Days 5 & 6

St. Petersburg
Russia

St. Petersburg is situated on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, in the delta of the River Neva, some 400 miles northwest of Moscow. It is considered the most European od all the great cities of Russia, and a living monument to the opulent days of Imperialism. 
The City, with a population of over 5 million inhabitants, boasts the largest sea port in the country and is an important maritime center. It is built on a series of islands spread over a wide area, in an attractive plan of large squares, parks, boulevards and broad streets. A network of 60 rivers and canals criss-cross the City and are spanned by 400 bridges, making it reminiscent of Venice or Amsterdam. The principal waterway is River Neva which is contained within impressive granite banks, and it was along this river that Russian classicism flourished. 
The central city is dominated by 18th and 19th century baroque, neo-classical architecture.
St. Petersburg is relatively young for a European city and less than three centuries have passed since the first structure, Peter and Paul Fortress, was built by Peter the Great in 1703. However, it has a rich cultural and political history, being both the home of the Imperial Family and the cradle of the Proletarian Revolution, for it was here that Lenin began his revolutionary activity and laid the foundations of the Communist Party. 
Today St. Petersburg is the most popular tourist city in the country for both Russian and 
foreign visitors.
(Royal Caribbean Port Explorer)

 

Some of St. Petersburg's
highlights:

Church of the 
Savior on Spilled Blood,
where Alexander II was assassinated 
in 1881.
Catherine the Great's Palace in Pushkin
Peter and Paul Cathedral and Museum

The Palace Square
One of the many canals in St. Petersburg
The Hermitage Museum
The Bronze Horseman - Statue of Peter the Great


Great site about St. Petersburg

Entering Catherine the Great's Palace.
Lunch at a beautiful local restaurant
In front of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Entering the Peter and Paul Cathedral
The Chapel of Saint Catherine the Martyr and the Tomb of Nicholas II and his servants
The following day ... relaxing enjoying a warm sun


Go to page 224
Helsinki, Finland 

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