Cathedrals and Palace

Our first day of organized sightseeing. There were dark clouds overhead and the temperature was down in the early teens – very different from the melting days in Berlin – as we stepped outside the hotel. My fleecy had its first outing and was much appreciated.

We visited two cathedrals in the morning both very ornate with masses of gilding and paintings/mosaic murals (hard to tell one from the other) all over walls and ceilings. But the floor space is completely empty. Under the Communist regime sculptures were not allowed, and all Russians stand throughout any religious services. Which was just as well as there were hundreds of tourists – but our Julia does not believe in waiting in line – she marches straight to the front and gets us in ahead of any queues!

Although we had breakfast about 09.00, by 12.00 we were speeding to a luncheon engagement about 40 minutes drive outside the city, near the Catherine Summer Palace which we would visit in the afternoon. The restaurant was a large wooden building with an oast house type structure in the middle. The car park was full of coaches and when we entered the building there were hundreds of people upstairs, downstairs, in alcoves and annexes all partaking of the same meal! We were taken upstairs and thoroughly enjoyed an authentic Russian meal (most likely a banquet). The table was already set up with drinks – red wine, a drink made from rye bread which tasted a bit like home made white wine, water and a half carafe of neat vodka. We all dived in the vodka and soon needed to eat. Starters were pickled vegetables, including several large fat whole cloves of garlic, beef in sour cream, smoked pork loin with cucumber, cheese stuffed tomatoes and bread. This was followed by hot sliced mushrooms in a creamy sauce and then Borsch, (beetroot soup) – everyone’s idea of what Russians eat – and then cabbage and vine leaves stuffed with minced meat, and fruity pancakes. I have got into drinking to tea in a big way – lemon, jasmine, earl grey, and now Russian – quite strong but refreshing after a meal.

The four of us felt drowsy after this heavy lunch, and wanted to do nothing but have an afternoon siesta, but Julia would have none of that and quickly transported us to the Catherine Summer Palace, which appears to have belonged to several emperors and empresses and their lovers in its time. It was almost totally destroyed during WW2, but early in 1946 restoration work began. Apparently the Communist regime condoned this as they believed the Palace now belonged to the people and not the ruling classes. When Perestroika came the Government wanted the work to continue to show that they were just as good at restoration as their predecessors. And the work is still continuing today. There are vast rooms full of gilt decorations - mostly cherubs and floral designs – Italian style painted ceilings and elaborate wood floors – we had to wear over-slippers so as not to do any damage. Not so long ago Elton John played a concert here in the largest room and apparently tickets were 1500$ each!.

The ambience of St Petersburg as a city is formal and “harsh”. The people (on the whole – except for muggers and gypsies) are very friendly and helpful and appear to have welcomed the new open regime of Russia with open arms, but are rushing everywhere - they must be first in line (at the traffic lights, in a queue, or just walking down the road). Tomorrow we are off to the Hermitage and a palace at Peterhof, both of which contain many treasures and relics from the days of the Romanovs. Nicholas and Alexandra certainly seem to have become “acceptable” again, almost venerated (a bit like the feeling in England about Princess Di).


COLIN’S COMMENTS (he just felt he had to get a few words in):

Preconceptions can be misleading. I’ve never really wanted to visit Germany having always thought of it as inhospitable, whereas my thoughts of Russia were leaning towards an opposite view.

What I have found is that Berlin, and of course that is only a small part of Germany and also it may have been down to the very good weather, was a relaxed and enjoyable city to visit. Many interesting modern developments, mixed with a few historical buildings gave me the idea that I wish to go back to explore some more. I still had the feeling that the people were curt in their attitude, but that may be down to the fact that I was not speaking their language.

On the other hand, the Russia I found in St Petersburg was not “a walk in the park”, nor a relaxed atmosphere. It may have abandoned the “hammer and sycle” and allowed the Romanov Tsar dynasty flag to fly above one of the main palaces here, but I found it to be a society rushing towards something akin to extreme Thatcherism, whereby the elderly and the not-so-well-off have been left behind and seemingly uncared for, and the younger generation are grasping the new capitalistic ideology with enthusiasm. There is much restoration going on but most of it is fake. Many of these historical buildings may look genuinely old, but in fact, they are just recreations of the splendour they once were. An interesting city it may be, but relaxing it is not, and it does not appear to hold enough to make you think you must return. I am glad to have had the experience, but it has rather dented the perhaps romantic view I had previously held.

This has only been a week into the travels and I have already found many points to make me think about how I view other parts of the world. I look forward to the next step and hope they will be as mentally challenging as those I have already encountered.

BACK TO STEFFI:
Will I ever let him lose on the Thai Shite again?!!!!

PS: He says the breakfasts here are great!.

PPS: Laundry service is brill – collected after 14.00 and back before 18.00, washed, ironed and folded in individual polythene wrappers. I don’t think I am ever going to be able to do washing, ironing or housework again!