Russia for the Winter Holidays

Wanderlust must run in our family. My cousin, Boyd, and his partner, Tom, love exploring the world as much as I do. Their trips are often the most interesting topics of conversation at our reunions. Luckily, this time I didn't have to wait until I see them in March to hear about their trip to Russia. Here's their report.

The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

By Boyd Oliver
Photos by Tom Forlenza

Why would anyone choose to go to Russia in December?  This trip was planned with the ultimate destination of Austria to spend Christmas and New Year's with friends.  Then the notion of going as far as my partner and I could reasonably get en route with our frequent flier miles sparked the plan to go to St. Petersburg (Yes, Russia, not Florida!)   

St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia with 4.5 million people, is considered the Venice of the North because of the Neva River and the many canals spanned by graceful bridges. Although the water was frozen when we were there, this city is still impressive--even in winter.

So, after deciding on the city, the next questions were where to stay and what to do, aside from the obvious visit to the Hermitage?  We decided to book a Marriott since that can be done on-line without pre-payment or a deposit.   Thus, we ended up at the Baltic Renaissance. 

It turned out to be quite nice, and the staff were equally nice and helpful.  The only tip about staying here is, as with most European hotels, book with breakfast included if you like the buffet spreads offered because the a la carte price is exorbitant.   It is probably only fair to note, however, that the hotel restaurant, while a bit pricey, was excellent with the best borscht we had during the trip. 

We found, through our guide, a cozy local restaurant, the Teplo near our hotel, that was open for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner.  The staff there were also exceptionally friendly and loved speaking to us in English. 

Nevsky Prospekt

We didn’t have any problems with language as long as we were in tourist-frequented places.  Otherwise, we were fortunate to have our own personal guide. 

It may seem extravagant to hire a guide, but actually it really wasn’t, all things considered.  We thought language might be a problem, and it might have been, at least a bit, had we not had  Niko with us much of the time.   Plus we saw things and places that otherwise we may have missed.  And, another added benefit was that Niko drove us around town many times in his car (named Boris), plus he provided an airport pick up and drop off. 

                                                       

Church of the Spilled Blood

Niko and Boris took us for a comprehensive tour of the Hermitage, which houses one of the world's largest collections of art, including a significant collection of Rembrandt paintings; Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg's main, constantly busy, shopping street where all the major shops are located (But visit the side-street-stores for bargains such as wool socks for a dollar a pair.); Kazan Cathedral, one of the few active churches remaining in the city since the others were transformed into museums during the Communist era; the Church of the Spilled Blood, a museum famous for its thousands of mosaics; and Basil’s Island. 

One of my favorite buildings on our tour was the art deco Singer Sewing Machine Building, not because of its history necessarily, but because of its chic coffee bar.  But it is expensive, so skip a stop there if you are on a strict budget. 

                                   Singer Building

On another day, we took a trip to the Catherine Palace. When you visit the many palaces, now museums, it is not hard at all to understand why the peasants revolted against the nobility who lived in unbelievable opulence. Evidently the Nazis reveled in the luxury of the palace, too, and were hoping to live there themselves during the war. When they realized they weren’t going to take permanent possession of this palace, they attempted to burn it down.