St. Petersburg - Part 1

I took the high speed train called the Sapsan from Moscow to St. Petersburg, which is a 4 hour journey.  The train was fairly new & it is similar to flying in 1st class except the cost was only $39 due to value of the ruble being very low right now.  The trip was really good & sure beats the hassles of airline travel.

I arrived in St. Petersburg just before noon & my apartment for the next 5 days was an easy 15 minute walk from the train station.  The apartment is a little outside of the main tourist area, but the subway was 2 minutes away & there were plenty of shops nearby.  

Typical residential building (including the graffiti) in Europe, my apt is just past the gate.

Fairly simple renovated studio apt with small kitchen, bathroom, & washer.  One cool feature of the apartment is that it has metal black out shade that rolls down with a push of a button.  The sun comes up at 4:45 am this time of the year, so it was nice to be able to sleep in.

The weather has continued to be great on this trip.  I headed off to see a few sights after my arrival.  The Church of the Spilled Blood was modeled after St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow.  It gets it's name from being the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated & the church was built in his memory.  It is a popular tourist spot & it is a challenge to see much of the church with so many people inside.

After the cathedral visit, I did a river cruise.  St. Petersburg is built on over 40 islands, so it is a good way to see the city.  Like everything else on my Russian trip, it was cheap - only $9.  

I decided to make my 2nd day here a museum day.  I spent 3 hours in the morning at the Russian Museum & as the name implies, it features only Russian artists.  There are lots of Russians icons (religious paintings on wood) on display going back 500-700 years.  There were also Russian artists featured from the 19th & 20th centuries. The museum had plenty of people, but did not feel crowded.

The outside of the Russian Museum 

Russian Icon

I headed to the Hermitage Museum in the afternoon.  The main gallery is in the former winter palace of the tsars & was started by Catherine the Great.  It features primarily European Artists & is a huge tourist attraction.  I was glad that I researched the ticket process because In 5 minutes I had purchased my ticket from a machine instead wasting time waiting in line to purchase it from a human person (an inside joke for my former coworkers).  

The place is very crowded with tons of tourists & tour groups.  There are Rembrants, Picassos, Da Vincis, and numerous other well known artists featured. The layout of the place is confusing even with a map.  I did my best to see what I could in 3 hours.  Even though it is less popular, I liked the Russian Museum better.  I was able to get tickets to both museums for a total of $18, which is amazing.

A view of the Hermitage's main building from the river.

Da Vinci painting, had to fight through a crowd to see it.

After a long day at the museums, I ate dinner at a Russian fast food place near my apartment called Teremok.  They handed me an English menu after I struggled to pronounce the names of the food in Russian.  It was a good & inexpensive way to sample Russian foods such as Borst soup, Pelmeni (dumplings), & Blini (crepes filled with meats, cheeses, or even fruits).  You could eat a lot for $5-10.

Pelmeni with sour cream.  I did figure out the Russian word for sour cream.

My plan for the next day was a side trip to Peterfof to see the famous fountains & gardens.