Some fun stuff and the White Nights

After our tours one day in St. Petersburg, Marcy and I decided not to reboard the ship.  Instead we went wandering around.  Here are some of the things we found:

Vodka Sampling

One of the first things you'll notice in just about any souvenir shop is that they don't hesitate to let you try the vodka.

In fact, it often comes in several different flavors.

So you make like Pokemon, "Gotta try them all."

The next five pictures are all from the inside of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

My favorite thing in this place is the painting on one of the ceilings of the dry bones prophecy in Ezekiel 37.

This prophecy tells of the restoration of the nation of Israel and was fulfilled in 1948.

A nation resurfacing after over 2,000 years? No other nation has done this.  God knew what he was talking about.

Ezekiel 37

Christ has defeated death.

Walking along Nevsky Prospekt.

Running into familiar faces.

This is the moment we realized that learning Cyrillic wasn't going to be too hard.

Cабвэй = Subway

Интернет = Internet
Кафе = Cafe

On our way back to the ship, we come across a park full of bears lifting up their arms.  It turns out this was a worldwide UN event.  Every nation has a bear.  Marcy and I find our USA bear and do our best to fit in.

Photo op with Peter and Catherine

St. Isaac's Cathedral

Russian Salad

Stroganoff - invented by Mr. Stroganoff...for real.

You too can read Cyrillic.

We found it!

After a long three days, we finally leave St. Petersburg.  Over the next three months, we will have gone to St. Petersburg a grand total of eight times, spending three days there each time.

It's safe to say that as pretty as it is, we've had our fill of Russia, and we're ready to put it behind us for a very long time.

However, one thing that I am truly sad to be running short of:  The Beautiful White Nights.

Summer Midnight on the Baltic

Summer Midnight on the Baltic

The Hermitage

Monday, June 25, 2012

Here's the deal, the Hermitage is so massive that it would take years to see everything inside of it.  Even so, I still took a massive amount of pictures.  Obviously, I won't post them all.  So, what I will do is try to pick out my favorites.

For those who don't know.  The Hermitage is one of the largest museums in the world.  It was started by Catherine the Great.  Enough talk, pictures:

 As soon as you enter, you run into this amazing marble staircase.  This staircase splits to the left and to the right and wraps around for one more story from which you can continue in several directions.

 This is a picture of the ceiling and the floor in the same spot.

The design in the ceiling is copied exactly in the wood of the floor below.

This was a fountain.

Unfortunately, they no longer run the water through it.

Pity.  How could would a fountain like this be in your house.

I mean, it's like a staircase, but not for people going up, only water going down.

I want one.

This is a clock.

For Real.

A clock.

I want one of these as well.

 Clash of the Titans anyone?

For me, this piece is the highlight of the Hermitage.  Rembradt's The Prodigal Son.

It's probably my favorite piece of art in the world.











Yeah.

 The only work by Michealangelo in the whole collection.

They say that Michaelangelo studied all the muscles in the human body, and that's why his works are so lifelike.

Right: The apostles Peter and Paul, painted by El Greco.

Peter is on the left holding the keys to the kingdom, and Paul...is the other guy.

Peter and Paul are the two most important religious historical figures in St. Petersburg.  There are several places called the Peter and Paul this and that.

Rembrandt

Rembrandt

Above: Abraham's Sacrifice

Right: Descent from the Cross

Van Gogh is all about texture, so I pressed my camera all the way up against the glass to take this shot.  I was subsequently yelled at by an old Russian woman.

Matisse

Danse, 1910
This was one of those moments where I felt obligated to take the picture simply because I knew it was famous.

Degas

The Dancer

I know, my neck hurts too.









Thousands upon thousands of people visit the Hermitage every day.

I'm Duke, and I approve of this building.

From Russia with Love

June 21-23, 2012
St. Petersburg

What can I say about Russia?  No, really.  What CAN I say about Russia?  Have you been watching the news lately and seen what's been going on with the Pussy Riot band?

One thing you learn when you travel is that free speech is really only protected in America.  So, appreciate it while you have it.

Now, since we visit Russia three days at a time, and I still have three more trips to make here, and since I'm currently using a Russian usb modem to access the Russian internet and tell my story...what can I say about Russia?

I Love Russia!  OMG, it's the best country ever.  I just can't go on enough about Russia.  You know what, I'm just going to tell the rest of my story in pictures.  This paragraph may be subject to change in a month when I leave.

I left the computer for a few hours to upload the pictures, and I came back to find this message:

Dear Duke,
Russia is the best country ever?  Comedy genius.
fyi- nobody loves russia.  Not even russians.  Especially not russians.

<3
M

Floating Customs Boat

The first thing you'll notice about Russia is the massive amount of red tape.

Here, the Whisper is docked to a concrete pier.  Between the sidewalk and the pier however, is a floating customs boat.  You have to walk through that if you want to visit Russia.

Unfortunately, to visit Russia, you need a visa.

The only exception is for cruise passengers to have a tour excursion ticket and be escorted by a Russian guide.

I know, you want to play Tetris.

The "onion domes" signify a Russian orthodox church.  The inspiration behind this shape is actually the flame of a candle.

Picture prayers ascending to heaven, or rather, the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 8).

Russia is obsessed with Egypt.

(I expected nothing less from Magog).

Pavlovsk Palace in Pushkin

The first palace I visited was Pavlovsk Palace in the city of Pushkin.

This was one of the summer homes of Peter the Great.

I love how every time you visit a palace they make you put on either plastic or cloth feeties.

You know, I'd rather wear these in some people's houses instead of having to take my shoes off all the time.  You know who you are.

Maybe I'm a lion.

I took this picture mostly so you can see the curvature of the palace just in cast you couldn't tell from the one posted above.  Pavlovsk Palace looks like a giant C.

Chapel inside the palace

If the Tsars wanted to go to church, they didn't have to go very far.  This chapel is one of the many rooms of the palace.

Looking at the palace from the outside, you can always spot the chapel because it will have onion domes adorning that portion of the building.  You will notice this several photos down when I show you Catherine's palace.

This picture was taken from the balcony of the chapel looking down.

Palace of Catherine the Great

Quick note: Catherine's Palace is massive.

This is just a portion of the front.

It wraps around on both sides.

Every once in a while, you won't be allowed to take photos inside certain rooms.  This is the amber room.  And yes, there are no photos allowed inside the amber room.  Of course, that meant I had to take a picture.

The walls are adorned with Baltic Amber.  If you'd like to know what Baltic Amber is, watch Jurassic Park.

The Culprit

Giant room gilded with gold

Where did Catherine the Great go to church?  Probably right there is that part of her house.

There is one big dome and four little ones.  They signify Christ and the four evangelists.

Catherine was famous for a certain lifestyle.  I'll let you look it up.  I wonder if this area of the palace was even used that much.

St. Petersburg has a lot of statues.

St. Izaaks Cathedral

St. Izaak's Cathedral is probably the only Russian Orthodox cathedral to have a Roman dome.  It was build by Peter the Great (I think...I'm doing all this from memory) to basically rival Rome.  Like many things in Russia, it's a display of their machismo, as if to say, "Look, we've got one of these too."  Like many buildings in Russia, it was severely damaged in the...wars, probably world war II (f#cking Nazis).  When they restored St. Izaaks, they decided to leave some of the shrapnel damage in the columns as a memorial.  A memorial that I apparently didn't take a picture of.

St. Izaaks also makes a nice hat.