St Pete’s: Seat of imperial Russia

SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD: The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of Saint Petersburg. This church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded by political nihilists in March 1881. The church was built between 1883 and 1907, with construction funded by the imperial family. Pictures by Phil and Sue Newdick

Phil and Sue Newdick continue relating their travels in Russia and the Baltic . . .

We were not disappointed with St Petersburg, but we found the claim that it was more impressive than Moscow incorrect.

We found both cities wonderful — St Pete’s being smaller than Moscow and very accessible on foot. The metro was a little less impressive, but our experience in mastering Moscow’s metro made it very easy to find our way around the city; the widespread use of English was also a great help.

There is a rumour that it always rains in Saint Petersburg but it is not true. We found during the time we were in Russia that the whole country seemed to have very ample quantities of the wet stuff.

What was impressive was Peter the Great’s lavish winter and summer palaces. It seems when it came to indulging themselves, the Russian monarchy was just as decadent as the any other monarchy.

During our visit to the Winter Palace, which houses the Hermitage Museum, we were informed that unlike the Vatican, where the artworks were copies of the Masters stored in the basement, the Russians only display the originals. We are not experts, but we were certainly impressed. The palace is laid out like an art gallery and the size and quantity of the displays are awesome.

Our weekend in Saint Petersburg coincided with the Russian Navy’s visit to the city. On the Saturday they had closed the streets for their parade, so we stayed away from the centre. On the Sunday we braved the crowds; it made little difference, masses of people were still stopping the traffic. It was amazing to see the patriotism generated — everyone wearing the blue and white striped navy T shirts or naval caps, and drinking copious quantities of vodka.

Monday, August 1 was our last full day in Russia, so we boarded the Hydrofoil for a day trip to the Peterhof Palace. This complex is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg. Built by Peter the Great, it is sometimes referred as the “Russian Versailles”.

We filled our time there wandering the grounds. The palace and gardens, complete with water features — although lavish and extravagant — were magnificent. It is easy to understand why the ordinary people of Russia revolted against a monarchy which caused so much poverty while indulging themselves in such excesses.

During our travels in this part of the world we have opted wherever possible for short-term apartment rental. The apartments we have rented we thought of as just holiday homes. We now realise that 20-30 square metres, which includes a kitchen and a lounge with a sofa bed, is a permanent home to a lot of people in this part of the world, and the single child of these families will sleep in the same room as the parents in many cases.

August 2 was leave Russia day, as that was the day our visas expired. The 30 days seemed to have flown by. This part of our journey has been a really wonderful experience. We have definitely left a bit of our hearts in this great big welcoming country.

The next leg to Helsinki is on a very smart Finnish Allegro train. This 3½ hour ride at speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, in total comfort, was a huge contrast to our 6½ days of travel on The Siberian Railway and the laid-back style of our river cruise.

Finland is the start of the Baltic leg of our journey. Helsinki is a great place but, still basking in the glow of Russia, it seemed a bit of a let-down. The available apartments were a little less comfortable, a little dearer, and the food was a little more expensive. Generally we found Helsinki just as sensational as eastern Russia, but a bit tame compared to the western part of that journey. The city is very walkable and the number of bicycles used is noticeable. The Finnish people, like their Russian neighbours, are warm and helpful, the food is exotic and they seem to have a real fetish about saunas and massage.