Day 1: I woke up at 7 and when I looked out my window, there was Russia. After seeing only open ocean and faint hints of a shoreline for a few days, it was pretty cool.
I had breakfast with my friends and went out on Deck 7 to see what was all around us. Because our ship is relatively small, we were able to sail right into the St. Petersburg canals, so we could see the expanse of the city. It was gorgeous. At 9:30 I met my Comparative Politics class in the union so that we could get on a bus and head out for a day filled with Dostoyevsky (who just happens to be one of my favorite authors). First we spent an hour or so on a guided walking tour around the area that Dostoyevsky lived in. During his time in St. Petersburg he lived in over 20 different apartments - and I thought moving out of one apartment was stressful! Our guide also pointed out spots where scenes from Crime and Punishment took place. I've read the novel, but I didn't realize that Dostoyevsky used actual places throughout his own neighborhood. We finished the morning with a visit to the Dostoyevsky museum, which is in the author's last apartment.
We had a nice lunch at a Radisson hotel. My professor sat at my table so I got to bond with her. She ended up inviting my friend John and I to bring our group to help celebrate her daughter's birthday that night. Her husband is another one of my professors, so it's fun to get to know them both outside of the classroom.
After lunch we went to the monastery where Dostoyevsky is buried. There were also some famous Russian composer graves there, including Tchaikovsky. Then all the girls covered our heads with a scarf so we could go inside the Russian Orthodox Church. It's still a working church, and people come to pray to the different saints every day. We saw women come in to bow at the paintings of specific saints, pray, and then kiss the painting. Our tour guide explained that many Russians aren't religious now because it was illegal to practice during the communist era, but many of the women I saw there were older which means communism must not have deterred them too much. I thought that was a pretty powerful tribute to the strength of religion and faith.
We got back from the field lab just in time to meet everyone for dinner and then go back out for the night. We spent almost two hours looking for a bar that everyone had been talking about, only to find out it doesn't actually exist. Oops. So instead we just went to the first local bar we could find because we thought it was kind of imperative that we try Russian vodka. We did one shot together...and we were not disappointed. After talking to some local Russians for a while, we decided it was time to leave. The bridges on the canal go up at 1:30 am in St. Pete, so we wanted to make sure we were back on the right side in time to get back on the ship.
Day 2: We left the ship at 9:30 to go find a cafe for breakfast - apparently, St. Pete "is the coffiest city in Russia." However, after 2 hours of breakfast, we realized that meal time is a big event at Russian restaurants. But we were sitting outside so we got some nice people-watching in. Russians love to buy little dogs as pets, and then dress them up in adorable outfits.
After eating, we went in to some Russian stores before heading back to the ship. After lunch, I went on a SAS field program to the Hermitage and Winter Palace. OH MY GOODNESS. Amazing. The Hermitage is in competition with the Louvre for being the biggest art gallery in Europe, so obviously I got to see incredible works of art, including Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Picasso. But on top of that, the building used to be Catherine's palace. So the entire thing is absolutely gorgeous - gilded gold everywhere, special Russian stones, grand staircases. I could definitely live in a place like that. Our tour guide even showed us the room where the 1917 Revolution started. My political-nerd side was uber excited about that.
Later that night, a group us (me, Kelly, Jay, Jordan, Julie, and Bigs) bought some champagne and went on a canal cruise through the Neva River. I'm pretty sure this is the moment I fell in love with St. Pete. The city just lights up at night. But not in a flashy, NYC kind of way. More of a subtle, classy way. Even the people seemed friendlier. And then, just as we were all feeling like we were in total bliss, fireworks erupted over the Hermitage. So there I was: on a canal with some of the best people I know, drinking champagne, and watching fireworks on the Neva River. Is that not just perfection? If not, then I don't know if I can handle perfection.
Day 3: We returned to the cafe from Day 2 for some breakfast and wifi. Then most of our group went on an SAS trip, while the rest of explored the city on foot. We eventually ended up at the Church of the Spilled Blood. If I hadn't already been in love with St. Pete, this would have done it. The outside of the church is iconic, with the colorful spires. But the inside was so incredibly impressive. The entire thing is covered in gorgeous mosaics, with a base of Italian marble. The effort must have gone into all the detail...unbelievable. I could have sat there for hours. Someone please take me back?
After dinner that night, I got dressed up with Dani to head to the ballet! We got lucky - the performance was Swan Lake. Obviously the entire thing was gorgeous - impeccable dancing, intricate costumes, and a beautiful theater. We had tickets for the seventh row, and I was pretty close to Heaven. A Tchaikovsky ballet in Russia - pretty awesome.
Day 4: We started out strong by waking up for a 7:30 breakfast...but then the ship's weak coffee wasn't enough to keep us moving, so we didn't actually leave until 10. Once we were finally out the door, we walked across the city to the Peter and Paul Fortress. On the way there, we found a beach with a view of the city. I wish there were words to describe how great that was. The weather was perfect, and the view even better. I couldn't have asked for a better last day in the city.
After stopping in a bookstore, we got back to the ship around 3:30. Then it was nap time, dinner, and watching the ship maneuver out of the canal before getting back into our routine!
Obviously, St. Pete surprised me. I had imagined an entirely different experience than the one I had. But I think it's kind of a hard city to understand. There's a lot of dirt and grime, but at the same time there's so much green space and beautiful European architecture. The people weren't exactly friendly or happy on the streets, but one-on-one they were so kind and excited about us being there. The government's strict control obviously has an influence on people's daily lives, in a way that is much more obvious than I was expecting. It's a juxtaposition to how beautiful the city is. I know St. Pete is definitely one of the most European cities in Russia, and I wish there had been time for me to explore more cities. But I guess that just means I'll have to come back!!
After lunch we went to the monastery where Dostoyevsky is buried. There were also some famous Russian composer graves there, including Tchaikovsky. Then all the girls covered our heads with a scarf so we could go inside the Russian Orthodox Church. It's still a working church, and people come to pray to the different saints every day. We saw women come in to bow at the paintings of specific saints, pray, and then kiss the painting. Our tour guide explained that many Russians aren't religious now because it was illegal to practice during the communist era, but many of the women I saw there were older which means communism must not have deterred them too much. I thought that was a pretty powerful tribute to the strength of religion and faith.
Day 2: We left the ship at 9:30 to go find a cafe for breakfast - apparently, St. Pete "is the coffiest city in Russia." However, after 2 hours of breakfast, we realized that meal time is a big event at Russian restaurants. But we were sitting outside so we got some nice people-watching in. Russians love to buy little dogs as pets, and then dress them up in adorable outfits.
After eating, we went in to some Russian stores before heading back to the ship. After lunch, I went on a SAS field program to the Hermitage and Winter Palace. OH MY GOODNESS. Amazing. The Hermitage is in competition with the Louvre for being the biggest art gallery in Europe, so obviously I got to see incredible works of art, including Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Picasso. But on top of that, the building used to be Catherine's palace. So the entire thing is absolutely gorgeous - gilded gold everywhere, special Russian stones, grand staircases. I could definitely live in a place like that. Our tour guide even showed us the room where the 1917 Revolution started. My political-nerd side was uber excited about that.
Day 3: We returned to the cafe from Day 2 for some breakfast and wifi. Then most of our group went on an SAS trip, while the rest of explored the city on foot. We eventually ended up at the Church of the Spilled Blood. If I hadn't already been in love with St. Pete, this would have done it. The outside of the church is iconic, with the colorful spires. But the inside was so incredibly impressive. The entire thing is covered in gorgeous mosaics, with a base of Italian marble. The effort must have gone into all the detail...unbelievable. I could have sat there for hours. Someone please take me back?
After dinner that night, I got dressed up with Dani to head to the ballet! We got lucky - the performance was Swan Lake. Obviously the entire thing was gorgeous - impeccable dancing, intricate costumes, and a beautiful theater. We had tickets for the seventh row, and I was pretty close to Heaven. A Tchaikovsky ballet in Russia - pretty awesome.
Day 4: We started out strong by waking up for a 7:30 breakfast...but then the ship's weak coffee wasn't enough to keep us moving, so we didn't actually leave until 10. Once we were finally out the door, we walked across the city to the Peter and Paul Fortress. On the way there, we found a beach with a view of the city. I wish there were words to describe how great that was. The weather was perfect, and the view even better. I couldn't have asked for a better last day in the city.
Obviously, St. Pete surprised me. I had imagined an entirely different experience than the one I had. But I think it's kind of a hard city to understand. There's a lot of dirt and grime, but at the same time there's so much green space and beautiful European architecture. The people weren't exactly friendly or happy on the streets, but one-on-one they were so kind and excited about us being there. The government's strict control obviously has an influence on people's daily lives, in a way that is much more obvious than I was expecting. It's a juxtaposition to how beautiful the city is. I know St. Pete is definitely one of the most European cities in Russia, and I wish there had been time for me to explore more cities. But I guess that just means I'll have to come back!!
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