Russia's Golden Ring
Some people dream of a safari in Africa, others of a romantic interlude in Rome. Me? I don't really know why, but I had always wanted to visit Russia. Maybe it was because I love Russian music, both classical and folk, the ballet, great art, museums, and old buildings. Maybe it was because of its fascinating history and all the drastic changes taking place since the overthrow of communism. Or maybe it's because I might be living in Russia today if my grandparents hadn't immigrated to the United States around 1905. Whatever the reason, in May of 1994 I flew from Arizona to New York and the next day found myself in a group of nine people on a Finnair plane headed to Helsinki, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia.
First Impressions of Russia
As we taxied up to the terminal in St. Petersburg it looked as though Aeroflot was on strike (if such a thing were possible), as we passed over 50 of their of their passenger planes just parked, row after row after row. At the terminal itself there were exactly four planes: two tiny French, (possibly government), one I did not recognize, and one Polish (a Boeing). The building was brand new, but appeared to come from the same architect who designed Alcatraz. And it was ABSOLUTELY EMPTY! Not a soul in sight and we had to go seach for someone from customs. Our's was the only plane arriving or departing at that time. Maybe the only one all day! After retrieving our baggage we headed toward the exit and passed a beverage bar (no seats) with a familiar red circle advertising Coke. Welcome to modern Russia!
Outside the terminal a babushka (old woman) was sweeping the gutter with a rustic broom which disintegrated at a rate just fast enough to keep her busy sweeping. Welcome to old Russia! We were to find that the juxtaposition of the old and new is one of the many things which makes this country so interesting.
Billboards have taken over much of the roadside into town, many of them advertising American products, the majority of them for cigarettes. Public places in Russia have two sections: smoking and chain smoking.
We also passed many acres of greenhouses where most of the city's vegetables are grown. We tend to think of the beet as the "national" vegetable of Russia, but it is actually the cucumber which is served at every meal, including breakfast.
Finally we arrived at our destination, the magnificently restored Hotel Astoria. It's the yellow triangular building with the orange roof behind St. Isaac's Cathedral, centrally located to most of the historic sights. You can see the huge Winter Palace and Hermitage on this side of the Moika River. Look for a green roof. Talk about MUSEUMS! There are over three million treasures in the lavish palace halls and rooms, but we all wanted to see the French impressionists first!
Only in St. Petersburg can you fully appreciate the splendor of the Russian Empire. Peter the Great built the city as an outlet to the sea and to introduce Russia to Western culture. In the process he created one of the world's loveliest cities. Designed by Peter in the early 18th century, the city is built on 101 islands. Crisscrossed by canals, and connected by lacy, elegant bridges, St. Petersburg is often referred to as the "Northen Venice".
On a short walk before dinner I happened to look up and noticed this architectural detail. Both St. Petersburg and Moscow are full of beautiful old building with ornate details, but the condition of the ones in St. Petersburg is appalling. World War II, severe winter weather, and 70 years of insufficient funds for upkeep have taken their toll, and it is not a pretty sight. This is NOT one of the beautiful old buildings, but there certainly is no question in dating its construction.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral is in the Fortress across the river from the Winter Palace. The stone exterior is a combination of Dutch (high false fronts with curlie-cues) and Greek (columns) painted yellow and white. It is NOT ornate. The interior, however, looks more like a gala ballroom than a church. The eastern wall is dominated my a huge baroque iconstasis and you can see one of the crystal chandeliers in this picture. But the floor is of stone and only the priest, the tzar, and his family were allowed to sit during the many hours long services All the Russian Emperors from Peter the Great to Alexander II lie here. The coffins are suspended by chains under the floor, topped by hollow, white marble tombs with gilt crosses and corners. But Peter the Great and Catherine the Great's tombs are of semi-precious stone: jasper (green) and rhyolte (pink) The Russian government is in controvery right now over whether or not Nicholas II will lie here, now that his remains have been positively identified.
The Church of the Savior on the Blood, also known as the Church of the Resurection of Christ, and ALSO known as the Church of the Ascension, was built on the spot where Alexander II was mortally wounded by a terrorist bomb on March 1, 1881. The bridge behind was named for Ignacy Hryiewicky, his murderer, by the Bolsheviks. Nothing like rubbing it in! Designed by A. Parland. Tiles by Victor Vasnetsov. Yes, those are tiles all over the onion domes.
This ship, the Aurora, took aim at the Winter Palace across the river and fired a shot on October 25, 1917. It was a blank or a dud, but it was the signal for the government headquarters to be stormed and the Russian Revolution to begin. Times have certainly changed. We were greeted by this band playing America's most famous march, Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever.I have played this march hundreds of times in various bands, but hearing it in this place brought tears to my eyes.
This is one of the buildings at the Smolney Institute for Noble Maids. Once a tar yard, the Smolney was founded as a monestery by Elizabeth in 1764. Buildings in the Russian Baroque style, this one by Giacomo Quarenghi, were added in 1832-35. Later, Catherine II had it turned into Russia's first school for women. In 1917 it became the headquarters of the Military Revolutionary Committee where the revolt was prepared and carried out. Today it is a museum housing a permanent exhibition, Leningrad Today and Tomorrow They are just a wee bit late in correcting the title to correspond to the restored name of St. Petersburg. But after all, this is Russia.
St. Petersburg can look like any other big city but if you keep your eyes open you may glimpse some truly Russian sights. Kiosks like this one, the first visible sign of budding capitalism, are becoming a common sight. This one says in Russian, "piroghie (dough filled with meat or potato - something like ravioli), coffee, Koka Kola, some sort of sausage, and, in English, Hot Dogs. Some public squares have these kiosks lines up in rows selling just about anything that's small.
This could be a scene in any public square, but it happens to be in front of the General Staff Headquarters and that dog standing on its hind legs just happens to be a bear cub! It was from this building that troops crossed the huge (645,000 sq. ft.) square to the Winter Palace opposite to capture Nicholas II and put the Bolsheviks in power.