In September 2013 I moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to work as an English Language teacher. My blog contains personal observations, opinions and reviews on Russia, language, culture and sightseeing. Some of the photographs are my own; others have been used from the public domain (internet).
Peter and Paul Fortress / Петропа́вловская кре́пость
Peter and Paul Fortress
During the May Day holiday I took a little trip over to Peter and Paul Fortress. The fortress is situated on Zayachy (Hare) Island on the River Neva, and it's quite close to Petrogradskaya metro station. This is the birthplace of the city of Saint Petersburg. The most striking buildings within the walls of the fortress are the two cathedrals dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Although I didn't go inside (the queue was too long) their exteriors are very beautiful indeed; especially when sunlight shines off the golden surfaces of the domes and spires.
What really attracted me to come to the fortress was not the cathedrals; it was the infamous Trebetskoy Bastion. This was used as a prison in both Tsarist times and after the Bolshevik Revolution. Two of the most famous prisoners of Trebetskoy were Gorky and Trotsky. I found which cell they had once occupied.
Lev Davidovich Trotsky 1879-1940
Trotsky's cell
I didn't feel particularly comfortable walking through the corridors of Trebetskoy. There's an eerie atmosphere; similar to the feeling I had when I visited Berlin. It's a mixture of sadness and death. It's hardly surprising; thousands of prisoners entered the bastion in those years. Many did not survive their stay at the fortress.
Naval mast and Second World War artillery next to the fortress wall
Sunbathers on the beach outside the fortress wall
On my way back to Nevsky Prospekt I walked across the much-acclaimed Troitskiy (Trinity) Bridge (Тро́ицкий мост), which was built between 1897 and 1903. From the bridge and from the Palace Embankment you can get some fantastic views of the fortress, The Neva and other landmarks of Saint Petersburg.
River boat on the Neva
View from the Palace Embankment
Pushkin / Tsarskoe Selo & Catherine's Palace
A couple of weeks later I travelled southwards to Tsarkoe Selo with a group of Russian friends. Tsarkoe Selo (Imperial Village) is located 24 km from the centre of Saint Petersburg just outside the town of Pushkin. The two main attractions here, which we visited, are Catherine's Palace and park.
Catherine's Palace and gardens
From the very start of our walk in the grounds of the gardens and park, I was awestruck by the beauty and majesty of the place. The topiary and the statues of gods and goddesses from Greek mythology greet visitors as they descend the steps towards the (hermitage) pavilion. Oddly, this pavilion was surrounded by a moat that had long ceased contained any water. Instead, a ring of grass surrounds the ornate building.
The Pavilion
The Turkish bathhouse
Illuminati confirmed!
Walking through the park you will see some strange buildings like the Turkish bathhouse and a pyramid structure, which I am told used to contain treasure. Today it just contains some bits of old broken stone on a mud floor. No treasure, and no aliens; apart from the disappointed English alien who poked his head through the 'doorway.'
The Russians are coming...to bring bottles of water and peace!
A classical statue dedicated to the art of selfies
One short rest and an expensive chicken sandwich later, we queued behind the Chinese tourists and entered the famed Catherine's Palace. Once you get through one security barrier, you will go through a couple more before you are allowed into the main halls. Before you go through the final checkpoint you must wear an outer covering that goes over your shoes. This makes you look like you've got a couple of kayaks strapped to your feet.
There's mucho rococo in this palace. Gold-covered cherubs and borders - it's a riot of lavishness. Some of it reminds me of the decor in The Winter Palace (Hermitage). But, the room I was really looking forward to seeing was the restored (recreated) Amber Room. No pictures or filming is allowed in this section of the palace, so that is why I haven't included my own photo. So, here's one from the internet:
The Amber Room: not as large as it appears in photographs
The park, as I wrote earlier, was very impressive and the exterior of the palace is truly wonderful, but if I'm brutally honest, the inside of the palace is good, but I do think The Winter Palace is far more impressive in its decor, artifacts and its vast size. That said, I would certainly recommend a visit.
This year marked the seventieth anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany by the western allies and the Soviet Union.
It is a shame that in the build up to Victory Day the differences between Russia and certain western countries were not put to one side. Instead, the occasion was politicised, and from my point of view the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the president of the United States and European heads of government. On such a significant anniversary those countries (including my own) should have sent their representatives to Moscow to pay tribute to the millions of men and women who died in the fight against Nazism. It is only right and proper to recognise the massive role that the Soviet Union played in the final destruction of the Third Reich. There would not have been such a victory without the Soviet Union. This is a fact that many in the west tend to downplay, or ignore completely. There are many who still think that America, or Britain, won the war. Of course, the western allies made their own significant contributions and aided the Soviet Union with arms through the Arctic convoys, but the fact still remains: the bulk of the fighting was done on the Eastern Front: around Leningrad, outside Moscow, in Stalingrad, across the marshes of Belorussia, and finally, to the German capital, Berlin.
A student of mine remarked that he didn't like the idea of showing so much current military hardware in the parades. He said that such an occasion should only really focus on the memory of those who lost their lives and not with such an overt display of Russian military power. He had a point. It's not a time of celebration. But, I do feel that the military parades across the Russian Federation were important in that they gave an opportunity for serving soldiers, sailors and airmen to honour their family members and predecessors.
Victory Day banner above Nevsky Prospekt
Saint Petersburg held their parade on Palace Square in the morning. In the late afternoon I went to watch the Eternal March (around Vosstaniya Square and Nevsky Prospekt): a street parade of veterans, cadets, reenactors in period costume and ordinary people carrying placards with pictures of relatives who lived (and died) during the Great Patriotic War.
This was my second time at this event in Saint Petersburg. Unlike last year, the sun was shining. Like last year, I felt moved and returned home in a sombre mood, thinking of the tragic loss of human life.
From the very start of our walk in the grounds of the gardens and park, I was awestruck by the beauty and majesty of the place. The topiary and the statues of gods and goddesses from Greek mythology greet visitors as they descend the steps towards the (hermitage) pavilion. Oddly, this pavilion was surrounded by a moat that had long ceased contained any water. Instead, a ring of grass surrounds the ornate building.
