St Petersburg Russia
Russian Splendour
by Lesley Brown
by Lesley Brown
There's something special about visiting a landmark city for the first time, especially one you know very little about. And so it was with St Petersburg. My father had always wanted to visit Russia's second city, so I decided to take him for his 70th birthday. I am not keen on organised tours, but due to our limited knowledge, I decided that we would have to hire a personal guide for our stay.
What a good idea it turned out to be. Our guide, Jan, was a real gem and became a friend I still keep in touch with. Unlike some guides who seem most interested in getting tourists into shops and factories where they can earn a commission on purchases, Jan was passionate about his city and determined to make us feel the same way. His lively, optimistic outlook certainly coloured our stay and we ended up feeling an affinity for the city we might not have otherwise.
We met him on our arrival at the Best Western Neptune Hotel, a comfortable and well-located base in the city. He had listed the major attractions in the city and asked us which ones we wanted to see as we only had five days in the city. I told him that my only 'must' was the Hermitage Museum, while my father wanted to see the Peterhof Palace gardens, based on the gardens of Versailles.
Jan explained to us that the city, which was known as Leningrad until 1991, was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703. It was the capital of the Russian empire for more than 200 years until just after the Russian Revolution. He explained that the informal name for the city was Piter, which is what it was called by foreigners. Compared to Moscow, the city has a more modern feel about it, and the number of important art galleries give it a "European" feel.
When I got home I did some research and discovered that the size of cities is a controversial issue. Moscow is undoubtedly the largest city, but on some lists St Petersburg only featured in 9th place. However, the point was made that it is a major European cultural centre and an important port on the Baltic sea.
Although the spring weather was perfect for us, Jan said the best time to visit was in summer. Its position below the Arctic Circle means that twilight lasts all night in May - July, a phenomenon known as "white nights". In St Petersburg the white nights are linked to a great tourist attraction - the raising and lowering of eight drawbridges on the Neva River which allows boats access to the Baltic Sea. This takes place between 2am and 4.30am!
St Petersburg is built on what originally were more than 100 islands created by a maze of rivers, creeks, canals, gulfs, lakes and ponds and other bodies of water that flow into the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Neva river. With 342 bridges over canals and rivers, it reminds one of Amsterdam and Venice, but its long boulevards and Neoclassical mansions also remind one of Paris.
Every day Jan would collect us at the hotel and take us off to see one or two attractions. My father needed a few rest stops along the way, which gave Jan and I much time to chat and I ended up learning more about life in Russia and his family than I normally would have. Among the places we visited were the State Russian Museum, the St Petersburg Circus, St Isaac's Cathedral, The Cathedral of St Peter and Paul, Alexander Nevsky Monastery and the Peterhof Palace.
However, the highlight by far was the Hermitage Museum. We were due to visit it for one day, but we extended that to two. I could easily have spent all five days there! The Hermitage Museum is spread over six enormous buildings, which form an impressive facade along the River Neva. The main building, the Winter Palace, is a former home of the Tsars.
Despite the size of the buildings, they can only hold five percent of the museum's collection of three million works of art. It is estimated that to see all the exhibits in the Hermitage you would have to walk 24 miles. No wonder it is considered by many as one of the world's great art institutions.
It's impossible to describe the wealth of art on display, it quite simply represents every period in history. You can see golden treasures from ancient Egypt, finely painted pottery from Greece, statues of Roman emperors and intricate wood-cuts from the Far East. Then there is the superb Russian collection, which even includes waxworks of Peter the Great, the ceremonial dress of the Tsars and magnificent Faberge jewellery.
Finally, and the highlight for me, is its collection of European art. Name any famous artist - and they are bound to be represented. They include Picasso, Monet, Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Michelangelo, Matisse and Gauguin. They have so many valuable works that the museum now has four branches around the globe - in Amsterdam, London, Las Vegas and Ferrara (Italy). But get to St Petersburg if you can - for an art-lover, this is paradise.
My father was not keen on going out at night, but Jan took me out to a pub called Idiots, popular among students. It had a Western feel, the only difference being that Russians drink a lot! Then we headed for a club named Tunnel. A rather wild techno club, it is housed in a former bomb shelter. It was great fun and I almost fell for a vodka-swilling blonde, until Jan dragged me away. "Nyet," he said, without further explanation.
When we said goodbye to Jan, he hugged us warmly presented us with a framed photograph of the three of us. On the way to the airport, my father asked for the picture: "I think I will keep that," he said. It now rests on his mantelpiece alongside the photographs of all his grandchildren. It seems Jan has become an honorary member of the family.
For other reports on Russia, go to our archive
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