Europe - 1998 - Helsinki, Finland to St Petersburg, Russia

Bev's mom Marguerite was wanting to visit her ancestral home in Sweden, so on June 7, 1998, Bev and Marguerite boarded a plane in Denver bound for Chicago. From here they switched to a Scandinavian Airlines plane that would take them to Copenhagen, Denmark. There would be a 3-hour delay once they arrived in Copenhagen the following morning; then they would take another SAS flight to Helsinki, Finland.

They arrived in Helsinki at the Vaanta airport just outside of Helsinki that afternoon. After taking the shuttle, they arrived at their hotel. The Cumulus Kaisaniemi Hotel was located in central downtown Helsinki and was close to shopping, restaurants and tourist attractions. Because of the time difference, they opted to stay close to the hotel and do their touring the next day.

Their day began with a Finnish Smorgasbord. One of the items on the agenda was the Finnish version of Swedish ponkaka. After eating breakfast, they purchased a pass on the transit system and ventured out into the city.

The first stop was Senate Square. The neo-classic early 19th century style of the Evangelical-Lutheran cathedral dominates the city’s skyline. Helsinki’s most historic and beautiful square was designed at the height of the Russian Empire’s fascination with the architectural glories of ancient Greece and Rome.

The monument to Alexander II "The Liberator" at the Senate Square in Helsinki was erected in 1894, 13 years after the assassination of Alexander II. At that time, Finland was still a Russian grand duchy. The date "1863" refers to the reopening of the Diet of Finland. This monument, expressing the Finns' gratitude to this Tsar, survived unharmed through many later periods of tension and war with Russia under various of its later regimes.

Finland’s history as an independent country has been short. There has been an ongoing battle between Sweden and Russia for control of this area. In the 17th century, under Gustavus II Adolphus, the entire region becomes integrated in the rapidly enlaring Swedish kingdom. The Finns were expected to speak Swedish; and those that didn’t became second-class citizens. The territory was also under constant threat from the increasing power of Russia.

Finland becomes a buffer zone in a succession of wars between Russia and Sweden during the 18th century. The Russians wanted to establish a presence in the Baltic. After a final Russian invasion in 1808, Sweden ceded Finland to Russia in 1809. Finland’s autonomy as a grand duchy under Russian protection had been guaranteed earlier in the year by tsar Alexander I. Throughout the 19th century Finland thrived in partnership with Russia. But in the early 20th century there are attempts by the Russian government to tie Finland more closely into the empire, merging Finnish units within the Russian army and imposing Russian as the official language.

With the outbreak of World War I, Finnish resistance groups turn to Germany for help against a common enemy. After the communist revolution in Russia in 1917, a new element added to the issues of Finn versus Russian. The war continued; and a constitution of June, 1919 transformed Finland into a republic; at which point they became a member of the League of Nations. The evidence of the Swedish and Russian influences on Finland can be seen throughout the city. Many of the streets or locations are identified in two languages.

Bev and Marguerite’s next stop was at the Temppeliaukio Church. In 1969, this was built into solid rock. Only the roof is visible from the outside. Interior walls were blasted from bedrock. Because of its superb acoustics, the church is often used as a concert hall.

The route took them past the Greek-Orthodox-Uspensky Cathedral which was built in 1868 in Byzantine-Slavonic style. The trolley ride continued back to Railway Square. Railway Square is surrounded by the City Center Building, the National Theatre, and the National Gallery Ateneum.

The National Theatre is vaguely reminiscent of the opera house in Vienna. It was designed in 1902. In front of the theatre is a statue of Finland’s national writer, Aleksis Kivi. The National Gallery Ateneum was designed in 1887 and its interior contains the best art museum in Finland.

The Helsinki Railway Station is one of the most famous public buildings in Europe. It was designed in 1916 and the sculptures are evocative of the monumental works of Pharaonaic Egypt. It is a striking pinkisk, granite building, with a green clocktower. It has been copied numerous times; and, has been used in such films as Batman.

When the trip was originally planned, Bev and Marguerite had only intended to see the northern 4 countries of Europe (which included Sweden). However, as Bev did research while making reservations for the trip, she discovered “The Route of Czars” tour that took tourists to St Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. After Bev threatened to go alone (you could not get this close to Russia and not visit), Marguerite agreed to come along. It required additional shots and a visa, and they were ready to go.

The next morning in Helsinki took them to the bus station where they would meet their tour director for the Russian excursion. The passengers were divided into two groups: those returning after St Petersburg and those continuing on to Moscow.
Everyone boarded their bus and headed east to the Russian border. While leaving town the passed by the Finnish National Opera house and the Postal Museum. Outside Kotka, Finland that stopped to visit the Langinkoski Estate. This had been a summer cottage that was used by the czars when under Russian control. The czars would sail from St Petersburg on yachts and come to the grounds for hunting and fishing. Although sleeping quarters were available, the czar and guests usually stayed on the yachts.

They stopped for lunch and then to the border crossing. The only picture of the border station is on the Finland side. No cameras were allowed until we received final clearance. There is approximately a 30-kilometer stretch where “anything goes” before clearance is given into Russia. The road follows a beautiful waterway. There are two, possibly three, checkpoints. At the first a number is drawn – this number will be used when we reach the final checkpoint. If it matches, individuals plus their luggage will need to go through the checkpoint. At anytime before the third checkpoint, a military patrol can stop the bus and ask that it be checked. This is at the discretion of the patrol.

Upon arrival at the third checkpoint, there were approximately 20 vehicles waiting for clearance. The bus driver and tour guide had crossed before, so they went in the “back door” of the checkpoint. It literally had a blockade across the road similar to those seen in James Bond movies. The tour guide lifted the blockade and the driver drove through. Immediately, there was a “hot tempered” red-headed female Russian patrol guard “cussing” out our driver and tour guide. Russian was spoken, so not sure what transpired, but the driver’s record book was taken, and stamped.

The tour guide asked if anyone on the tour smoked so he could offer a cigarette to the officer. After the “back door” incident was resolved, they had to wait in the bus for another half hour. They were then told to leave our belongings on the bus and enter the checkpoint.

First through was the family from Tennessee. Everything cleared. Next was one of the couples from Portugal. The officer had given their passports back to them and was asking for Bev’s, when the officer suddenly jumped up and ran after the Portuguese couple. Marguerite and Bev were passed through okay; but, the remaining tour members were detained. The Danish couples were allowed through; but, the two couples from Portugal and the single lady from Australia were held back. After another hour’s time, they were released. It appears that the residing officer’s supervisor had to be called in for clearance. The pictures on the Visas on the passports in question had been stamped in the wrong corner. The tour guide indicated that if this had happened a year before, all members of the party would be sent back to Finland.

After crossing the border, the tour continued along the Gulf of Finland. The tour passed through the town of Vyborg. The town was established as an outlying fortress to deter any enemies that would approach St Petersburg.


The establishment of a new capital of the Russian state at the place where the Neva empties itself into the Baltic Sea was historically predetermined. By the late 17th century, Russia had grown rather strong and urgently needed a sea route to Europe. Peter the Great was attracted to the northwestern lands around the Gulf of Finland which had once belonged to Norgorod, but later were occupied by Sweden. Thus, the Northern War of 1700-21 between Russia and Sweden for the domination over the outlet of the Baltic began.

Peter the Great sought to strengthen Russia’s domination in the area recovered from the Swedes. An isle in the estuary of the Neva, known as Have’s Island, was chosen by the tsar and his companion-in-arms for the construction of a citadel because its dominating position was very suitable. The date of the foundation of the St. Petersburg Fortress (later known as the Peter and Paul Fortress), May 16, 1703 has been taken to be the day of the establishment of St. Petersburg. Peter the Great named the City St. Petersburg after his patron saint. The royal family moved their residence and capital from Moscow in 1713.

A log house erected for the Tsar, became Peter’s earliest dwelling. In the area of Trinity Square, the first square of the newly built city, a shopping arcade was erected; a seaport was established nearby. The efforts of the entire country were concentrated on the construction of the young capital.

Peter the Great wanted to create a powerful national fleet within a very short period. With this aim in view, he laid out a shipyard, known as the Admiralty; on the left bank, diagonally from the St. Petersburg Fortress downstream the Neva, in the autumn of 1704.

After the death of Peter the Great on Jan 28, 1725, the court returned to Moscow and construction slowed. When Anna Ivanovna, Peter’s niece, ascended the throne, the court was again returned to St. Petersburg. In the 1730s, the scheme of the central part of the city, with a trident of its main thoroughfares, Nesky Prospect, Voznesensky Prospect and Gorokhovaya Street, converging by the Admiralty, was formed.

A beautiful chapter of St. Petersburg is associated with the name of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who used his outstanding talent to transform he city built on marshes into a majestic ensemble of royal and aristocratic residences. Inspired in childhood by Versailles, he succeeded in combining a refined European spirit with traditions of Russian architecture. The facades of Rastrelli’s edifices – the Smolny Cathedral and the Winter Palace, as well as the Stroganov, Great Peterhof and Catherine Palaces – still largely determine the appearance of the centre of St. Petersburg and its environs today.

The city was renamed Petrograd in 1914 by Emperor Nicholas II after Russia declared war on Germany. It was renamed Leningrad after his death in 1924. It was renamed St. Petersburg after the collapse of Communism in 1991.

The bus ride took them along the Neva River into the central part of St Petersburg. Here is where the Hotel Pulkovskaya was located. The hotel has 840 rooms as well as five restaurants. This is where the group would be staying while in St Petersburg. While checking into the hotel, the room key had slipped into Marguerite’s purse without her being aware. Passports are collected by the hotels at check-in. When the transaction was completed, Marguerite continued to wait. The tour guide asked about the delay, and Marguerite told him she was waiting for her key. The clerk, in Russian, continued to state that she had already given her the key. The tour guide asked Bev if she would check Marguerite’s purse and verify; to Marguerite’s surprise the key was there.

The rooms were comfortable. However, a converter needed to be used when using any rechargers or appliances. Bev had a recharger for her movie camera and set it up before they went to dinner. After dinner they found that it had gotten too hot, and melted part of the recharger. Luckily it was not damaged and could still be used.

After getting settled in their rooms, everyone went to the restaurant for dinner. The other tour group were nearly finished with their meal and wondered what had taken this group so long to get here. Stories were told around the tables about the experiences at the border.  Before going to bed, Marguerite and Bev could look out the window and see the War Memorial across the street.

The next morning a city sightseeing tour was scheduled to leave after breakfast. The first view was a drive around the War Memorial. St Petersburg was the center of heavy fighting during a siege by German forces from late 1941 to January, 1944. About 1.25 million residents died either in fighting or by starvation. 

They next drove by the Triumphal Arch. Then past Decembrists’ Square with the statue of Peter the Great. They then passed the Alexandrine Theatre with a statue of Catherine the Great in front. This statue was sculptured in 1873 as a monument to Catherine. 

The Kazan Cathedral is a memorial structure. In 1813, Field Marshall Kutuzov, a hero of the 1812 War, was buried here. Housed in the cathedral are also numerous trophies of the war against Napoleon. Monuments to Field Marshalls Mikhail Kutuzov and Mikhail Barclay de Tolly can be seen on the square in front of the northern façade of the cathedral.  

Vasilyevsky Island is the largest island on the territory recovered from the Swedes and is known for its long shore opening to the Gulf of Finland. The Tsar presented this island to Alexander Menshikov, hero of the Northern War and first Governor of St. Petersburg. It was on this island, and especially on its best part, commonly known as the Spit, that the administrative, scientific and trade centre of the capital was constructed. 

Bridges are an integral part of the architectural look of the “Northern Palmyra”, a city of numerous rivers and canals. There are about 800 bridges in St. Petersburg and its environ. Not far from the Nevsky Prospect the canal is spanned by the Bank Bridge decorated with fanciful sculptures of griffins, mythological winged lions, holding in their mouths the chains which support their suspension bridge. The structure of another bridge downstream the Griboyedov Canal, known as the Lion Bridge, are also decoratively interpreted. These bridges were put up in 1825-26 and their engineering solution were the last word in Russian bridge building at that period. The four corners of the Anichkov Bridge spanning the Fontanka at Nevsky Prospect are decorated with famous sculptural groups representing various stages in horse training. 

The focal point of Decembrists (Senate) Square is the monument to Peter the Great, commonly known as the Bronze Horseman. The life-side model of the equestrian status was produced by the French sculptor Falconet. Senate Square became an important place already in the 1760s. Its ensemble took final shape in the 1840s. The purpose was to unite the Admiralty and the monument to Peter the Great. Carlo Rossi designed the Senate and Holy Synod connected by a beautiful arch. 
Saints Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter I in 1703. The initial core around which St. Petersburg centered was the Peter and Paul Fortress. The choice of Hare Island for the building of the fortified structures provided a fine commanding view of the Small and Large Nevas. The fortress was the city’s oldest building and was used as a political prison during the rule of the csars. The construction of the present-day SS Peter and Paul Cathedral began in 1712 on the former site of a wooden church. The cathedral was finished in 1733, already after Peter’s death, and consecrated to the Apostles Peter and Paul. Since the Emperor attached great importance to the bell tower of the cathedral as a landmark of the newly built capital, it was constructed with a haste and completed ten years before the cathedral. Today the bell tower still remains one of the tallest structures in the city. The tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine I and other Russian Tsars are in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral. 

The tour stopped for lunch and then to the Hermitage for an afternoon tour. The main facade of the Winter Palace overlooks Palace Square. It is perhaps the most brilliant and impressive Baroque buildings in St. Petersburg. The southern border of Palace Square is formed by the powerful curve of the buildings of the General Staff and the Ministries put up by Carlo Rossi between 1819 and 1829. The architect perfectly evaded the impression of monotony of the facades by placing the main accent on the triumphal arch. Majestic and at the same time clearcut in its decor, this structure, crowned with a chariot of Victory driven by a group of horses, is neither too sumptuous nor excessively refined. The centerpiece of Palace Square is the Alexander Column set up to commemorate the victorious end of the War of 1812. 

The Winter Palace (the Hermitage) was the first edifice put up on Palace Square. It was erected by the great Rastrelli in the latter half (1754-62) of the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. She did not get to live in it – it was only after her death that Emperor Peter III moved to the still unfinished palace. He did not live there long. In the summer of 1772 he was dethroned and killed at this country residence. The Winter Palace passed to Catherine the Great.

During the first 10 years of her rule, the building was being finished ad decorated inside. The palace was often the venue for luxurious balls and masquerades. In 1772, 12 halls were at the disposal of guests. The luxurious court life witnessed by the walls of the palace for 30 years ended with the death of the Empress in November, 1796.

Life of the court became much different in the reign of Paul I and later during the nineteenth century. The Winter Palace served as a residence of the Russian Tsars for a century and a half, until the revolution in 1917.

In December, 1837 a great fire broke out in the palace and raged for 30 hours, devastating the entire interior decor of the building. Work on the restoration lasted for only 15 months and by the spring of 1839, the new interior decorated according to the tastes of the 19th century were mainly completed.

The State Hermitage is the largest museum in Russia, and one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. The museum is located in 5 historical buildings. The buildings of the museum, by themselves, are architectural chef d’oeuvres. The collections of the Hermitage number more than 2,800,000 items including works of painting, graphic and decorative art, sculpture, numismatic collections, and archaeological finds. . Magnificent works of art embracing prehistoric culture, Egyptian art, the art of Antiquity, Scythian gold, and great collections of Western-European paintings and sculptures are displayed in the 350 rooms, whose interiors being an appropriate “environment” for masterpieces shown in them.

Catherine the Great’s purchase of 225 paintings from the Berlin merchant Gotzkowsky in 1764 marks the date for the beginning of the museum. On orders of the Empress, the building of the Small Hermitage was erected next to the Winter Palace. During her reign the collection was constantly growing and the galleries of the Small Hermitage were intended for their accommodation.

The main stairway was used between 1754-62. In 1833-34, the memorial Room of Peter the Great was created to the designs of Auguste de Montferrand and became one of the most fascinating examples of Classicism in the Winter Palace. The room was designed for minor receptions. In the recess, on a dais, stands the throne of the Russian Emperors produced in 1731. 
One of the largest interiors of the palace is the Armorial Hall. Designed by Vasily Stasov, who used the coats-of-arms of the 32 provinces of Russia. “The Large Carriage” was acquired from Paris, France the first quarter of the 18th century. 
The 1812 War Gallery – walls bear 332 portraits of generals engaged in the 1812 Patriotic War. There are 13 blank frames covered with green silk who were killed In combat or died after the war and whose likenesses could not be discovered. 
The southern rooms of the second floor in the Winter Palace are occupied by the display of French art of the 19th & early 20th centuries. The so called Courtyard Enfilade is used for the display of works by artists inf the Neo-Classical, Romantic and Realist trends. These paintings came to Hermitage from Moscow. Impressionist painting is represented by pictures of nearly all major masters (Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Degas). Post-Impressionist painting is represented by Cezanne, Gaugain, and van Gogh. Each has been allocated a separate room. The works of Picasso and Matisse occupy several rooms.

The idea of how the decor of the dwelling apartments of the palace looked like in the 19th century can be obtained in the Golden and Malachite Drawing Rooms and in the Bedouir. In the 1880s, the private apartments were among the first rooms in the palace to be provided with electric light and a new system of heating. The Malachite Room was decorated for Empress Alexandra Fiodorovna, the consort of Emperor Nicholas I, to the design of Alexander Briullov as early as the late 1830s. The mineral was a rarity in Russia even in the 18th century. The oldest article produced with the use of “Russian mosaics” was a large decorative vase standing under the gilded wooden canopy by the windows of the room. The vase was part of the decorations prior to the fire in 1837. The pattern of the malachite inlay used in the adornment of this vase is known as “crumpled velvet” because of its characteristic minute ornamental design. 

In the 18th century, the Pavillon Hall of the Small Hermitage became known as the “hermitage”, or an abode of a recluse. Catherine was said to have remarked that the collection was for her and her mice. Later the name hermitage was used for the entire museum. Today, exhibited in the Pavillon Hall are the remarkable Peacock clock made by James Cox, an English 18th century master, and 18th and 19th century tables decorated with Italian mosaics. The clock was commissioned from Cox by Prince Potiowkin as a present to Catherine the Great. Its dial is mounted in a little mushroom at the base of a tree stump, with a peacock perching on it. When the clock chimes, the peacock comes to life and turns and unfolds his tail. An owl in the round cage next to the peacock begins to twist its head with blinking eyes; while a cock starts cuckooing.

In 1770, it was decided to add on one more building for the growing collection. It was built between 1771-1787 to the design of Yury Veltin. It was called the Old Hermitage. These rooms contain works by Italian artists of the 13th and 14th centuries. On display here are two famous paintings by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Both take the names of the former owners: The Benois Madonna (left) was completed at age 26. The second, The Litta Madonna, was produced in his mature period.

Between the Old Hermitage and the New Hermitage is an independent structure – Raphael’s Loggias, a replica of the famous gallery in Vatican. The walls are covered with whimsical “grotesque” ornaments which harmoniously blend fantastical and mythological motifs with life scenes.
The New Hermitage is the last building of the museum complex. It was finished in 1851, and in 1852 the Hermitage was declared a public museum. Many rooms were designed for definite collections. The Small Italian Skylight Room houses works by Italian painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. All Skylight Rooms are decorated with articles of coloured stone produced by Russian stonecutters. 
The Tent-Shaped Hall exhibits Dutch paintings. This collection was started by Peter the Great in the 17th century during his stay in Holland.

Other large rooms are dedicated to the collection of 17th century Flemish paintings. The art of the great Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is represented by 40 works. One is “The Union of Earth and Water.” This is an allegory in which the elements are personified by ancient gods – the earth by Cybele, the god’s mother, and water by Neptune, the sea god. Their handshaking is a token of the prosperity of both the world and man.

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-1669) was one of the greatest artists of the 17th century. The Hermitage owns more than two dozen of his works. His masterpiece, Danae, suffered a grave damage (it was poured over with acid), but was restored by Hermitage masters. The painting is based on an ancient myth about a king’s daughter, Danae, who became Zeus’s love.

The sculptures dating from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, including famous works by the Italian Antonio Canova and the Dutchman Bertel Thornaldsen, are displayed in the Gallery of Ancient Art.

The paintings of modern French artists (second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries) came to the Hermitage from Moscow. Impressionist painting is represented by pictures of nearly all major masters (Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Degas). Post-Impressionist painting is represented by Cezanne, Gaugain, and van Gogh. Each has been allocated a separate room. The works of Picasso and Matisse occupy several rooms.

After the first day of touring, the group was taken to a restaurant for dinner and then back to the hotel for a dance performance.

The next morning, after breakfast, there would be another full day of touring St Petersburg. While at breakfast, Bev and Marguerite dined with a Dutch couple from the other tour group. First on the tour was the Mariinsky Theatre. This theatre is famous as the Kirov Company in the Soviet period. It is one of the most famous opera and ballet companies in the world. It played an outstanding role in the development of Russian culture. Such greats as Rudolf Nureyev ad Mikhail Baryshnikov began their creative career in this building. The tour also drove by the Pushkin Museum where a statue of Alexander Pushkin stood. 

Vasily Stasov began the reconstruction of the Izmailovsky Cathedral of the Holy Trinity with funds from Nicholas I, to commemorate him as the commander of the Ismailovsky Regiment. The cathedral was consecrated on May 25, 1835.


The next stop on the tour was the Yusupov Palace. This Palace on the Moika is worthy of particular note among the former residences of the Russian aristocracy in St. Petersburg. A small stone building, the property of Count Piotr Shuvalov, a prominent political figure in the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, stood on this site in the 18th century. The mansion was then extended and overbuilt by the architect Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe. In 1830, it was bought by Prince Nikolai Yusupov, one of the riches people of the period. Between 1830 and 1836, the palace was redesigned for him by the architect Andrei Mikhailov, the Younger. 
In 1858-59, Monighetti completely redesigned several apartments in the palace and created such new interiors as the Turkish Study and the Moorish Drawing Room. The drawing room was particularly sumptuous. Its walls were covered with white marble inlaid with dark red and blue putty and adorned with gilded panels. The upper parts of the walls were decorated with Arabic calligraphy on a gilded background. 
The last owner of the palace was Prince Felix Yusupov. During the night of December 17, 1916 in the basement room, a group of monarchist conspirators murdered the Tsar’s notorious favourite Grigory Rasputin.

The tour bus entered St. Isaac’s Square. The Mariinsky Palace was built opposite the cathedral, and at the beginning of the next century the buildings of the Astoria Hotel and the German embassy completed the ensemble. The equestrian monument to Nicholas I stands in the centre of the square. The Tsar is portrayed in the uniform dress of a colonel of the Mounted Regiment of the Life-Guards (he was its chief), in a helmet with an eagle. 

St. Isaac’s Cathedral with its overpowering yet somewhat gloomy beauty, is one of the most imposing large-scale structures in St. Petersburg. One of the finest architectural monuments of the 19th century, it is the largest cathedral in town able to accommodate 10,000 audience. The cathedral is adorned with 112 solid granite columns weighing up to 114 tons each, and about 400 relieves and bronze sculptures. St. Isaac’s is abundant in sculptural decoration – it is adorned with 350 statues and reliefs by the best Russian sculptors. The interior decor of the cathedral overwhelms visitors by its majesty. 

The construction was commissioned in the 1800s by Csar Alexander I as a Russian Orthodox Church. Before the 1917 Revolution, St. Isaac’s was the main church of the capital and the principal cathedral of the Empire. It was laid down in honor of Peter the Great and consecrated to his patron saint, St. Isaac of Dalmatia, whose feast day (June 12) coincides with the Tsar’s birthday. St. Isaac’s served as the Museum of Atheism during most of the Communist period. Its religious functions have now been restored. 

The next stop on the tour was the Mikhailovsky (or Engineers) Castle. Once the wooden palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna stood on this site. Paul I, perhaps the most tragic and contradictory figure in Russian history, was born and spent his first years there. After the death of his mother, Catherine the Great, Paul became the Emperor. He had a feeling of danger coming from the secret of his origin (led by a mistrust and melancholy which dominated the spirits as Paul because of his mother’s participation in the murder of his father, Peter III.
He did not want to live in the Winter Palace and a castle was to be built on the site of the wooden palace. The palace named in honor of the Archangel Michael, had thick walls and was provided with moats and drawbridges. The palace was used as Paul’s residence for only 40 days. During the night of March 1, 1801, he was murdered as a result of a conspiracy. In 1823, the castle began to house the Main Engineering School. In the courtyard to the south of the building is an equestrian status of Peter the Great. 

The cruiser Aurora became famous for its participation in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 and especially for its role in the 1917 revolution. On the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment stands a monument to Admiral Ivan Krusenstern, head of the first Russian voyage around the world. From here you can see a large variety of ships and sailing boats with tall masts.  

Cathedral of the Resurrection – “Our-Saviour-on-the-Spilt-Blood” -- commonly used title commemorates the tragic event of March 1, 1881, when a terrorist threw a bomb and mortally wounded the Tsar, Alexander II. Alexander II was one of the brightest personalities among the Russian autocrats and perhaps the less than anyone deserved such end. A decision was taken to put up a cathedral at the place of the assassination. Its interior encompassed that part of the roadway at the edge of the canal which was stained with the Tsar’s blood. 
Across from the church was a Russian bazaar. The vendors spoke very fluent English. There were Russian gypsies located close to the church and the bazaar.

The St. Nicholas or Naval Cathedral of the Epiphany was designed by Savva Chevakinsky in Baroque architecture. Elements of ancient Russian church architecture are also used in its composition. The cathedral, consecrated to St. Nicholas, a patron saint of sailors, was built on the former parade grounds of the Naval Regiment. The detached four-tiered bell tower, notable for its elegance and beauty, is one of the most perfect structures in 18th century architecture. The building of the main Admiralty dominates the centre of the city. Many architects contributed to the construction of the Admiralty throughout the 18th century. The peculiar feature of the central part of St. Petersburg was the predominance of the two spires – those of the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Admiralty. It was towards the golden needle of the Admiralty that the famous “trident” of the three main streets of the city was oriented. Originally the entire building was enclosed with canals and the pavilions pierced with arches soared above them. Ships could enter the shipyard through the arched canals.

The tour returned to the hotel for lunch. Bev and Marguerite shared a table this time with a doctor and his wife from Israel. The afternoon tour will be to Peterhof.

Born in 1672, Peter the Great became czar when he was 10 years old, and that year traveled to Holland and England incognito to learn about shipbuilding. He returned with a plan of Westernizing Russia, built up a large navy to dispatch the Turks, and extended northern Russia by defeating the Swedes in the 21-year Northern War. He created St. Petersburg, his “Window to the West,” at great cost to human life, drafting thousands of laborers to work on the cold, marshy land. 

Peter the Great, czar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, commissioned the construction of a summer palace of what is now Petrodvorits, a suburb of St. Petersburg in the early 1700s. The Palace was modeled on Versailles, the famous residence of the French King Louis XIV. The palace has 64 fountains. The gilded statue of Samson forcing open the jaws of a lion is intended to represent Russia’s victory over the Swedes at Poltava on Saint Samson’s Day in 1709. The palace was extensively damaged during World War II, but has since been restored.

The White Dining Room had over 2,000 pieces of china available for serving the guests. The Partridge Room was used for musical entertainment. The Western Chinese Lobby had two entrances into the Royal Chambers that were decorated with treasures from the Orient. Individuals walking through these “lobbies” were not allowed to stop and admire the possessions. 

The Picture Room had 300 portraits of various poses and attire of women, Only 5 models were used for all the portraits. Large stoves were placed in each of the rooms for warmth. Dutch tiles were used to decorate the stoves and add to the decor of the rooms. Note in the picture of the Emperor’s Bed Chambers, the gold chair is actually the commode.

The Gardens were as spectacular as the mansion. Statues adorned the entire area. One statue --“Samson Tearing Open the Jaws of a Lion” -- is dedicated to the battle of Poltava, the decisive battle of the Northern War. Russia re-obtained possession of Finland from Sweden.  Peterhof is considered the jewel of the Russian art, a town of parks, palaces and fountains. In the past it used to be an exquisite summer residence of the Russian czars. From the Grand Palace of Peterhof three monumental cascading fountains  lead to the Lower Park, the real masterpiece in itself, with 173 fountains on its grounds.

When leaving Peterhof, the bus drove by the Cathedral of the SS Apostles Peter and Paul which was built between 1895-1905. This cathedral was used by the czars during their stay at Peterhof.

Along the roadway back to St Petersburg, one could see the ‘dutches.’ These were properties available to city residents for growing gardens and to escape the apartment life of the city. Many raise enough crops in the summer months to feed their families for the winter. The Palace of Peterhof began as a dutch.

The tour groups were taken to a restaurant back in St Petersburg for dinner. The staff were in vintage costumes. After dining, Bev and Marguerite’s group would be boarding the evening train for Moscow.