We arrived in St. Petersburg at 7 a.m. to serious overcast. We had signed up for 2 shore excursions today, one in the morning and one in the evening, thinking we could remain on shore between the two and do some serious exploring. That’s when we discovered we missed the fine print about visiting Russia and neglected to get Visas which would have allowed us to remain on shore by ourselves. Unlike in the other countries, in Russia we have to show our passports every time we get on and off the boat, even for a tour. And we’ve been warned that if we’re caught without a Visa for more than 30 minutes off the boat and not on a tour, we can be in serious trouble. So we booked another tour in order to get the most out of our stay in St. Petersburg, and hopefully stay out of jail.
In the morning, we took a panoramic bus tour of St. Petersburg. The area where the ships dock is very industrial and not real attractive and while it seems very centrally located and in the city, it also seems to take at least 45 minutes to get anywhere.
Like the other places we’ve visited so far, St. Petersburg is a water city. There are more than 200 canals and 42 islands in the city. And there are 14 seas in the surrounding area. The area’s population is about 5 million people. It was rainy in the morning but later in the day it cleared up, although there were still some dark clouds around from time to time. Our guide was pleased, sharing with us that they only get 35-60 sunny days a year!
Below are photos both getting to and then on our tour around St. Petersburg.
There are blocks and blocks of Soviet-era apartments like these in the area where we’re docked, and we’ve passed them several times. Although they look okay from a distance, most of them are in need of serious maintenance.
We drove by this produce market, one of several we saw on our tour. Wish we had a chance to check one out.
This is a very discrete grocery market. This is the only chain we’ve seen, but we’ve seen many of these and every one looks exactly like this one.
And then we drove by Beverly Hills.
Nice street signs, large, clear . . . no idea what they say. (And the names on this one were actually shorter than most!)
We passed several of these old sailing vessels parked along the waterway.
This old sailing vessel, appearing to be made up of a series of pieces that have been cobbled together, is actually a restaurant.
A typical newspaper stand. I don’t know what magazine this lady was looking for but she appeared to want to look at every one in the place.
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is located on its own small island.
Another of the many churches.
Costumed workers like these can be seen in all city tourist areas.
A new soccer stadium, seen in the background, is being built near the cruise ship area in preparation for the World Cup to be held here in 2018. In the foreground is a beautiful new bridge.
Lots of cute little soccer figures like this one are reminding residents and tourists of the upcoming World Cup.
Certainly the highlight of our morning tour was a stop at the Spilled Blood Church which was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. It now serves as a museum and is filled with mosaics. Unfortunately our tour did not take us inside.
Do you need a Russian Nesting Doll?
In the afternoon, we explored the Russian Museum. Originally a palace, the Russian Museum is the largest depository of Russian fine art in Saint Petersburg and one of the largest museums in the country. Below are a few photos from our visit to the Museum.
The entrance to the beautiful Russian Museum.
The front of the Neoclassical museum after crossing the courtyard.
The eyes on this statue of Peter I are almost eerie. If you look closely, you’ll see that the pupils in the eyes are actually heart shaped.
I loved this graceful sculpture of a mother helping her baby learn to walk.
Isn’t this ornate frame just amazing?
This huge painting of a storm at sea captured everyone’s attention.
They even had some incredible pieces of furniture.
Our 3rd shore excursion for the day was a program of Russia’s native songs and dances in a very old but beautiful theater. The young and authentically-costumed singers and dancers were energetic and eager to please. The group had a small band behind them and the music was well-performed, punctuated with comedy and delightful to watch. It was a most enjoyable evening. I assumed no photography would be allowed, so I didn’t take my camera. So of course photography was allowed. Go figure. The show got over about 10:15 and all the way back to the boat we got to enjoy a most gorgeous sunset!
Tomorrow we get to visit the Hermitage Museum. Yay!
Our Viking River Cruise 