Fritz and I arrived here on Thursday morning and set out to find our AirBnB. Our host was a bit late so we found ourselves standing outside a gated courtyard across the street from a canal for about 15 minutes.
The gate to our lodgings.
Pretty foot bridge over the canal by our apartment.
When our host arrived, he let us in and took us up flight after flight of a Soviet-looking cement staircase until we finally made it to our door.
We waisted no time after dropping off our bags and started exploring the city. Unfortunately, I forgot the buckle part of my FitBit in the US and decided taping it onto my wrist wouldn't look too classy, but I'd love to know how many miles Fritz and I covered over the course of the weekend. If I were to pose a guess, I'd estimate over 40!
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
We followed the Griboyedova Canal to the the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881. It was was built between 1883 and 1907, funded by the imperial family. It's currently undergoing some renovations.
Entrance to Mikhailovsky Garden
The church is adjacent to a park surrounded by this whimsical wrought iron gate right next to the Russian Museum. St. Petersburg was a bit chillier than we had anticipated and spending some of the afternoon exploring the museum was a perfect escape from the cold.
Starbucks on Nevsky Prospect
I had to include one of the many examples of why learning the Cyrillic alphabet has become very helpful. Here you can see the "Starbucks Cafe" on the busiest street in St. Petersburg. If the familiar green logo had not been in the window and I couldn't sound out the Cyrillic letters, I would not have known we were walking past Starbucks.
A terrific lunch in an Italian restaurant.
A photo of our burrata and prosciutto flat bread with a summer salad adorned with cucumber-wrapped goat cheese, pears, and mango dressing for all the foodies reading along.
Front entrance to the Hermitage.
The Hermitage is the second largest museum in the world and has been open to the public since 1852. It was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great, empress for over 50 years and Russia's longest-running female leader, acquired a massive collection of paintings from an art dealer in Berlin. This Winter Palace, as it was called, was originally built in 1732 and served as the official residence for the Russian Monarchs. Now it contains over 3 million works of art and a portion of the preserved residential wings.
Hermitage from across the river.
Fritz and I spent a full day perusing the halls of this massive building.
In addition to containing a stunning and extensive collection of art, the building itself is a masterpiece.
Its halls were inspired by Italian, French, Prussian, and Roman styles. Many of the rooms have extensive gilded moldings and accents.
Kiss of Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova
This is one of my all-time favorite sculptures by Antonio Canova. We saw his first and larger version of the sculpture when we were at the Louvre two years ago and were lucky enough to see this second rendition which was acquired by a Russian prince and art collector in 1796. Canova has captured in a block of marble the moment when Cupid (or Amore) wakes Psyche with a kiss after she has opened a jar containing the "Sleep of Innermost Darkness." The sculpture is stunning from every angle and I found myself walking around it multiple times to take in all the details.
The Hermitage courtyard at dusk.
I generally don't like taking photos of paintings as it seems something essential is lost as soon as a piece of art becomes digitized. Anyway, the internet provides an endless supply of images already. However, sometimes it's fun to take a masterpiece or two and use them to complete my own creative endeavors.
Fritz sleeping in my lap.
So, while Fritz dozed on a park bench, I watched people take pictures in front of a fountain and experimented with a masterpiece mash-up.
Masterpiece Mash-up by Amanda using Snapseed (the app)
St. Petersburg. The Hermitage. 1992 serves as the backdrop of this collage. It was painted by Bernard Buffet.
Musical Instruments. 1912 was painted by Pablo Picasso. He has always been one of Fritz's personal favorites and therefore is occupying Fritz's profile.
And finally, Landscape with a Bridge and Castle painted by Andreas Leonard Roller in 1843 is filling my head. After all, memories of a forgotten city with a castle in the clouds has always fueled this wanderer's journey.
An average street corner in Petersburg.
I spent these 4 days in St. Petersburg constantly snapping photos as Fritz and I wandered through the streets together. Before coming to Russia, I had no idea what to expect of the architecture, the general scene, and what it would mean to stay here for a month or two. Now having explored two major cities (which obviously hardly scrapes the surface of what Russia is as a whole), I am developing a sense and a feeling for this place. St. Petersburg is undeniably beautiful, and in a way that is completely its own. Coming in June means that we are in the season of "White Nights" where the sun is up from 3am until 11pm. Dusk in St. Petersburg transforms the architecture as the light slowly changes, casting long shadows in some places and highlighting spires and facades in others. I'll close this post by limiting my written words, and let the photos speak from themselves.
View of Savior on Spilled Blood
Traffic at sunset.
I couldn't help making use of this massive brick wall.
Peter and Paul Fortress- the first and oldest landmark in St. Petersburg. The Cathedral's bell tower is the tallest Orthodox bell tower in the world.
A fair in Petrovskiy Park
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