St Petersburg is synonymous with the Russian Ballet, so to have experienced a night at the Mikhailovsky Theatre to see The Nutcracker is something worth bragging about. The dancers in their gorgeous costumes and Tchaikovsky's famous music played inside this beautiful theatre lived up to all my expectations. It was a festive family affair, with many children filling seats and everyone dressed up, glad to shed their winter coats and expose their fine evening wear.
Perhaps the ballet was the highlight of our visit to St Petersburg, but it is hard to say. It is such a beautiful city, spaciously set out on rivers and canals with its grand buildings and streets alive with Christmas lights. The winter days are short, with daylight not appearing till nearly 11 o'clock, but we have rather enjoyed viewing the city as it wakes each day. Because it is winter the tourists are not as many as in the summer months, but the locals have free entry to the city's museums during the 10 day Christmas holiday season so the attractions were very crowded. Our local guide, however, was excellent in her knowledge and planning and usually had us beating or avoiding the crowds as much as possible.
Our hotel here was not as grand as our Moscow abode, but it was still a good one with a great central location (we were directly opposite St Isaac's Cathedral) and a mighty fine buffet breakfast. Everything was available, right down to the champagne and smoked salmon to which we have become accustomed.
We had three glorious, very full days exploring St Petersburg. I've tried to describe below some of the wonders we saw, but I feel I have not done justice to any of them.
The Winter Palace and The Hermitage:
On the banks of the Neva River, this green and white three story Baroque palace was the main residence of the Russian tsars. Together with four more connected buildings, the Winter Palace houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage Museum. Russians dispute the Louvre's claim to having the largest art collection in the world, but there is no disputing the fact that the Hermitage only houses original works of art and no copies. Their Impressionist collection is particularly impressive.
St Catherine's Palace:
This opulent palace, home of the famous, fabulous amber room, was a residence of the tsars from the beginning of the 18th century. It is situated about 25 kilometres to the south of St Petersburg in the town of Pushkin and looks magnificent set in snow covered gardens. It was extremely crowded inside, so we enjoyed bursting free once outside and partook in a bit of fun in the snow before boarding the bus for home.
Peter & Paul Fortress:
Peter the Great founded St Petersburg in 1703 and this fortress was the first building constructed in the city. The cathedral here, with its tall gilded spire towering above, houses the tombs of many tsars, including Peter the Great and the last tsar, Nickolas II and his family, except for two of his children whose remains have not yet been identified.
St Isaac's Cathedral:
This glorious cathedral truly rivals St Peter's in the Vatican. Built between 1818 and 1858, it was for a long time Russia's largest cathedral. The interior is adorned with beautiful sculptures, paintings and mosaics, and the gilded dome dominates the city skyline. Being opposite our hotel, it made a fantastic marker for our way home whenever we went exploring.
Yusupov Palace:
This palace is most famous for being the place where Rasputin was murdered in 1916. It was the main residence of the Yusupovs, a noble family more wealthy than the tsars. Although massive and opulent to the max, it had a much more homey and livable feel than any of the other palaces we saw. It was also far less crowded than any other site we visited, possibly due partly to the fact that our local guide is one of the few who are licensed to lead groups through here.
Food and Entertainment:
Seeing The Nutcracker ballet was superb, but we were also treated to a lively cultural show called, "Feel Yourself Russian", not to be confused with the command, "Feel yourself, Russian." The music was energetic and so was the dancing. The women twirled and whirled and the men spun and somersaulted and kicked their legs in fine Cossack tradition. The theatre itself, the Nikolaevskiy, was another example of wonderful architecture and interior decoration. At interval we sipped Russian champaign and nibbled on dainty canapés.
We dined in many fabulous restaurants, but our favourite was in the town of Pushkin which also happens to be Putin's favourite restaurant. It was a rustic log cabin structure, warm and cosy inside. The food was delicious, and it was lovely watching the snow fall outside while we ate.
Our last night in St Petersburg saw us celebrating the Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve in a lovely restaurant with more endless champagne. Lena, our tour director, who has accompanied us for the last month on this amazing trip, calls this beautiful city home. Her son joined us for dinner, and I hope they enjoyed their Christmas Eve as much as we did.
One final surprise awaited us on our return to the hotel. Santa had left a stocking full of treats such as fruit and cookies and chocolate, hanging on our door. All excited, we just had to have one last nightcap of Vodka with the girls next door and then, to bed for a very short sleep.
A 4:30 a.m. wake up call next morning (Christmas day here) and a final breakfast, complete with Russian champagne, preceded our departure by train to Helsinki. Good-bye Russia. Hello Helsinki.