great.  It has since been covered with brick, since it was previously a wood structure.  This seems to be a rather regular home for royalty.  He built this himself since he was so handy.

This is the gate to the Summer Garden.  This was a lovely park that Peter the Great established way back in the eighteenth century for all to use.  

There were numerous fountains and nice paths to walk.

We had a nice romantic walk along the shady paths.