Touring - The City

Wow, there was so much to see today, and we saw a lot in one day.  We started our day at 11a and visited several sites... mostly churches... before going to the Hermitage(Winter Palace).  As it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will post several pics and give a caption, as I think it will best tell the story of our travels today. ...

First stop, St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. We went inside this one, but no pics allowed.  It was really neat though.
With these buildings it is hard to explain their size ... they are just huge, immense buildings.  Incidentally, this was the only church not damaged/ransacked during WWII.  It is all original on the inside.

Next church ... Church of the Virgin Conception

Closer detail.  Our guide (Julia) noted that she learned to ice skate in this building ... huh?!  Well, during the Soviet times, the churches were taken away from the church and used for other purposes.  All of the frescos in the church were painted over with yellow paint and an artificial ice rink was added.  Most all of these churches were given back to the church in the 1990s.  This one is still being restored on the inside.  Below is just one detail shot...

Leslie had to cover her head in accordance with traditional Orthodox custom while in this church.  Unseen behind us was a large scaffolding that was being used to work on the frescos on the ceiling.

Right across the street from the Church of the Virgin Conception was a shipyard.
This sub is now decommisioned and part of a State museum. Our guide noted that these shipyards (distant background) are still in use for icebreakers and nuclear-class subs.

Detail along one of the rivers... the buildings in the background used to be homes for diplomats and nobility. St. Isaac's Cathedral in far background as well

One of the oldest pieces of art/sculpture in the city. Bought back from Egypt, dates to 7th century BC

Art Institute

View on the Hermitage (or Winter Palace) from the old sea port.  There is a pic of the seaport from the Hermitage below.  Our guide told us that this sea port was closed primarily because of complaints from the nobles that the approaching ships would keep them awake at night as they came in and blew their horns.

There were LOTS of weddings throughout the city today!!  We counted at least 6.  There were 4 parties here alone.  Popular photo spots for the newlyweds.

This is the view of the sea port from the Hermitage.  You can see how they would complain about the noise.  The red pillars are actually light houses that were lit with kerosene to show the way in.  They are not lit anymore except on holidays or special occasions (they use natural gas now).  The white building with pillars to the far left is the Stock Market, where arriving ships would offload their wares to be sold.

The tall building in the background used to be the KGB building.  There used to be a law that no building could be taller than the Palace (except a Church or Cathedral) this was out of respect for the nobles.  When this building was built, it was the tallest building... the KGB wanted to make sure that everyone knew who was "holding all the cards".

Museum surrounding Peter the Great's log cabin.  Yes, when Peter the Great was Tsar, he lived in a modest Log Cabin while a more suitable home could be built.  If I understood correctly, his daughter Catherine the Great asked that a brick structure be created around it, which is now this museum.

This is in the area of The Church of Spilled Blood.   Street "performers" would parade around in traditional/period dress and for a tip would allow you to take their picture. So, I guess I "stole" this pic! :-)

The Church of Spilled Blood.  Technically, this church is called The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, but is often shorten to just The Church of Spilled Blood.  Incidentally, Alexander II was assassinated on the grounds when a terrorist was waiting for him to leave and threw two bombs into his carriage.  Also as an interesting note, this was once referred to as the Church of Spilled Potatoes as it was used to store potatoes during Soviet times.  It took 24-years to build and 27-years to restore after it was given back to the church.  The Soviets considered it an eye-sore and wanted it to be torn down, but when they lost the chance because of a conservation effort, they built a huge box-y scaffolding around it to hide it's facade.

Leslie and I by a facade of the Church of Spilled Blood

Joe, with his "cool" on!  This is just behind the Church of Spilled Blood.  The canals are just below.  Our guide said this is  sometimes referred to as the Venetian district because of the canals resemblance to Venice. 

 Ok... so after all this, which was a lot to take in and process, we went to the Hermitage.  I will put those pics in a separate post...