Easy Go Traveler: APRIL 5-7

The Kazan Cathedral

Don't tell my wife, but I had a love affair with St. Petersburg. Having spent the last three days in this magestic city, I don't even know where to begin, so I will just gush about how much I love this place. Maybe after a few paragraphs, my raging traveler libido will subside so I can provide you with some thoughtful insight rather than offering only paragraphs of unrestrained geo-passion.

St. Isaac's Cathedral

I met St. Petersburg on Wednesday afternoon, having departed Moscow on the high-speed Sapsan train. Speeding through the Russian forest and tundra at 125 mph, it only took about 4 hours to make the trip. And as you'll recall, we were pressed into first class seats, so the trip went by even faster thanks to an open bar and a hot meal. When we got off the train, it felt like St. Petersburg had planned a special ceremony for our arrival... The sun was shining, crowds gathered around the terminal to meet the passengers, and a heroic-sounding melody (perhaps a Russian victory march) blared over the speakers as we entered the station. It was rather grandiose and a bit surreal. While our first experiences in Moscow were overwhelming and hectic, our introduction to St. Petersburg could not have been any more opposite. The train station is in the heart of the town, sitting at a traffic circle on Nevsky Prospekt, the city's main thoroughfare. Walking out of the train station, we immediately noticed the magnificent facades of every building in sight, which made every building look intricate, impeccable, and important. Block after block, the city's beauty was relentless. We could literally take a picture of every building that we walked past.

Canal Griboyedova

After dropping our bags off at the Hotel Roses (highly recommended, and very well priced through booking.com), we took our first of many walks along Nevsky Prospekt. The street was lined with magnificent cathedrals, theaters, museums, statutes, and canals. Down one canal, we could see the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood - a massive Cathedral built in the same style as St. Basil's, complete with the colorful onion domes shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Block after block, the streets were pristine... I'm talking 'lick-the-sidewalk' clean.

A couple blocks down Nevsky Prospekt, we found our traveler mecca: Куnцов Елцсеевых (good luck pronouncing that) - a restored 19th century market and cafe. It is one of those special places you never want to leave. The architecture and decor were exquisite - the light fixtures were elaborate golden floral arrangements, the molding along the ceiling was beautifully carved and painted with gold leaves. The floor was a dark wood, and matching wooden counters circled the perimeter of the interior. Behind the counters were nine different 'stores', each selling some delectable food: black caviar, meats, cheeses, vodkas, coffee, candies, and the most colorful, incredible assortment of baked goods you can imagine. The building, the food, the large number of people pressed up against the counter, each excited to get a glimpse of these specialties - it was like hundreds of kids in a candy store. Mesmerized by the beauty of the building, we knew we couldn't leave without trying a little treat. After much debate, we settled on an orange tart - it was shiny, dome-shaped, with a candied orange on top and a layer of pistachio below. Putting the fork through it, it had a custardy texture... and the taste... oh, the taste. My knees almost buckled when I tasted the creamy, eggy, subtly citrus dessert. This is possibly the most delectable dessert I have ever tasted (a very good reason we why went back to this place three times during our three days in St. Pete).

There are so many tourist sights, but to avoid sounding like a guidebook, I will spare you the details. But a few of the highlights included:

The Hermitage - a massive museum rivaling the Louvre in quantity and quality. The most impressive part of the museum may actually be the architecture and decor of the museum itself - the Hermitage collection is housed in the 18th century Winter Palace, where the Russian Tsars lived until 1917.

St. Isaac's Cathedral - from the collonade at the base of the shimmering gold dome, we could see the entire city on a clear morning. Inside, the Cathedral is a working museum with intricate iconography and soaring marble columns.

The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood - easily St. Petersburg's most recognizable structure from the outside, the interior is the world's largest mosaic, portraying icons and Biblical scenes from the floor to the domed ceiling.

It is fascinating to hear what happened to such magnificent churches during the Soviet reign. Atheism is a fundamental trait of Communism (and a majority of Russians/Eastern Europeans remain atheist today), so the government shut down the churches and converted them to a wide array of buildings for public use. The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood was used as an agriculture/produce warehouse.

And the incredible sights and stories from Russia's long history are prevalent all across this town.

Borscht

Like Moscow, the food in St. Petersburg did not disappoint, either. We didn't get our fill of borscht in Russia, which was always satisfying on the cold, snowy days. We went to St. Petersburg's famous farmer's market, where they are very generous with the samples. If you ever make it to Kuznechny market, the pickled vegetables, the fresh cheeses, and the fresh floral honeys are all fantastic, and samples will surely be shoved in your face if you just walk around glancing at everything that looks good.

Kuznechny Market

We went to Kavkaz, a popular restaurant for Georgian food (skewered meats and spicy soups, with a strong Middle Eastern influence). The flavors were full of heat and spice, and we were serenaded by a Georgian woman crooning to her favorite Casio synthesizer tracks. The diversity of food amongst the former Soviet states was fascinating, and fortunately in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, it is easy to find culinary variety in the form or Uzbek, Georgian, Azerbijian, and Ukranian cuisine.

But no trip to St. Petersburg is complete until you discover the joy of the blini - the Russian version of the crepe, just a bit thicker and fluffier. We couldn't get enough, so I offer this ridiculous Dr. Suess-esque description:

Blini with Apple and Rhubarb

Blinis when awake and blinis when we dream, We ate our blinis with herring, with fruit, with sour cream, We are them with caviar, with chocolate, with beef, The amazing variety was beyond our belief, We ate them in fancy places and in a fast food spot, We ate some of them cold, we ate some of them hot, We ate them with a fork, with a spoon, with our hands, The blini would always satisfy our intense hunger demands, We ate blinis in the morning, we are blinis in the night, We liked our blinis... We liked them alright.

Herring Blini Pie

Blini & Sour Cream

Chocolate Blini

Blini & Caviar

You get it... we liked the food. And we also liked the shopping. In pretty much every city across Europe, we are innundated by mass-produced, made in China, cheap souvenirs. In Russia, that isn't the case. The majority of the goods are still made domestically, so the quality and authenticity was not compromised. It seemed that every store and souvenir stand was chalk-full of fantastic Russian keepsakes. Fortunately, we had plenty of room in our bags (another unsolicited Easy Go backpack plug), so we were able to load up on some great Russian-made products. Matryoshka dolls galore!

The Winter Palace

Another incredible surprise was how safe Russia felt. I know that some folks at home were concerned about our safety while in Russia, but everyone can rest easy. Across Europe, petty crime is prevalent while violent crime is quite low (compared to U.S. standards), but Russia felt even safer than almost any Western European city I have visited, Granted, tourists should always be extra-alert about their surroundings (especially in the Metro stops). But any heightened concerns about Russia were quickly put at ease.

And did I mention how beautiful this city was? Even after three days of walking down the same streets over and over, I was still in awe.

My parting words on Russia: Moscow and (especially) St. Petersburg are tourism bombs waiting to explode. Strict visa requirements and a short tourist season due to the northern proximity have left these cities largely unaffected by crowds of foreigners (relative to other European cities - don't get me wrong, there are other tourists around, especially during the white nights of summer when it stays light until 3am). But the crowds and will only grow and the experience will become watered down as Russia continues to grow in its newly capitalized condition. I would strongly urge anyone to make this trip while the border remains so strongly regulated, but with the caveat that this should not be the first stop on a European vacation for a green traveler. As fantastic as this destination may be, there are some obstacles that can be easier coped with once you have your travel legs under you: the language barrier is difficult and the locals are not saavy in dealing with tourists and non-Russian speakers (so patience can be tested), the water is not potable, the police presence is overwhelming (especially in Moscow, where if you feel unsafe, the police are probably the ones making you feel that way), and the visa application process is far too burdensome. But this is the time to visit Russia, while the country has not yet compromised itself in favor of the almighty tourist dollar (Prague being the biggest and best example of wholesaling itself to tourists).

Speaking of which, Prague is our next stop. We are sad to leave Russia, but we are excited for another fantastic week ahead. April 5 Walked - 9.53 miles Total walked - 90.30 miles April 6 Walked - 14.87 miles Total walked - 105.17 miles April 7 Walked - 13.81 miles Total waked - 118.98 miles