Pushkin park is a vast area of ponds, canals, bridges, terraces, pavilions and buildings exquisitely designed by architect Rastrelli for Empress Elizabeth. The park's most distinguished building is unquestionably the blue, white and gold multi-domed Catherine's palace, a huge Russian Baroque edifice constructed between 1744…Read More

Pushkin park is a vast area of ponds, canals, bridges, terraces, pavilions and buildings exquisitely designed by architect Rastrelli for Empress Elizabeth. The park's most distinguished building is unquestionably the blue, white and gold multi-domed Catherine's palace, a huge Russian Baroque edifice constructed between 1744 and 1796 and named after Empress Elizabeth's mother. Enlarged and modified by architect Charles Cameron for Catherine the Great, it was used by Russia's Tsars up to 1917. The town of Pushkin, 24kms south of St.Petersburg was renamed after Russia's most distinguished poet in 1937; it was originally called Tsarskoe Selo but for political reasons, this was changed to Detskoe Selo after the Bolshevik's revolution.

The best way to reach Pushkin is by a combination of train and bus. From St.Petersburg's Vitebsky station, take a 30 minutes suburban train trip to Detskoe Selo. Trains are frequent before 9:30am but less frequent after that. From behind the Detskoe Selo station, frequent buses leave for Pushkin taking only five minutes to complete the journey. Get off the bus at the Pushkin stop and follow the crowds past numerous souvenir stalls towards the park's main entrance. Admittance is strictly controlled by staring babushkas who sell and check tickets which entitle visitors to wander anywhere along the park and palace gardens.

The first thing that catches the eyes of visitors once past the gate is the 300 metres long Catherine's palace, recently restored and recoated in its original blue, white and gold colours. The colonnaded façade, embellished with symmetrical ornate windows and door framework and numerous statues is one of Rastrelli's most splendid exteriors. Add to this the Russian-style golden domes that top the palace's chapel and you will understand why Catherine's palace is one of Russia's top attractions.

Once here, join the long queue of visitors at the ticket office. Guided tours start from the white State staircase which was added by architect Charles Cameron in 1860. You will undoubtedly be shown into the Great Hall, a large room with gilded ceilings, mirrors and splendid chandeliers. The crimson and green Pilaster Room and the Picture Hall which were designed and decorated by Rastrelli are both impressive and artistic. His masterpiece is however the Amber Room, an exquisite treasure trove of amber panels, jasper mosaics and splendid mirrors. The north side of the palace has rooms decorated in classical style by Charles Cameron. The Chinese blue Drawing Room for example, has splendid wall coverings decorated with 18th-century Oriental motifs while the Choir Anteroom has fine silk wall coverings decorated with swans and pheasants. The choir and the chapel, both decorated with stucco work and painted blue, white and gold are again by Rastrelli.

After touring the palace, take the wide steps in front of the entrance towards the blue and white Hermitage. Wander in the formal terraced gardens, along walkways embellished with numerous stone statues standing elegantly on pedestals. The building in the south corner is the Cameron Gallery which displays 18th-century carriages and costumes. For a good orientation of the park's vast forested area, ponds, pavilions and bridges, climb to the upper terrace of the Cameron Gallery from where the view is excellent.

If you want to spend an hour or so away from the crowds, stroll amidst lush greenery around the Great Pond and along numerous paths that run through Catherine's park. Cross the lovely Marble bridge towards the Concert Hall and the Chinese Pavilion. If you continue north, you'll soon reach the Chinese Theatre. A stone's throw away, the big building you see is Alexander's palace, a classical palace which was recently given a much-needed facelift and has now opened for visitors. There are numerous shaded paths which you can take on your way back to the main gate. You'll certainly discover more out of the way attractions that are awaiting visitors who venture beyond the prominent areas.

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Magnificent architectural styles, priceless artistic treasures, huge halls displaying the best collections of paintings in Europe and a variety and wealth of artistic decorations contribute in making the State Hermitage museum one of the world's top attractions. More than three million visitors a year wander…Read More

Magnificent architectural styles, priceless artistic treasures, huge halls displaying the best collections of paintings in Europe and a variety and wealth of artistic decorations contribute in making the State Hermitage museum one of the world's top attractions. More than three million visitors a year wander inside its vast interior which consists of five adjoining palaces, the largest being the Winter palace, built by architect F.Rastrelli between 1756 and 1762 as an official royal residence for the Russian Imperial family. Both the Little Hermitage and the Old Hermitage were built for Catherine the Great to hold numerous artistic works and paintings which she added to the huge art collection started by Peter the Great. The classic Hermitage Theatre was built by architect Giacomo Quarenghi in 1780 while the New Hermitage was built by architect Leo von Klenze for Nicholas I to house the still-growing collection of artistic works.

Overlooking the junction of the Bolshaya Neva and the Malaya Neva where wide Dvortsovy bridge joins the administrative and business centre to Vasilevsky Island, the Hermitage complex occupies a huge distinct block on one side of Dvortsovaya ploschad, the big square whose centre is dominated by the 47.5 metres high Alexander column constructed to commemorate the 1812 victory over Napoleon. Walk towards the chariot-topped arches on the opposite side to take photos of the majestic exterior of the Hermitage adorned with symmetrical columns, intricately framed windows and numerous statues. For a better view and more rewarding photos, walk over Dvortsovy bridge towards the red Rostral columns. From here, the whole Hermitage complex backdropped by the huge golden dome of St.Isaac's Cathedral appears even more beautiful.

Entry to the Hermitage is through the main door on Dvortsovaya naberezhnaya on the river side. The complex opens daily (except Monday) at 10:30am and closes at 5pm. If you take a tour, you'll enter as soon as the door opens but individual visitors must join the queue towards the ticket office. If you intend to take photographs or videos of the exhibits (no flash, however), buy a relevant ticket; don't ever think you'll be able to cheat since each room is guarded by staring babushkas who seem to be overzealous in watching what you're doing. Once you're inside, hand in your backpack before making your way to the exhibits.

Numerous rooms on the first floor are taken over by prehistoric exhibits from Paleolithic and Neolithic times and the Bronze Age. A couple of rooms hold a fine collection of Egyptian antiquities and Roman marble while about 30 rooms are devoted to classical Greek culture, ceramics, marble and sculptures. More rooms house various collections of artifacts related to Etruscan civilisation.

The highlight of the Hermitage is without doubt the second floor where visitors are shown through the state rooms and reception halls of the Winter palace which are themselves venues for exhibitions of priceless paintings, European tapestries and fine antique porcelain. The Malachite Room for example, boasts a gilded ornate ceiling resting on numerous green malachite columns which together with the gilded doors and the furnishings give an impression of stateliness and grandeur. More stately and impressive is the white, red and gold Memorial Hall of Peter the Great which was restored after a fire in 1837. Also redesigned and restored in 1837 is the Great Throne Room, a huge white and gold colonnaded structure decorated with rows of chandeliers of great beauty.

If you continue on the second floor towards the Little Hermitage, you'll reach the Pavilion Hall, another white and gold room decorated with Roman and Florentine 18th-century floor mosaic, majestic chandeliers and splendid galleries. The amazing gilded Peacock clock, enclosed inside a large glass case adorns one side of the room. The Old Hermitage's second floor is mostly dedicated to West European paintings and sculptures. Rooms 244 to 247 display a good range of paintings by Van Dyck and Rubens while Rooms 228 to 238 are mostly devoted to Italian art, exhibiting numerous paintings by Raphael, Caravaggio and Canaletto. Don't miss Room 254 which displays several works by Rembrandt and his school and Room 214 which displays two impressive paintings by Leonardo da Vinci.

The smaller third floor of the Hermitage museum houses a section devoted to French paintings and another one devoted to Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. You can enjoy splendid paintings by Delacroix, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and more. For something different, visit four rooms dedicated entirely to works by Picasso and Matisse. There's also an excellent collection of Oriental artistic works from China and Tibet spread across Rooms 351 to 364.

St.Petersburg's Hermitage is of course much more than state halls and famous paintings. There are also vast displays of graphics, sculptures, numismatics and archeological remains from various parts of Europe and Asia. Add to these artistic wonders the couple or more temporary exhibitions usually exposed inside the Great Throne Room and the Great Hall and you will understand why the Hermitage is considered by many to be Europe's greatest museum.

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A few recommendations -- you MUST travel by underground -- the metro is incredible! Some advice: look after your belongings, and learn the alphabet. Stations can be hard to identify when on the train, so count how many stations you need to pass through.…Read More

A few recommendations -- you MUST travel by underground -- the metro is incredible! Some advice: look after your belongings, and learn the alphabet. Stations can be hard to identify when on the train, so count how many stations you need to pass through. Don't get in the way of the doors as they are closing. The metro is incredibly deep, and you go down for ages on very steep, fast-moving escalators. There are some stations where it is hard to see the bottom from the top -- and that is not a joke! Most of the stations are incredibly ornate, particulary see Dostoyevsky station for the gold fish scales, or Avtovo for the huge pillars. A ticket is very cheap, so buy one and ride around where ever you want. A wee warning, the red line has a break in it, so you can't go further than Lesnaia without coming out of the underground and getting a bus to the next station - don't bother. Also the interchange station technologicheskii prospekt doesn't work like all the others. The system there is that the north bound trains pull into one platform and the south bound into another -- so if you go a station too far, don't get off and get in the train on the other side of the platform thinking you'll get back to where you came from! One of the new stations on the yellow line has the same system, but it's less hassle and the other line isn't built yet!Close

The recent announcement of the IgoUgo St. Petersburg trip inspired me to write a few words about a very specific feature of St. Petersburg--danger to vistors! At the beginning of a St. Petersburg-to-Moscow boat trip, my wife and I spent parts of three days by ourselves…Read More

The recent announcement of the IgoUgo St. Petersburg trip inspired me to write a few words about a very specific feature of St. Petersburg--danger to vistors!

At the beginning of a St. Petersburg-to-Moscow boat trip, my wife and I spent parts of three days by ourselves in St. Petersburg. On two successive days, I was accosted on Nevsky Prospekt.

On the first occasion, I was surrounded by a group of gypsy children. The same day, the English language St. Petersburg newspaper had carried a front page story describing the manner in which gypsy children would surround one or more tourists, with several adults then holding the person or persons while the children would help themselves to pocketbooks, cameras, pocket contents, etc. My wife, who was carrying a walking stick, threatened them, and was assisted by a woman who came out of a nearby store with a broomstick. The kids disbursed.

The next day my wife preceded me as we were entering the Gostiny Dvor department store. Before I could follow her, two adult males in black jackets--not gypsies--jammed the door so that I could not move, and two other similarly attired males tried to go through my pockets. Thanks to my swinging elbows, and the fact that everything I was carrying was in inside pockets of a shoulder pack, they all ran off before they could take anything.

There were a total of between 15 and 20 incidents involving other boat companions during the same period.

St. Petersburg is a city not to be missed. But care must be taken, especially for people alone or in very small groups. There are almost no police available, so people are largely on their own.

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Yet another of the gorgeous palaces in a suburb of St. Petersburg. The palace was a gift from Catherine II to her son tsar Paul I on the birth of his first son. Paul I was a very strange and very unhandsome man…Read More

Yet another of the gorgeous palaces in a suburb of St. Petersburg. The palace was a gift from Catherine II to her son tsar Paul I on the birth of his first son. Paul I was a very strange and very unhandsome man and very much an opposite of his great mother. His main passion in life was military duty and he tried to create his own army basing it on the German army of the time and you can see some militaristic features in decor of several rooms of the palace.

The palace was Paul I summer residence and besides the amazing palace also has an enormous park which is one of the largest in Europe.

The palace is not very big but it has the most amazing parquet I've ever seen. It is made out of 11 kinds of wood and has very creative pattern to it. The most impressive hall in the palace is Grecian Hall. Columns of artificial marble line all sides of the room. Between the columns on the walls you can see copies of antique sculptures and urns in the niches.

The palace also has a large collection of paintings, furniture, antique sculptures and porcelain that was created during Paul's travels in Europe in 1781-1782. The palace has very interesting architecture and was preserved by the tsar family the way that it was in the beginning of the 19th century until 1917. Pavlovsk was totally demolished by the Nazis during World War II and even in 1960's there still was nothing left on this place except for pieces reminding you of the past. It took several decades for the palace to be rebuilt and now it looks as it did in the 19th century.

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Another highlight of some of my trips to Russia has been visits to a sauna for the purpose of getting beaten by a birch tree while enduring incredible amounts of heat! There is a sport hall near the very visible Muslim Mosque that is…Read More

Another highlight of some of my trips to Russia has been visits to a sauna for the purpose of getting beaten by a birch tree while enduring incredible amounts of heat! There is a sport hall near the very visible Muslim Mosque that is being rebuilt not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress. It is possible to book the sauna for two hours with a private masseuse for only $100.00. The masseuse will accommodate four people and the experience was advertised as a method of driving all of the toxins from your body. It was one of the most pleasurable and memorable moments of my life! One time, four of our group elected to go and found the facilities modest, but very clean. The masseuse was an athletic looking LTC from the Russian Army who certainly was an expert. I did not know it was possible to withstand such heat, much less to enjoy it. The procedure in the sauna was not long but seemed to last forever. The birch leaves served to fan the heat and I felt as if I had run a marathon at the end of the procedure. I literally ran from the sauna and jumped into what seemed to be an icy cold pool and then was put on a table for the massage. Heaven on earth was all I could think of as Sergei worked his magic with my knotted muscles. At the end of the massage I was handed a clear glass of liquid to drink. I was afraid it might be vodka but it turned out to be the sap of a tree that is supposed to further cleanse the body. I left the sauna totally pleased.Close

To practice my Russian I translated some article I found—it's quite fun, actually. Hope you like it.Fifteen peculiarities about Petersburg1 St. Petersburg is located at 651 kilometers from Moscow and 159 from the Finnish border at 59-56’ altitude and 30-18’ longitude. Petersburg is the most…Read More

To practice my Russian I translated some article I found—it's quite fun, actually. Hope you like it.

Fifteen peculiarities about Petersburg

1 St. Petersburg is located at 651 kilometers from Moscow and 159 from the Finnish border at 59-56’ altitude and 30-18’ longitude. Petersburg is the most northern of the big cities and the biggest of the northern cities. The 60 degree parallel, on which Petersburg is situated, goes through Chukotka, Alaska, Greenland, Magadan and Oslo. More northern than Petersburg are Reykjavik, Moermansk, Petrozavodsk, Archangeldsk, Vokruta, Norilsk, Yakutsk, Ankoridge, Helsinki. Nearby the 30 degree line are Kiev, Odessa, Cairo, Chartum and Pretoria.

2 Although the River Neva is 74 kilometers long, it only assembles water from over a territory a bit smaller than Italy. The Neva delta includes Ladoga lake, Onega, Saima, Ilmyen, Svir, Volchov and Vuyoksa. The world knows only one hydro system a like the Neva, that is the territory of the Big Lakes in the USA. The Neva brings along as much water as the rivers Don and Dnyepr together.

3 In the 5th century BC the Neva took its form and course to the Finnish Gulf. The Neva river and Ladoga lake used to be named as a whole, the Swedish called it Nyu and the Finnish Aldea. Different names were given only in 1264.

4 Petersburg is the biggest ‘second’ city in Europe. It’s bigger than Barcelona, Krakow, Birmingham, Munchen, Milan, Charkov. In the beginning of the 19th century Petersburg was the fourth biggest city by population in Europe, and it still is. Paris: 9,8 million. Moscow: 9,3 million. London: 6,8 million. Petersburg: 4,6 million.

5 White Nights. 22nd of June in Petersburg lasts for 18 hours and 50 minutes. From the 26th of May until the 16th of July the depth of the setting of the sun doesn’t come higher than 7 degrees.

6 Champion of palaces. Only the palaces that were owned by the imperial family count in Petersburg to 20, Winter, Summer, Michailovski, Novomichailovski, Zapasnoi, Yelagin, Kamennoostrovski, Marble, Anichkov, Aleksey Aleksandrovich, Nikolay Nikolaevich, Mariinsky, Aleksandr Michailovich, Leichtenbergski, Sergey Aleksandrovich, Michail Aleksandrovich, Vladimir Aleksandrovich, Oldenburgski, Mecklenburg-Strelinski (Karlovy).

7 European Champion of Bridges, Vice Champion of Canals and Islands. In Petersburg there are 48 canals and rivers, 160 kilometer of embankments, 800 bridges. In Venice they have more canals (157) and islands (118) but less bridges (378).

8 Feniks bird. On Petersburg over the past 100 years twice a neutron bomb fell, during the civil war and during the blockade. In 1917 in Petersburg lived 2,5 million people, in 1920, 0,6. In 1941: 3,4 million, 1943: 0,6.

9 Deepest metro in the world. Because Petersburg is build on swamps the metro lines had to be built under those swamps. The metro rides 70-80 meters underground. This didn’t prevail the bursting of one tunnel in 1995.

10 Capital of trams. The city streets have more than 600 kilometers of tramline. This is written down in the Guinness Book of Records.

11 Four times renamed. Petersburg until 1914, Petrograd until 1924, Leningrad until 1991 and again Petersburg in 1991.

12 Dangerous city. Czarevich Aleksey Petrovich, three imperators (Peter III, Pavel I and Aleksandr II), two ministers of Domestic Affairs, three famous princes were killed in this city. It also saw four revolutions and five times change of rule. Nine leaders of communist organizations were shot, one of them (Kirov) under suspicious circumstances. The first mayor of the city (Sobchak) had to flee the city and hide for 1 ½ years in Paris. In the city center the vice-mayor Manevich was killed as well as state deputy Starovoitova. Not anyone who headed the city since 1917 could make a political career in Moscow.

13 Without elephants. Petersburg is the only big city in the Europe with a zoo without elephants. The last one, Bobo, came in 1957 from Rotterdam, but was sold to Tashkent in 1975, but soon after arrival in the Uzbekistan capital, died. The scull of Bobo can be seen in the Zoological Institute. Also the city lacks a hippodrome, aqua park, ring road and under the main city street there are only two underground pedestrian crossings.

14 The biggest piece of Malachite in the world is in possession of the Mine museum. The piece weighs 1504 kilogram and was taken from the Ural and put in the museum in 1787.

15 Biggest old city in Europe. In Petersburg living houses made out of stone from before the revolution are almost fully preserved. Of those there are 18.000 buildings. From the Obvodny Kanal towards the Big Neva and from the Aleksandr Nevsky monastery towards the harbor the city looks almost the same as it did in 1917. Such a high percentage of preserved buildings cannot be seen in any of the big cities in Europe or America. There is no place in the world where there is to be seen classical, eclectically, modern and retro perspective building styles.

Kalendar, 12-25 May 2003

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The usual sources of tourist information have dire news about public restrooms in Russia. On the whole,we found the facilities better than we expected.Some charged a fee, 5-8 rubles (20-30 cents). Many were free. All were clean, but many look shabby. They…Read More

The usual sources of tourist information have dire news about public restrooms in Russia. On the whole,
we found the facilities better than we expected.

Some charged a fee, 5-8 rubles (20-30 cents). Many were free. All were clean, but many look shabby.
They ranged from squat toilets* to Austrian quality.**

Be on the lookout for the location of the toilet paper. It was quite common for there to be a single roll for
the entire restroom located somewhere outside the stalls. You have to tear off what you think you will use
and take it into the stalls with you. Error on the generous side. Remember to check– this is not a lesson
you want to learn the hard way, or perhaps I should say, the messy way.

All our a bus tours included restroom stops, ranging across the full gambit of quality per above. If you are
on your own, look to McDonald’s or the lobbies of the better hotels.

The larger tour buses are toilet equipped, but we were not encouraged to use them. At least some were
locked, necessitating a request to the bus driver through the tour guide to open the thing.

Always carry a pocket/purse pack of Kleenex and Immodium.

If you are changing planes at the Frankfurt airport, be sure to visit one of their restrooms and watch what
happens when you flush the toilet– it washes and dries the seat.

WC is widely used as an identifier in the tourist zones. A Russian letter than sort of looks like an X with a
vertical line through the center often is used to mark the ladies room, as is a symbol that looks like an
upside down V (a skirt). In Russian, look desperate and say, "twah-let".


* The stall contains a hole in the floor with two raised footrests on either side. Squat and let loose.
** We have found on our travels that Austria has, on average, the nicest public restrooms of any country.

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Russia, especially the big cities, are dangerous for minorities. Anyone who does not look Caucasian should only travel with a group. Otherwise, personal safety is a little worse than in most large cities, except for pickpockets.Pickpockets are endemic in St Peterburg and a…Read More

Russia, especially the big cities, are dangerous for minorities. Anyone who does not look Caucasian should only travel with a group. Otherwise, personal safety is a little worse than in most large cities, except for pickpockets.

Pickpockets are endemic in St Peterburg and a real problem in several other European cities. On our first trip to Prague, our Cruise Director, in warning the passengers about the pickpocket problem, said that he had brought 50 tours to Prague, and not once had there been a trip where a pickpocket did not steal at least one passport. On the other hand, he said a single woman could walk any street in Prague alone in the middle of the night without fear.

Pickpocket defenses: MEN leave your wallet in the ship or hotel’s safe. Put the valuables– passport, money, credit cards, etc– you need in a small wallet like pouch that hangs around your neck and tucks inside your shirt. Take it out of your shirt only when you need something in it. Have nothing in your pants pockets. As for backpacks, they can open a backpack without you ever knowing it. Cameras– keep them well attached by heavy duty straps. In cool weather, keep everything you are carrying inside your jacket, but not in the pockets. Cash can also be divide up by tucking some inside your sock, above the pants cuff, on the inside of your leg. I have a shirt with a zipper pocket in the armpit, which has worked well so far, but it was a rare find.

LADIES: Follow the instructions for men. If you must carry a purse-- a bad idea– take on with a strap long enough that you can sling over your head and carry the purse under the opposite arm The strap must be heavy enough that a sharp knife cannot cut it easily. Carol carries a small purse with a long thick leather strap, and so far, so good.

When on the metro, bus, tram, etc., never leave your purse or any packages out of your hands. Put them on your lap, and wrap both arms around them.

Before your trip, check the web sites for the US State Department and UK Foreign Office for the latest advice on personal saftey when traveling overseas.

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The good news: It's almost universally cheap by Western Standards unless you go to one of the Exclusive hotels on Nevsky for your meal, and the portions are large. That's it for the good news. The bad news: Beef stroganof seems to be the only…Read More

The good news: It's almost universally cheap by Western Standards unless you go to one of the Exclusive hotels on Nevsky for your meal, and the portions are large. That's it for the good news.

The bad news: Beef stroganof seems to be the only dish. Order any dish that's listed as being made with beef and you'll end up getting something that almost exactly resembles beef stroganor. I swear to God, you could order Sushi and you'd get beef stroganof. Russian beer is pretty crappy, but you can get good Czech and German beers almost everywhere. Russian vodka is obviously wonderful. The coffee is AWFUL!

I've never lost weight on a vacation before in my life. I spent 3 weeks in Eastern Europe and lost 7 pounds. The food's wholesome, edible, well-cooked, but it's BLAND BLAND BLAND.

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