Art, History, and a Mesmerizing Sunrise

It feels as if I haven't posted an update for a very long time! Over the last four days I've seen a ton of incredible things in St. Petersburg. So, grab your popcorn, drink, and get comfy because this will be long post.

On Wednesday, I got to see the two things I had been most excited for. In the morning, I visited the Siege of Leningrad Museum. I've always had a real interest in WWII as a historical topic and the museum proved to be extremely interesting but also depressing. Actually seeing the figures for the total number of deaths put a lot into perspective for me. During the first year of the siege, 1941, up to 100,000 people died each month from famine. On February 20th, 1942, a total of 10,000 people were buried in one cemetery in the city. While reading these figures, I realized how much Russia suffered during WWII. I now understand why Russians refer to WWII as the Great Patriotic War. The museum itself was chalked full of historical info and original artifacts from the siege; both German and Russian. I'll never forget the part of the tour where our tour guide explained and showed us what a daily ration of bread looked like (Which was only 50% flour). It was horrifying. 

Bread ration from the siege.

Information on the famine and what was used as food. 

One part of the museum.

My visit to the Siege of Leningrad Museum was an unforgettable experience. After the museum, our group headed towards the Hermitage; my all-time favorite thing I've seen on this trip. Before I get to talking about the interior and art I saw, I'd like to share a few fun facts. The Winter Palace (Which I've posted about) makes up the Hermitage itself. The museum is said to have over 3 million items in its collection. Also, it is estimated that if you were to spend one minute looking at each exhibit, it would take 11 years to see everything! Because I've only been to the Hermitage once (Hopefully I can visit one more time), I only saw a very small piece of what it has to offer. What I had the pleasure of seeing however, was incredible. When you first enter the Hermitage, you gain a sense of how big the building actually is. Before reaching the exhibits, we walked up the grand staircase which is the epitome of royal opulence.

The grand staircase.

While walking through the museum I felt as if it was endless. Most, if not all of the rooms in the Hermitage hold an exhibit of some kind. I could spend an entire post talking about the Hermitage, but I have so many other things to cover in this post. So, I'll point out a few of the things I most enjoyed seeing. One of the first things I saw was the throne room. I immediately felt the grandeur of the Tsar wash over me. After making my way through the various hallways and rooms, I finally reached the work of my favorite artist, Leonardo da Vinci. Seeing da Vinci's work right before my eyes was so surreal and it filled me with joy. I also viewed Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo. My love for art has only increased over the course of this trip! 

Madonna and Child by Leonardo da Vinci

The throne/reception room. Throne is original.

Michelangelo sculpture.

Much quieter than Wednesday, I visited the KGB museum on Thursday and ate out at one of my favorite places in the city, Zoom Cafe. The atmosphere is great and of course the food is as well. Friday, I visited the town of Pushkin, which holds both Catherine and Alexander Palace. Alexander was Catherine II's favorite grandson and she built the palace for him as a gift. I didn't have the chance to tour the inside of Alexander Palace, but I did see Catherine Palace which contains the beautiful amber room. The palace's interior is loaded with gold leaf, ceiling paintings, and meticulously crafted walls. During WWII the Nazi's occupied the palace and destroyed most of it; including the amber room. Because the amber panels in the room went missing, they had to be specially re-made to match the originals (A very long and difficult process). On the palace grounds lies three separate bathhouses and a hermitage, which originally meant a place of seclusion. After visiting Catherine Palace, I spent my evening at the world famous Mariinsky Theatre watching Don Quixote (Originally a novel), a ballet. I personally didn't have very much experience with the ballet before then. But, I loved it and it will definitely become another form of art that I'd like to see more often!

Catherine Palace ballroom. 

Closest picture I could get of the amber room.

Main stage at Mariinsky.

Alexander Palace 

Front of the palace selfie (:

Having just woke up not too long ago (1:30 in the afternoon), perhaps you could guess that Saturday was a long day. By the time I went to sleep, I had stayed up approximately 23 hours. I'll explain why shortly. My day started with a visit to the Yusupov Palace, which is much smaller than other palaces. The Yusupov's were a highly successful merchant family of the nobility who held many notable connections with the Tsar. Unfortunately, there was a fee to take pictures and I decided not to pay it. Sorry for the lack pictures everybody. Now, it was in the Yusupov Palace that Grigori Rasputin was brutally murdered. If you haven't heard the story about Rasputin's murder, I recommend you read about it. It's extremely interesting. Right after completing the tour at Yusupov, we ate lunch and then went on a canal tour. I had only seen St. Petersburg from the streets at this point. Seeing it from the water was an entirely different experience all together. With beautiful weather and a nice breeze, I'd say it was the perfect day for a canal tour.

Picture #1 from canal tour.

Picture #2 from canal tour.

Canal tour picture #3

The Winter Palace/Hermitage from the water. Beautiful.

Up to the end of the canal tour, my day had been only half finished. Right afterwards a small group of us followed our tour guide, Galina, to see Saint Isaac's Cathedral. The interior of the cathedral was stunning as are most of the other cathedrals around the city. Although most of Saint Isaac's has been converted into a museum, there is an area where services are still held. The highlight of my day was about to be next. After our tour, we said a very sad goodbye to Galina, who was an excellent guide and knew an unbelievable amount of information. I went back to the dorm to rest for a while because we were going to spend the entire night in the city. St. Petersburg really comes alive at night it seems. To me, it seemed busier at 2:00 AM than at 12:00 PM. Around the city's most popular areas there was live street music, food-stands, and people everywhere having a good time. At about 3:00 AM, we climbed to the top of Saint Isaac's Cathedral to watch the sunrise. I can't really put into words on what I experienced on top of the city. Seeing the sun rise over top of the city was awe-inspiring. It was the perfect end to an already amazing Saturday. I love this city.

Inside Saint Isaac's Cathedral.

St. Petersburg sunrise. Unbelievably beautiful.

Another shot of the sunrise w/ the moon!

Waking up today I still had the thought of that sunrise on my mind. I'll never forget it. Until later tonight, the rest of my day will be nothing but relaxation and reading. Later, I'll be going to the banya (Russian bathhouse), which I'm really excited for! As always, thanks for reading. 

- Colby