From the London/UK Guardian this morning, they have this headline: "Searching for signs of the Soviets in St Petersburg" with this subhead: "Built from scratch by the tsars, imperial St Petersburg was at the epicentre of the Russian Revolution."
This story offers many different historic aspects for St. Petersburg. Among the highlights are: "The tourist trail in St Petersburg is all about the tsars – the palaces of Peter and Catherine the Greats, the French architecture, Renaissance masterpieces, Fabergé eggs, the gold, the jewels. Less visited is a tiny wooden cabin on the banks of the Neva built for Peter in just three days in 1703. Here he lived for six years, on mosquito-infested marshland, while presiding over the building of the city from nothing – a coastal city that would give Russia vital access to Europe. Lacking access to stone, Peter had his workers paint the wooden exterior to look like brick, with horizontal rows of white separated by thin strips of red paint. In 1723, he had it encased in a red brick pavilion, and ordered that it be preserved for posterity. At the tsars’ former Winter Palace, the vast eau-de-nil wedding cake on the banks of the Neva better-known as the Hermitage Museum, we skip from one gold and crystal room to another, gasping at the magnificent vulgarity. The splendour, the 18th-century bling, is almost overwhelming."
This story has many nice pictures from key locations in the area. The author covers a good amount of information on Lenin and some of the Soviet history from the 1900's.
Posted below are some of my top pictures from our highly-enjoyable visit to St. Petersburg. Super loved the history, architecture, character, etc., from this charming city.
Full story at:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...soviets-russia
THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio
Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139
for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 158,321 views for this posting.
Here is a unique angle for the spectacular fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:
Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing and learning more about one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such paintings by this artist existing in the whole world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, lessening the crowd battles and adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place/set of five palaces AND museum. It is both! This Madonna and Child was probably painted in Milan, where the artist moved in 1482. The Madonna's tender gaze as she looks at her son, and the tranquillity of the distant mountainous landscape, reflect humanist dreams of Ideal Man and a Harmonious Life. Experts says the painting reveals great beauty in its coloring and composition. The painting came to the Czar's collection and museum in 1865 from the collection of Count Antonio Litta in Milan.:
Here is my wife and Cindy examining closely one of the highly-detailed tables in the vast Hermitage collection that includes much more than just paintings and sculptures. The Russian skills and craftsmanship for such details is amazing and must be seen “up close and personal”. You cannot just walk by quickly and appreciate fully the details for their expert workmanship!:
Here is an overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior in St. Petersburg. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in this historic city and was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, 1818 to 1858, under direction of a French architect. During Soviet rule, it was nearly destroyed and was made into a Museum of Scientific Atheism. It has been restored to its religious beauty/role. The cathedral's main dome tops out at 333 feet and is plated with pure gold.:
As we entered Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band. This Rococo summer residence of the Russian Czars is located in the town of Pushkin, 15 miles SE of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I engaged a German architect to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, Empress Anna found her mother's residence outdated and had her court architect demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and in 1756 the new 325-meter-long palace amazed courtiers, foreign ambassadors and other visitors. During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its lavish exterior, including more than 100 kilograms of gol
d used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.:
Inside Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg with our personal guide from Anastasia, we view this spectacular reception “ballroom”, painted ceiling, gold, etc., at our pace and timing schedule, getting our personal questions answered, etc. This majestic setting requires a little time to “soak it up”.: