Saint Petersburg
Three Nights / Three Days (half-day on day one and half day on day 4)
Day Two
Day Two
We took you to Saint Petersburg after our trip through Moscow and Kazan. Yesterday we visited a few attraction on and around Nevsky Prospekt. the street with ornamental buildings on both sides.
Our day Two at Saint Peterburg starts with visiting a place where Saint Petersburg started to be built. The “Beginning of Saint Petersburg”, the “Peter and Paul Fortress” on the banks of Neva River.
Peter and Paul Fortress
Our day Two at Saint Peterburg starts with visiting a place where Saint Petersburg started to be built. The “Beginning of Saint Petersburg”, the “Peter and Paul Fortress” on the banks of Neva River.
Peter and Paul Fortress
This is the first Russian fortress in the location that was to be the future megacity called Saint Petersburg. Take public transport and reach Vasilyevsky Island. To be precise, at Spit of the Island. The fortress is a short walk from here. The fortress is accessible through a bridge each at both of its entrances. This fortress is open to the public. However, there are entry fees at various buildings inside the Fortress.
Visiting this fortress will take a long time. There is a lot to see like the Cathedral where Tsars of Romanov family (Except two) are buried, Boathouse, a prison, etc. It would take at least 2 hours or more to complete the visit to Peter and Paul The fortress from the time one gets down from public transport at Vasilvevsky island and takes a public transport back.
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| Peter and Paul Fortress on the banks of Neva |
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| A Hydrofoil boat going to Peterhof |
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| Flying Dutchman (Copy of a Dutch Sail Ship, Now a Restaurant) |
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| Flying Dutchman, a Closer Look |
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| Peter and Paul Cathedral |
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| Adjoining Building |
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| A Grave in the Fortress |
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| Peter Gate |
After visiting Peter and Paul Fortress, it is time to visit the
palace square and (time permitting) Hermitage but we will take a detour and visit Grand Mosque of Petersburg first.
Grand Mosque of Saint Petersburg
As one exits the Peter gate of the fortress and crosses the connecting bridge to reach the main road, a little diversion (about 500 m) will take you to Saint Petersburg Mosque. It is called Saint Petersburg Mosque or Grand Mosque of Saint Petersburg. It was constructed by the Tsar between 1909 to 1913. It may be the only mosque in Saint Petersburg and this happens to be the largest mosque in Europe (except Turkey) that can accommodate 5000 people. Is it Grand? It is but may not be as grand as all the other things in Russia. See for your self.
From Saint Petersburg Mosque, it is easy to walk to the Palace Square. To do this, all that is required to be done is to cross the Troitsky Bridge which can be seen below. Some more walk down along the Neva will take you to Palace Square.
The Hermitage and Palace Square
This trip takes one to Palace Square. Palace square is really the city centre of Tsar's time. This was the place where Russian history happened in the Tsarist era. Palace square is a vast open the non-vehicle area with Winter Place (Hermitage Museum) on one side, Bow shaped General Staff Building on the other side and an Alexander Column (a 47.5 meter tall, half a ton granite column installed to commemorate the victory of Tsar Alexander I over Napoleon in 1814) in the centre.
Grand Mosque of Saint Petersburg
As one exits the Peter gate of the fortress and crosses the connecting bridge to reach the main road, a little diversion (about 500 m) will take you to Saint Petersburg Mosque. It is called Saint Petersburg Mosque or Grand Mosque of Saint Petersburg. It was constructed by the Tsar between 1909 to 1913. It may be the only mosque in Saint Petersburg and this happens to be the largest mosque in Europe (except Turkey) that can accommodate 5000 people. Is it Grand? It is but may not be as grand as all the other things in Russia. See for your self.
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| Beautiful Lamp Post on the Raod Side |
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| Grand Mosque of ST Petersburg |
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| Another View |
From Saint Petersburg Mosque, it is easy to walk to the Palace Square. To do this, all that is required to be done is to cross the Troitsky Bridge which can be seen below. Some more walk down along the Neva will take you to Palace Square.
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| Troitsky Bridge |
This trip takes one to Palace Square. Palace square is really the city centre of Tsar's time. This was the place where Russian history happened in the Tsarist era. Palace square is a vast open the non-vehicle area with Winter Place (Hermitage Museum) on one side, Bow shaped General Staff Building on the other side and an Alexander Column (a 47.5 meter tall, half a ton granite column installed to commemorate the victory of Tsar Alexander I over Napoleon in 1814) in the centre.
If one has to visit Hermitage Palace and Museum, it should be attempted only if at least 3 hours to spare for this visit, though three hours are grossly inadequate. This period is the minimum needed just to stroll through this grand museum. In a three day programme, visiting Hermitage is a though target, however, if one has the time (entry fee is between 300 to 700 Rubles), a quick visit to the Hermitage can be made, if not for the artefacts, just to see the grandness of this Winter Palace.
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| Hermitage, The WIntwr Palace (Now one of the biggest museum) |
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| Front View |
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| Why Should Other Tourists have all the Fun (I am at Extreme Left, and then Shreya, Rekha and Girish from left to right) |
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| Alexender Column |
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| Murals on the Base of the Column |
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| General Staff Building (Opposite Hermitage) |
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| General Staff Building, Another View |
It is now time to move to another great place, second structure to be built after Peter and Paul Fortress.
The Admiralty Building
Admiralty
Building is one of the oldest building of Saint Petersburg. It was built the
year 1703 when the construction of the city
started. Originally, it was Admiralty shipyard where ships were made for
Imperial Russian Navy. After serving for nearly 140 years, the shipyard
operations were closed and the Admiralty was put to use as administrative
offices. It is the current headquarter of the Russian Navy.
The
major attraction is the building itself and its golden Spire (actually made of wood
from inside). It is a building with over 400 m façade facing Alexzendrovskey
Garden. The Spire and the Golden Ship-shaped Weather Cock has come to signify
the City of Saint Petersburg. The photos speak for themselves.
Let us now move to a statue of a great Tsar, Peter the Great. This statue is famously called "The Bronze Horseman"
The Bronze Horseman
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| Admiralty Building Main Gate with the famous Ship Shaped Weather Cock |
Let us now move to a statue of a great Tsar, Peter the Great. This statue is famously called "The Bronze Horseman"
The Bronze Horseman
The
Bronze Horseman. It is a grand equestrian statue of Peter the Great, installed
on a Huge granite rock carved fro a much larger rock called Thunder Stone, the largest stone ever moved by humans (no animals) alone. The original rock was of 7
x 14 x 9 m and weighed about 1500 T. The Statue is situated in the Senate
Square very close to both Admiralty and Isaac’s Cathedral.
The statue is about 6 m tall and the pedestal is about 7 m tall. That makes the
height of the statue 13 m from the ground. There is a beautiful garden around
it where one can sit and admire the statue and the surrounding buildings,
Admiralty, Senate and St Isaac’s Cathedral. It is a tradition that when a boy
and a girl marry, they go round and get photographed themselves with major
landmarks and monuments in the city. The Bronze Horseman, the statue of Peter the
great, Installed by Catherine the II in the year 1872 is a major landmark,
never missed by newly married couples. After spending some time in the garden,
we move to Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
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| Street View at the Bronze Horseman |
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| The Bronze Horseman, Ready for the Campagne (Senate building in the background) |
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| Side View, the Bronze Horseman |
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| Close up - Peter the Great |
Saint
Isaac’s Cathedral
Saint
Isaac Cathedral was built in a 40 years period between 1818 and 1858. This is
the biggest Russian Orthodox Christian Cathedral and also the fourth-largest
Cathedral in the world. It has a central dome a which has a viewing gallery and
four smaller domes on its four sides. It has beautiful exteriors and grand interiors.
There is an entry ticket to visit the inside of this cathedral and there is an independent entry fee for going up on 43-meter observation deck. Going up on to the Observation Deck gives an opportunity to have a panoramic view of the grand city of Saint Petersburg. This cathedral also has been converted to a Museum (like Saviour of The Spilled Blood Cathedral, also administered by a common set up).
This Cathedral is a must-visit place when in Saint Petersburg. By the time one finishes the visit, it would be late evening. It may be a good idea to return to your accommodation, freshen up and set out for your Dinner.
There is an entry ticket to visit the inside of this cathedral and there is an independent entry fee for going up on 43-meter observation deck. Going up on to the Observation Deck gives an opportunity to have a panoramic view of the grand city of Saint Petersburg. This cathedral also has been converted to a Museum (like Saviour of The Spilled Blood Cathedral, also administered by a common set up).
This Cathedral is a must-visit place when in Saint Petersburg. By the time one finishes the visit, it would be late evening. It may be a good idea to return to your accommodation, freshen up and set out for your Dinner.
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| Saint Isaac's Cathedral |
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| Another View |
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| Closer Look |
Opening of Draw Bridges
When
in Saint Petersburg, witnessing the opening of Draw Bridges is the “Not to be
Missed” thing. There are 12 bridges that can be lifted but only 9 bridges are regularly opened on a daily basis. The other three are lifted on a need basis. Also, the river shipping traffic from Baltic sea to Neva / Volga river system and vice versa operates only between April and November (when the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea) is not frozen. The opening (and closing) of bridges can be seen only during this period.
They are not lifted for entertaining tourists. It is an amazing thing to see the central part of the bridges on Neva River, massive ones, get lifted up for shipping traffic to pass from Baltic sea to Neva River and vice versa. There are many people who would be there and the festivities are generally on. This fun is totally free unless you want to do a Bridge Opening Chasing tour on a boat in Neva river. One needs to check the timing of the opening of the draw bridges for the day one wants to see it.
They are not lifted for entertaining tourists. It is an amazing thing to see the central part of the bridges on Neva River, massive ones, get lifted up for shipping traffic to pass from Baltic sea to Neva River and vice versa. There are many people who would be there and the festivities are generally on. This fun is totally free unless you want to do a Bridge Opening Chasing tour on a boat in Neva river. One needs to check the timing of the opening of the draw bridges for the day one wants to see it.
Draw
bridge opening schedule can be checked at - https://en.mostotrest-spb.ru/
By
the time one witness this spectacle, it
would be past midnight.
Now its time to get some sleep and be refreshed for a long visit tomorrow.
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| Bridge with the span closed (about to open) |
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| Peter and Paul Fortress, the Majestic night look |
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| Khul Ja Sim Sim and the bridge opens |
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| Fully Opened |
Now its time to get some sleep and be refreshed for a long visit tomorrow.
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