Very busy few days so posting a little behind. Today we covered a lot of ground. We began with a tour of a tour of Catherine I Place which was built for her by her husband Peter the Great and finished by their daughter Elizabeth. Burned to the ground during the siege of St Petersburg it has been beautifully restored and is a striking example of Russian baroque architecture. It is ornate throughout and strikingly exhibits the gap between the royalty and the people. During the tour we visit the Amber Room which the Nazi's stripped completely. The Amber embedded panels that lined the walls and all the Amber in all the rest of the room has yet to be found. The reconstructed room is breathtaking and restored in great detail but not with real Amber. After touring the Palace we stroll through the beautiful gardens. Then we return to the ship for a brief lunch and then off on a city tour.
St Petersburg was founded to be the main port of western Russia to connect Russia to the major ports of norther Europe and as as water way to the east and central Russia. It's comprised of 101 islands and 66 canals. The city is well preserved as the Nazi's never entered the city and their bombing was not very effective. The Nazi's did lay siege to the city with intense fighting in the outskirts for 900 days. Starvation was the main killer, not bullets or bombs. We toured the Peter & Paul fortress, the burial spot of most of the Czars, drove down Nevsky Prospekt with all its beautiful building and shops, walked in the great Hermitage Square and finished at the Church of Ou Savior on Spilled Blood. This magnificent church was built on the exact spot where Alexander II was assassinated. We will visit the interior tomorrow.
Back to the ship for dinner with our tablemates and to bed for an early rise tomorrow.
St Petersburg was founded to be the main port of western Russia to connect Russia to the major ports of norther Europe and as as water way to the east and central Russia. It's comprised of 101 islands and 66 canals. The city is well preserved as the Nazi's never entered the city and their bombing was not very effective. The Nazi's did lay siege to the city with intense fighting in the outskirts for 900 days. Starvation was the main killer, not bullets or bombs. We toured the Peter & Paul fortress, the burial spot of most of the Czars, drove down Nevsky Prospekt with all its beautiful building and shops, walked in the great Hermitage Square and finished at the Church of Ou Savior on Spilled Blood. This magnificent church was built on the exact spot where Alexander II was assassinated. We will visit the interior tomorrow.
Back to the ship for dinner with our tablemates and to bed for an early rise tomorrow.
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