Our ferry from Tallin, Estonia to St. Petersburg, on Finlandia line Eckero, began boarding around 6:00 p.m. on a bright sunny day for the overnight to St. Petersburg. During the departure, we sat on the deck and watched the steeples of Old Town Tallin and the buildings of downtown fade away in the afternoon sun.
When we checked out our cabin, we found two bunk beds that folded down from the outer wall and barely enough space to move around. But that was okay. After all, we wouldn’t be spending time there except for sleeping. Soon we headed to the restaurant for dinner and joined two docs from our tour who were friends from a previous trip to Russia: one was from Louisville, the other from Los Angeles.
Soon after our drinks were served, an entertainer came over to display his magical tricks.
After dinner and while walking around we found out that we would be approaching St. Petersburg at sunup. I wanted to see that and slept on an off during the night hoping not to miss the magical hour. Ever since my years in the Air Force I had hoped that someday, I might get to see the other “Venice of the North.” I encountered the first when landing at Narsarsuaq AFB at the tip of Southern Greenland and saw a sign with that saying welcoming all. After checking my watch many times, I finally left the room so as not to awake Lisa and headed to the deck. As the boat moved through the Gulf of Finland in the early morning hours, I began to see little islands and the sun starting to rise as we passed hundreds of Maersk containers at the marine terminal and the first glimpses of St. Pete and buildings in the Russian style.
As we docked at the terminal building, a band playing marches welcomed us. That was fun to see as we departed the ferry and headed into customs. .
What was not much fun and what we didn’t appreciate were some folks holding red colored Russian passports pushing ahead to get to the agents and be on their way while our tour waited.
But hey, we were in St. Petersburg and that was amazing in my mind. Hard to believe that after all the years wondering if I would ever get there, it was a reality. After passing through customs we awaited the arrival of our tour guide Olga. Before long we were on our way to breakfast passing the historic Marinsky Theater where opera and ballets of famous Russian composers received their premieres. Although the building was closed for renovations, it still was exciting to see.
Our sit-down breakfast was at a cozy restaurant in the city and was a good way to start the morning before heading to our hotel several miles out from the city center.
Not far from the hotel is Moskovskaya Square where a statue of Lenin stands in a pose that looks like he’s hailing a taxi.
The Pullkovskaya Hotel was quite large, with pleasant rooms and very welcoming. It was conveniently located across from the Metro station; our guide, however, suggested that we avoid using it due to pick-pockets and occasional muggings. Because of an abundance of vehicular traffic on Moskovskaya, to cross safely we had to use an underpass to get to the other side (or to the subway station).
Our three day tour in St. Pertersburg was well organized so that we were able to visit historic areas of the city such as St. Nicholas Cathedral, the nearby Peace Marker, Views on both sides of the Neva rivers, The Winter Palace, The Alexander Granite Column, the General Staff Building, the Church of the Savior, St. Issac’s Cathedral and the Hermitage Museum to name a few.
Every day on our way to and from the central part of the city we would pass the The Moscow Triumphal Gate also on Moskovskaya. Our tour guide mentioned that it had been camouflaged during the siege of Leningrad in 1941 by the German army.
Although there was so much to see and do in St. Petersburg, the Hermitage and two non-tour events were my favorite activities: a boat ride along the Neva one afternoon and the Moscow State Ballet Company’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at the Mussorgsky Theater which dates back to 1833.
St. Petersburg with its museums, it’s historic buildings, monuments and grand theaters confirms why it is referred to as Russia’s Paris/Berlin. I was especially taken with the beautiful wood floors throughout the Hermitage and their intricate designs. Our photos show some of the venues and wonderful art work from the places we visited.
The art work in the Hermitage is extraordinary. No wonder that about five million visitors were attracted to the museum in 2019. We marveled at the creative beauty of the designers, artists and crafts men and women. In particular, I found the floors a sight to behold. They are truly amazing accomplishments.
When it comes to St. Petersburg, I think pictures are worth more than words can express. We took many and have included theme here along with explanations. St. Petersburg Photos (ctrl+F5 for Presentation mode)