St. Petersburg, Russia

The first weekend in November, I found myself on a plane to St. Petersburg, Russia for a meeting on Open Burning and the Arctic. I headed to Russia a day early so I could explore Russia's "Imperial City." St. Petersburg is relatively young as European cities go - it was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, making it even younger than Cambridge/Boston! Unlike New England, however, it was founded by wealth and tsars, so it is replete with opulent buildings and elaborate architecture. Over the past 300 years, it's seen a lot of history (from Tsars to Soviets) and a lot of name changes: St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad, and back to St. Petersburg.

Catherine the Great

I was staying at Hotel Vera, a bit outside of the city center, so my tour started by walking first to Ploshchad Vosstaniya, then up Nevskiy Prospekt, the main drag. Once I crossed the River Fontaka, the sights started coming non-stop. First it was a park featuring a monument to Catherine the Great, one of St. Petersburg's early (and beloved) rulers.

The Singer Building

Next, the Singer Building. This used to be a sewing factory for the American Singer company. Now it's a famous café and bookstore called Dom Knigi.

At this point I turned the corner to pick up a cup of coffee and was astonished to find myself facing the Kazan Cathedral. It was literally awe-inspiring, with giant arches, a colonnade of 96 columns, and the cathedral's green dome. I had no idea where I was at the time (I had to look it up later), but it was amazing nonetheless.

After that, I continued all the way to the end of Nevskiy Prospekt, drawn by the golden spire of the Admiralty. The Admiralty was on the far side of a park that looked very wintry with all its bare trees. Inside the park were a number of statues, including one of the composer Mikhail Glinka. Oh, and I was highly amused by the bouncy castle in front of the Admiralty!

Finally, I made it to Palace Square, backtracking to enter via the magnificent arch of the General Staff building. Palace Square is massive and contains the Winter Palace, home of the Hermitage, one of the most renowned art museums in the world. I knew I didn't have time to see much of the Hermitage, so I took in Palace Square and then continued on my way.

 

The Peter and Paul Fortress, across the River Neva

The next highlight of my walking tour was the Church of the Spilled Blood, a bit of a walk from Palace Square. I had many options of ways to get there, but I decided to take a somewhat sinuous path. I first headed down Millionaya Ulitsa (Millionaire's Street), home to a number of impressive mansions, then walked out to the River Neva, the grand river bordering the city. Across the river I could see the Peter and Paul Fortress, where the city was founded. From the Neva, I headed back into the city and walked through Marsovo Pole, where those who died in the February Revolution were buried in a common grave. Now there's a monument to the revolutionaries along with an eternal flame.

Finally, I made it to the Church of the Spilled Blood, so named because it marks the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. While the rest of St. Petersburg architecture was designed in classic European style, this church is intentionally out of place, very Russian, and absolutely stunning.

After taking in the church from all angles, I headed to the Russian Museum next door. Although it's not as famous as the Hermitage, the Russian Museum is definitely a sight worth seeing. All the most famous Russian works of art are located there. Since I didn't have very long to explore the museum, I decided to buy a ticket that was good only for the 20th century wing, which was a great decision. For the equivalent of about $3, I saw rooms full of modern masterpieces. Some of my favorites were the Constructivist pieces by Popova and the "analytical art" by Filionov. I'd never heard of him before and was blown away - his work is so detailed and absolutely breathtaking.

When I left the museum, the sun was shining on the onion domes of the Church of the Spilled Blood, making for an awe-inspiring site. Equally awe-inspiring, though, was my hunger, so after a few photos I quickly made my way to Yolki-Palki, a chain restaurant specializing in traditional Russian food. I had a beef stew with potatoes and asparagus - one piece of asparagus, to be exact! This was accompanied by kvass, a non-alcoholic fermented rye drink that took some getting used to but was actually quite tasty!

At this point I had seen most of the sites on my list for the central part of the city. I had a few hours of daylight left, and the last place I really wanted to see was the Smolniy, nowhere near my current location. So I hopped on the metro and (for only 70¢) traversed the city. Unfortunately the nearest metro stop was a bit of a boring walk from my destination, and the weather was conspiring against me with snow and sleet, but it let up just as I got to Smolniy, and the trip was definitely worth it!
Finally, with the sun setting, behind me, I walked the mile back down Suvorovsky Prospekt to Hotel Vera, where I enjoyed a delicious cappuccino and pastry before settling in to the work that had brought me to this fabulous city.

To see my walking routes (8 miles!), click here and here.
To see more pictures from my day, click here.