St. Petersburg part 2

Ending the trip in St. Petersburg is a great idea.  There is so much to see and do in this city, and the weather has been fabulous.  One of he most beautiful cathedrals I've ever seen is here, St. Isaac's Cathedral.  It's the largest church in the city and its dome is gilded with more than 200 pounds of gold.  The interior is elaborately decorated with exquisite mosaics, icons, malachite and lapis lazuli.  It can seat 14,000 worshippers.

Mel looking for just the right shot of St. Isaac's

Wednesday afternoon was spent at the Hermitage, one of the most fabulous museums in the world. It was formerly the winter palace to the tsars.  Today it is one of the most splendid museums in the world.  The Museum originated in 1764 when Catherine the Great began her private art collection. Today, more than 1,000 rooms house nearly 3 million exhibits.

How well do you know your art masters?
                     

Rembrandt

da Vinci

Raphael

Then we attended a performance of Swan Lake at The  Hermitage. It was in Catherine the Great's private theatre.   

Yesterday we visited a music school for gifted children.   They performed for us and showed us around their school.  

Tomorrow we leave for home.  It has been an amazing trip.  I hope you enjoyed it via the blog

St. Petersburg. part 1

The other night one of our fellow travelers was grousing about all the emphasis the tour guides are putting on the importance of Peter the Great. I replied, "Well duh..where do you think you are?!" I would definitely prefer to visit St. Petersburg again over Moscow.

Known as the Venice of the north, it has 141 palaces, 40 islands, and 60 canals.

 The following photos are of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral. All of the Russian emperors and empresses are buried here, including the last Romanov family, Nicholas, Alexandra and their children.
                           

      Peterhof, the magnificent summer residence of Russian royalty was begun under Peter the Great's orders in 1714.  The grounds surrounding the grand palace are breathtaking and have waterworks that are operational after 250 years.  The G 20 will be meeting here in a few days.
                    

Stops along the way to St. Petersburg Part 2

Sunday we stopped at a small village named Svirstroy to shop from local artisans and to have tea in a home hosted by a local retired lady.  It was a really fun day. Snow begins in November

and ends in May. Here are some photos from our tea and the work of artisans.

             
     

Our hostess's stove

Our hostess greets us

Hostess's garden

Kizhi Island is one of the most ancient inhabited sites in Russia.  It was an early pagan center and now has more than 80 wooden structures and a museum representing ancient art and cultural items from the region's various ethnic cultures.  The Church of the Transfiguration has 22 timbered onion domes.

Distinctive stops along the Volga

We're having internet issues but just docked in St. Petersburg so that may improve. Here is a brief update.

Our walking tour of the ancient city of Uglich was lovely.  The Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood dates from around 1690.

                       

 The photos below are of the Goritsy/Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.  Built in 1397 by St. Kirill who left a life of luxury to enter the religious life,  The monastery walls, seven meters thick, repelled Lithuanian invaders in the 17th century.  It has two priories and 11 churches within its walls.