We’d been driving through north-eastern Europe in our motorhome Vanni, and were now in Russia. Having enjoyed some time in the ancient city of Veliky Novgorod (Вели́кий Но́вгород), we’d driven north to Tsarskoye Selo (Ца́рское Село́) to see the beautiful 18th century Catherine Palace.
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| Marg blending into the glorious Catherine Palace (UNESCO), Tsarskoye Selo, Russia |
The palace is just south of St Petersburg, and was the summer home of Tsar Peter the Great who named it after his wife Catherine I. It has been re-designed significantly over its 300-year history and is now famous for its elegant décor and blending of historic architectural styles, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We parked near the Palace complex, then walked into the grounds where a very long queue was waiting in the hot sun. We joined it, and 60-minutes later we made it through the main door. We then waited in another queue to purchase Palace tickets, then another to enter the main Palace.
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| The Amber Room in Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Russia |
Then we were in…….and it was so worth it! The rooms are really decorative, and beautiful. The most beautiful was the famous Amber Room, a reconstruction of the 18th century room originally made of amber, gold leaf and mirrors. It is stunning, and so authentic looking. You could picture Catherine the Great there.
We were supposed to be in a guided group to tour the rooms, but as the guides didn’t speak English, we broke away from the group and wandered through the vast crowds to see the wonderful rooms and displays by ourselves. Later, we enjoyed a stroll around the beautiful gardens, then moved on.
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| Oreshek Fortress (UNESCO), Shlisselburg, Russia |
Our next stop was Shlisselburg (Шлиссельбург), close to but east of St Petersburg, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We wanted to see the town, and the ruins of the 14th century Oreshek Fortress. The fortress occupies the entire island of Orekhovy, opposite the town of Shlisselburg.
Unfortunately, the island was closed and no boats were going there. So, we looked around the town, which seemed run-down. Close by, we saw the famous Old Ladoga Canal and its amazing granite sluices, still in place since 1836. We left after a short time, and headed for St Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург).
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| Moscow Triumphal Gate near our campsite, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
By now it was getting late, we had over an hour’s drive ahead of us, and needed to find a camp for the night. We had an address for one, and Leigh, reading and deciphering Cyrillic, was working overtime navigating us there. We finally made it into St Petersburg and its impressive Moscow Triumphal Gate, and knew we were close.
We fought our way through a huge traffic jam, but couldn’t turn right where we needed to. However, Marg managed to do a clever (if somewhat illegal!) U-turn, and headed us in the right direction. We eventually arrived at the Stadion Kirovez camp – but it was full.
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| Metro Narvskaia, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
There was a bunch of Italian, French and German motorhomes on a guided tour and they filled the camp. But we found a site and parked, met the security guard, and checked the camp facilities. They weren’t up to the advertised “European Standard”. However, it was close to Metro Narvskaia and Vanni has facilities, so it was ok.
The next morning, we walked to the metro and found that the St Petersburg stations are as beautifully ornate as Moscow’s. We bought our tickets for 28 roubles (NZ 50c) each, boarded the next train and found our way to Nevsky Prospect, the main street and centre of St Petersburg.
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| Marg with the Dom Knigi building and the Eliseyev Emporium, Nevsky Prospect, St Petersburg (UNESCO) |
We managed to buy a tourist map at the station (all in Cyrillic), then set off to explore. Nevsky Prospect is an amazing area. We were surrounded by huge and stunning buildings in a variety of architectural styles. We particularly liked the Art Nouveau Dom Knigi or House of Books, and the Eliseyev Emporium.
St Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great and became known as 'the city of Tsars' (it was also known as Petrograd then Leningrad). Now-days, it is the second largest city in Russia, and one of its greatest historical places. The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| Leigh on a canal in St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
The Neva River flows through the city and there are several canals. The canals seem well used with lots of boats, they are crossed by interesting bridges, and lined with colourful buildings. It is very attractive.
As we walked around, we could see that St Petersburg is full of beautiful architecture, gardens, parks, cathedrals and churches. We visited the semi-circular Russian Orthodox Kazan Cathedral which is spectacular inside and out, the Admiralty building, Stroganov Palace, and much more.
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| St Isaacs Cathedral, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
We also visited St Isaacs Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the world (built in 1818-58). The cathedral's impressive main dome is gilded and stands a very high 101.5 metres (333 ft). The Cathedral houses some beautiful artworks, painted ceilings, and mosaics.
Our sightseeing then took us to the interesting Mariinsky Theatre built in 1860. It was the main music theatre of the day and debuted masters such as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov,
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| Marg at the Winter Palace of Peter I, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
We wandered around the huge Winter Palace, home to the Tsars for almost two centuries; the Hermitage Museum; Palace Square; St Michael’s Castle; the Russian Museum, and the lovely Baroque St Nicholas Naval Cathedral. We had a great time, and the city is easily walkable, and very vibrant.
After a long day of sightseeing, we had a delicious dinner at a traditional-style restaurant, then headed back to the metro. Arriving at the camp, we found a new bunch of French campers also on a guided tour – the campsite was now very, very full and the facilities in even worse condition that on the day we arrived!
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| Marg at the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
Visiting the city again the next day, we wandered along Griboyedov Canal, to the amazing Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, a former 19th century Russian Orthodox church and now a museum. It was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. The "on Spilled Blood" in the title, refers to his assassination.
This amazing church was full of beautiful mosaic and painted frescoes, and we spent quite a bit of time admiring them.
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| Peter and Paul Fortress, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
Then we crossed the Neva River to see the Peter and Paul Fortress and Church, which contains the tombs of Russian rulers. This was followed by more walking - we walked for what seemed a huge distance in really hot temperatures, seeing a range of amazing sights.
The following day, we metro-ed across town to visit the Alexander Nevsky Abbey, founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710.
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| The Cathedral at Smolny Convent, St Petersburg (UNESCO), Russia |
Then we made our way to Smolny Convent. The Convent’s striking blue and white cathedral is known as one of the most beautiful in St. Petersburg. By this time, we had seen many of St Petersburg’s palaces, churches, monuments, and bridges, and felt it was time to move on.
Back at camp later, people were intrigued that we were from NZ, that two women were travelling alone in Russia (no men and no guide!!), and that we owned our own van. We felt quite intrepid after speaking with them.
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| The Palace of Peter The Great (UNESCO), Peterhof, Russia |
Leaving St Petersburg, we drove west to Peterhof (Петергоф) and the Palace of Peter The Great, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We managed to find parking right near one of the main gates, and got through the ticketing process without queuing.
There was a huge number of tour groups and individuals in the grounds as it is obviously a very popular tourist spot.
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| The fountains at the Palace of Peter the Great (UNESCO), Peterhof, Russia |
We arrived just as the fountains spouted to a musical accompaniment. It was quite spectacular. The fountains are beautiful, and the gardens consist of a huge expanse of mature trees, manicured grass, beautiful flowers beds, and canals. We had a lovely peaceful wander around there.
Later, we walked around Perterhof town and admired the lovely houses and gardens. The 19th century gothic Cathedral of Peter and Paul caught our eye, with its polychrome style of brickwork forming a geometric pattern, and its green roofs.
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| Cathedral of Peter and Paul, Peterhof, Russia |
We thought the Cathedral similar to Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St Petersburg. It is very ornate.
By this time, our Russian visas were due to expire and we had to leave the country. We had been challenged here by the terrible roads; the language - especially in terms of road signs; and the lack of camping grounds. But we had been amply rewarded with stunning architecture; an interesting and regal history; scenes of cultural richness and rural poverty; and wonderfully friendly people. We’d had a great time, but had to move on. So, from Peterhof, we drove west and entered Estonia, but you can read about that in the next blog.
This blog describes part of our 6-month motorhome trip around northern and eastern Europe, which began in Prague.