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Wow! Ultimate Scandinavia/Russia on the Serenade Review 7/24-8/6/16

Donna_In_India
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easyboy

easyboy

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St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. It has also been known as Petrograd and Leningrad. The city has a fascinating and sometimes bloody history but I will save that for your guide to tell you about. The 40+ islands of St. Petersburg spread across the delta of the Neva River, although you are likely to see more than a handful during your visit. It is nicknamed "Venice of the North" because its 400+ bridges and numerous canals. The Historic Centre (with its stunning architecture) and Related Groups of Monuments is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Our first stop was to see the Sphinxes. They are located on the University Embankment in front of the Academy of Fine Arts. At approximately 3,500 years old they are considered among the finest examples of Ancient Egyptian colossal sculpture outside of Egypt. One of the superstitions around the sphinxes is if you touch one, you will be protected and have good luck. There are some guys selling cheap souvenirs and tons of tourists on the sidewalk around the sphinxes. It wasn't one of my favorite stops in St. Petersburg.

 

Our next stop was at the Rostral Columns on the Strelka near the former Stock Exchange. The columns were designed as lighthouses and are decorated with protruding ship's prows. From the Strelka we could see the top of the Cathedral on the island of Petrogradskaya. It was another stop with lots of tourists and guys selling cheap souvenirs.

 

Next we stopped at a TJ recommended shop. I didn't mind that it was a shop they recommended. The downstairs had some very nice items including jewelry (many very expensive). Upstairs the prices were more reasonable and there were more souvenir type items. Things to buy in Russia include: matryoshka nesting dolls, wine/vodka, filigree box, chess set, caviar, and Faberge eggs (knock-offs, of course :)). I suggest that if you are going to purchase the dolls or a Christmas ornament pay the bit extra and buy ones that were made - and painted - locally. I wouldn't have wanted to buy something like that if it was made in China. I do think the quality of items was better in this shop than on the ship. My daughter got her 10-dolls matryoshka doll here. My only other comment about shopping in St. Petersburg - we had very little time to shop! We really were on a whirlwind schedule but on most stops (museums/churches) we didn't even have time to look at the shops. It became a bit of a joke among our group that I always wanted to shop, which is pretty funny considering I HATE to shop at home. However, there were certain things I wanted to buy in Russia (including gifts) so the lack of shopping time was just a bit disappointing.

 

We drove the 40 minutes or so to Catherine Palace, definitely one of the highlights of St. Petersburg. We had timed tickets and arrived just a bit before our entrance time. We waited the few minutes the enter the gates. Amazingly there was no one inside and we were able to get pictures without a single person in them! Catherine Palace was designed for Tsarina Elizabeth who named it after her mother, Catherine I (the wife of Peter the Great).

 

Later Catherine the Great would have the Baroque interiors redesigned to suit her more Neo-Classical taste. We entered the Palace and went to put paper shoe coverings on in order to protect the floors. (We would do this in other places in Russia as well.) The palace itself is amazingly almost 1km in circumference. Restoration continues and there are a few dozen state rooms open, although you will only see a very few of those on your tour.

 

We went up the Great Staircase and entered the Great Hall, so aptly named. It was my first "wow" of the cruise and the first of many in St. Petersburg. There were so many mirrors and so much GOLD! Also known as the Hall of Light it is 1,000 meters square and and occupies the full width of the palace. This allows for beautiful views on either side. The entire ceiling is covered by a fresco, The Triumph of Russia.

 

The Great Hall was simply stunning and....it was getting very crowded. They controlled how many people left the room to continue through the palace. We were all packed in together and it was HOT! We were blessed with beautiful weather for almost all 3 days in St. Petersburg. However the temps were 10+ degrees more than the average high for that time of year and...there wasn't any air conditioning. Those narrow hallways with all those people and no ventilation.... :(

Your narration sounded more descriptive than how our tour guide did during our similar tour.

It also completely relates to your great photos.

Very well presented.!

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Donna_In_India

Donna_In_India

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We moved from the Great Hall passing the Main Staircase to the White State Dining Room. It was intended for grand banquets and evening meals for the empress and friends. I liked the white damask on the walls and the gilded carvings but I thought the room was a bit small and didn't like the still life paintings hanging on the walls. The rooms seemed to lack elegance.

 

Next up was the Crimson Pilaster Room, a kind of mismatched color-clashing room. Didn't like this one at all! I did like the next room, the Green Pilaster Room. (I do really like green.) The room served as a pantry to store table silver and porcelain. Originally the room was separated by a screen. When the hall was being restored after its destruction during World War II, the screen was not replaced. (Of 58 halls destroyed during WWII 32 have been recreated.)

 

We entered the Portrait Hall. I've always found them fascinating, imaging what the people in those portraits were really like. Prior to its destruction during WWII portraits of Russian rulers lined the walls. After the war the room was recreated from photographs and and today the portraits of Catherine I, Empress Elizabeth, and Catherine II are on the walls.

 

The next room we visited was the Amber Room (sorry no photos allowed). This is the considered the highlight of the Palace, has even been called the 8th Wonder of the World. It was gifted to Peter the Great in 1716 from Frederich Wilhelm I of Prussia to mark an alliance between Russia and Prussia. The amber panels were then disassembled and removed during the War by German soldiers. It would take 24 years starting in 1979 for the Soviet government to recreate the Amber Room. Today there are 350 shades of amber in the original panels and fixtures that adorned the room. It truly is a stunning room.

 

We saw a few more rooms (by this time I was on sensory overload) before heading outside to the gardens. The sun was shining and we had some beautiful views of the Palace and the grounds. Back to our bus we headed to the restaurant for lunch. (All 3 lunches were included with our TJ tours.) The restaurant was very nice. Greek salad to start was a bit odd but the borscht was excellent. Chicken for main course was good as well. Unfortunately I wasn't taking notes this trip so although I took a photo of the name of the restaurant I've been unable to translate it and I don't have any more food details to share other than it was a good lunch. :(

 

Next up...the St. Petersburg Metro.

Edited by Donna_In_India
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Clarea

Clarea

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OMG I just realized ALL my photos are GONE! :eek:

 

Is there anyway I an reload them to where they were or at least delete those posts?

I've seen this happen before and the poster just put a link to the online photo sharing site in a subsequent post.

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Donna_In_India

Donna_In_India

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I've seen this happen before and the poster just put a link to the online photo sharing site in a subsequent post.

 

But...it's so ugly now. :( First time doing a review like this (here on CC anyway). Think I finally have all the bugs worked out. May just start over. :eek:

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Clarea

Clarea

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But...it's so ugly now. :( First time doing a review like this (here on CC anyway). Think I finally have all the bugs worked out. May just start over. :eek:

What happened? Did the photos move to a different folder on photobucket?

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Clarea

Clarea

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Yes, Bob. Don't normally write on CC or upload photos to Photobucket. I've always been able to edit my own posts, which would have fixed the issue. Guess I needed a practice thread. :)

I don't know much about Photobucket, but is it possible to put the photos back in the same folder on Photobucket? In other words, since you cannot edit your CC posts after 20 minutes or so, maybe you can edit the location of the photos to match where they were originally.

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jonj

jonj

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Yes, Bob. Don't normally write on CC or upload photos to Photobucket. I've always been able to edit my own posts, which would have fixed the issue. Guess I needed a practice thread. :)

 

If you moved the photos on your photobucket then they won't appear here any longer because those are tied into the original link when they were posted. Once they are moved the link name is changed and no longer viewable here. If I click on one of your "no photo found" options in previous posts it will bring me to your photo bucket account but doesn't show a photo. If I click on the word St Petersburg I see some of the photos.

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Donna_In_India

Donna_In_India

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If you moved the photos on your photobucket then they won't appear here any longer because those are tied into the original link when they were posted. Once they are moved the link name is changed and no longer viewable here. If I click on one of your "no photo found" options in previous posts it will bring me to your photo bucket account but doesn't show a photo. If I click on the word St Petersburg I see some of the photos.

 

Yes, I realized that after I answered Bob. :)

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Donna_In_India

Donna_In_India

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Royal Palace, Stockholm

 

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Royal Palace, Stockholm

 

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Jarnpojke, Iron Boy, Stockholm

 

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Stortoget - Left Corner is the Well, Building is the old Stock Exchange Building which is now the Nobel Museum, Stockholm

 

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Great Architecture in Stortoget, Stockholm

 

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Edited by Donna_In_India
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Donna_In_India

Donna_In_India

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Viking Rune Stone, Stockholm

 

 

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Walking down Prästgatan Street, Stockholm

 

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Mårten Trotzigs Gränd - the narrowest street in Stockholm

 

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Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Ligonberries at Restaurant CC, Stockholm

 

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End of day 1. Getting lost in Stockholm....not a bad view!

 

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Edited by Donna_In_India
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Donna_In_India

Donna_In_India

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Sunbathing on the rocks, Stockholm

 

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Going under a bridge, Stockholm

 

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Stockholm from the water

 

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Stockholm from the water

 

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Youth hostel af Chapman (I stayed there many years ago), Stockholm

 

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Upscale shopping street - Kungsgatan, Stockholm

 

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