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beelikejAnother picspam from my wonderful summervacation. This is Day 4 and the second port stop: St. Petersburg in Russia!
To explore St. Petersburg you need a visa and since it's very hard to get an individual one, I decided to go on one of the many excursions that included a group visa. I opted for one that offered not only a tour through town (and lunch), but also a visit to the Hermitage Museum, the largest museum in the world. The latter is one of the reasons it took me some time to go through the photos of this day, because I made over 500 pictures with over half of them in the Hermitage! Don't look at me like that; it's very hard to control yourself when you're surrounded by so much history and art. I managed to make a selection of 84 pictures to summarize my awesome day:)
Wednesday August 23: St. Petersburg, Russia
After breakfast I went to the on board theatre to get the busnumber for my tour (with a guide in English) Look at that glorious theatre on deck 6; the balcony is on deck 7! When everybody had the right sticker, we could leave the ship to go through customs.
Got a stamp and a visa. Let's go to St. Petersburg!
From the bus: a fancy statue of a wealthy man in a big furcoat (I thought I'd remember his name, but can't even figure out the cyrillic on the buildings; apparently his name is on there, any translators on my flist?) > researched in 2025: building is Trezzine Palace Hotel at University Embankment, the statue is of Russian Architect Domenico Andrea Trezzini (1670-1734) by sculptor Pavel Ignatiyev (2014).
Detail on St Isaac's Cathedral (Russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р - Isaakievskiy Sobor)
We got off the bus for a bit at St Isaac's Square to take pictures of the Monument to Nicolas I (on horseback, surrounded by Justice, Force, Wisdom and Belief) in front of the Mariinsky Palace.
Detail of one of the lampposts next to the monument and a full photo of St. Isaac's Cathedral (which is across from the Mariinsky Palace)
Some close ups of the facade on St. Isaac's Cathedral: so many statues!
Zoom of Mariinsky Palace before we get back on the bus.
This yellow building is the State Russian Museum we pass by.
The Neva River with in the background the Peter and Paul Fortress (we'll go there in the afternoon)
To create St. Petersburg founder Tsar Peter the Great brought in architects from Venice and Amsterdam and it shows:)
Gate surrounding the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and a detail of the roof.
This gorgeous church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded by political nihilists in March 1881, hence the name Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
I just had time to snap a picture of this detail on the wall behind the church, before I had to rush back to the bus.
The huge pastel green building is The Hermitage. We're going to spend the next hour or so inside. Get in line!
The State Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings. It has been open to the public since 1852.
Sleeping Ariadne by Paolo Andrea Triscornia (1757 - 1833)
This is the big staircase of the Hermitage. There is so much art in so many different genres that I can't name it all. So I'll just let you wander around like I did and stare in awe, not only at the art but also at the ceilings and floors. I'll add commentary if I have knowledge;)
Mosaic Floor Otricoli, Rome 1847-1851; copy of ancient original found during excavations at the thermae of Otricoli, Italy, currently in the Vatican.
The golden Peacock Clock is a large automaton featuring three life-sized mechanical birds. It was manufactured by the entrepreneur James Cox and acquired by Catherine the Great in 1781.
Madonna Benois by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Leda by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi (aka Il Sodoma 1477-1549)
Sorry, I haven't a clue about the fish/man statue. *stares*
So. Many. Butts.
Retrato de la actriz Antonia Zárate (Portrait of the Actress Antonia Zárate) - Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)
The Hermitage has over 20 paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), the famous Dutch artist, his use of light is just stunning. Here are some of my favorites: Descent from the Cross (1634) and Danaë (1636) ("Fun" fact: Rembrandt's wife Saskia was the original model for Danaë, he later changed the figure's face to that of his mistress Geertje Dircx.) *mutters and huffs: "MEN"*
Portrait of Baertje Martens (1640) by Rembrandt van Rijn - I just love her face:)
To give you an impression of the crowd in the museum; can you spot my guide from bus 42? (She said it's better to visit in the winter;)
One last look at the glorious floors and ceilings of the Hermitage. *sighs*
On our way to the exit; can you believe we only saw a tiny part of the Hermitage? You can spend a year there and still not see everything. Gorgeous building, gorgeous art.
Aaaaand that's it for The Hermitage. We're going back on the bus:)
From the bus I caught this unusual building facade; I've seen figures bending over -like the woman on the left- before, but never came across one bending backwards! Nice butt:)
In the hotel where we have lunch I discover this beautiful basin in the toilet!
If you want to see what Russian food I was served, check out my FOODpicspam here!:)
Statue of Russian poet, playwright and novelist Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) (in the background the Russian Museum)
Building on Mikhailovsky Square, I just had to get closer to see those lions' heads!
Gate of Russian Museum with Church on Spilled Blood behind it.
Detail on the gate: the Russian imperial double headed eagle.
More heraldry designs on the gate.
Next to the yellow Russian Museum is the pink museum of Ethnography.
We get back on the bus and crosh the river Neva to go to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where all the tsars are buried in the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral; that's the building with the golden tower
Close up of the statue on top of the orange Boathouse in front of the cathedral (built to house Peter the Great's Dinghy, a small sailboat that had been used by the young Tsar to learn naval principles on lakes in the Moscow area, now a replica)
The interior of the cathedral is overwhelming, and that's an understatement;)
Most cascets are white marble, but there are a couple that stand out.
View across the water surrounding the fortress. We then drive across the Trinity Bridge with its marvelous Art Deco design and gloriously red rostral columns.
From the bus: The Bronze Horseman, monument to Peter the Great
In the huge souvenirshop: Big matryoshka dolls of Putin and 45. I have no words.
So many different matryoshka dolls and Fabergé eggs. Didn't buy any of those;)
After the souvenirshopstop it's back on the bus and back home to the ship and my lovely cabin <3 I got a Russian bear friend for my moose from Finland!
*collapses on bed* What a day.
Part 1: Exploring the Ship | Part 2: FOOD! | Part 3: Cycling in Helsinki
Part 5: Cycling and strolling through Tallinn | Part 6: On my own in Copenhagen, Danmark
To explore St. Petersburg you need a visa and since it's very hard to get an individual one, I decided to go on one of the many excursions that included a group visa. I opted for one that offered not only a tour through town (and lunch), but also a visit to the Hermitage Museum, the largest museum in the world. The latter is one of the reasons it took me some time to go through the photos of this day, because I made over 500 pictures with over half of them in the Hermitage! Don't look at me like that; it's very hard to control yourself when you're surrounded by so much history and art. I managed to make a selection of 84 pictures to summarize my awesome day:)
Wednesday August 23: St. Petersburg, Russia
After breakfast I went to the on board theatre to get the busnumber for my tour (with a guide in English) Look at that glorious theatre on deck 6; the balcony is on deck 7! When everybody had the right sticker, we could leave the ship to go through customs.
Got a stamp and a visa. Let's go to St. Petersburg!
From the bus: a fancy statue of a wealthy man in a big furcoat (I thought I'd remember his name, but can't even figure out the cyrillic on the buildings; apparently his name is on there, any translators on my flist?) > researched in 2025: building is Trezzine Palace Hotel at University Embankment, the statue is of Russian Architect Domenico Andrea Trezzini (1670-1734) by sculptor Pavel Ignatiyev (2014).
Detail on St Isaac's Cathedral (Russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р - Isaakievskiy Sobor)
We got off the bus for a bit at St Isaac's Square to take pictures of the Monument to Nicolas I (on horseback, surrounded by Justice, Force, Wisdom and Belief) in front of the Mariinsky Palace.
Detail of one of the lampposts next to the monument and a full photo of St. Isaac's Cathedral (which is across from the Mariinsky Palace)
Some close ups of the facade on St. Isaac's Cathedral: so many statues!
Zoom of Mariinsky Palace before we get back on the bus.
This yellow building is the State Russian Museum we pass by.
The Neva River with in the background the Peter and Paul Fortress (we'll go there in the afternoon)
To create St. Petersburg founder Tsar Peter the Great brought in architects from Venice and Amsterdam and it shows:)
Gate surrounding the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and a detail of the roof.
This gorgeous church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded by political nihilists in March 1881, hence the name Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
I just had time to snap a picture of this detail on the wall behind the church, before I had to rush back to the bus.
The huge pastel green building is The Hermitage. We're going to spend the next hour or so inside. Get in line!
The State Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings. It has been open to the public since 1852.
Sleeping Ariadne by Paolo Andrea Triscornia (1757 - 1833)
This is the big staircase of the Hermitage. There is so much art in so many different genres that I can't name it all. So I'll just let you wander around like I did and stare in awe, not only at the art but also at the ceilings and floors. I'll add commentary if I have knowledge;)
Mosaic Floor Otricoli, Rome 1847-1851; copy of ancient original found during excavations at the thermae of Otricoli, Italy, currently in the Vatican.
The golden Peacock Clock is a large automaton featuring three life-sized mechanical birds. It was manufactured by the entrepreneur James Cox and acquired by Catherine the Great in 1781.
Madonna Benois by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Leda by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi (aka Il Sodoma 1477-1549)
Sorry, I haven't a clue about the fish/man statue. *stares*
So. Many. Butts.
Retrato de la actriz Antonia Zárate (Portrait of the Actress Antonia Zárate) - Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)
The Hermitage has over 20 paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), the famous Dutch artist, his use of light is just stunning. Here are some of my favorites: Descent from the Cross (1634) and Danaë (1636) ("Fun" fact: Rembrandt's wife Saskia was the original model for Danaë, he later changed the figure's face to that of his mistress Geertje Dircx.) *mutters and huffs: "MEN"*
Portrait of Baertje Martens (1640) by Rembrandt van Rijn - I just love her face:)
To give you an impression of the crowd in the museum; can you spot my guide from bus 42? (She said it's better to visit in the winter;)
One last look at the glorious floors and ceilings of the Hermitage. *sighs*
On our way to the exit; can you believe we only saw a tiny part of the Hermitage? You can spend a year there and still not see everything. Gorgeous building, gorgeous art.
Aaaaand that's it for The Hermitage. We're going back on the bus:)
From the bus I caught this unusual building facade; I've seen figures bending over -like the woman on the left- before, but never came across one bending backwards! Nice butt:)
In the hotel where we have lunch I discover this beautiful basin in the toilet!
If you want to see what Russian food I was served, check out my FOODpicspam here!:)
Statue of Russian poet, playwright and novelist Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) (in the background the Russian Museum)
Building on Mikhailovsky Square, I just had to get closer to see those lions' heads!
Gate of Russian Museum with Church on Spilled Blood behind it.
Detail on the gate: the Russian imperial double headed eagle.
More heraldry designs on the gate.
Next to the yellow Russian Museum is the pink museum of Ethnography.
We get back on the bus and crosh the river Neva to go to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where all the tsars are buried in the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral; that's the building with the golden tower
Close up of the statue on top of the orange Boathouse in front of the cathedral (built to house Peter the Great's Dinghy, a small sailboat that had been used by the young Tsar to learn naval principles on lakes in the Moscow area, now a replica)
The interior of the cathedral is overwhelming, and that's an understatement;)
Most cascets are white marble, but there are a couple that stand out.
View across the water surrounding the fortress. We then drive across the Trinity Bridge with its marvelous Art Deco design and gloriously red rostral columns.
From the bus: The Bronze Horseman, monument to Peter the Great
In the huge souvenirshop: Big matryoshka dolls of Putin and 45. I have no words.
So many different matryoshka dolls and Fabergé eggs. Didn't buy any of those;)
After the souvenirshopstop it's back on the bus and back home to the ship and my lovely cabin <3 I got a Russian bear friend for my moose from Finland!
*collapses on bed* What a day.
Part 1: Exploring the Ship | Part 2: FOOD! | Part 3: Cycling in Helsinki
Part 5: Cycling and strolling through Tallinn | Part 6: On my own in Copenhagen, Danmark