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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Russia 2019 Day 10: St. Petersburg Walking Tour
Russia 2019 Day 10: 18th May (Saturday)
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).
This is page 10 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D9: St. Petersburg Palaces | Go to Other Days | D11: St. Petersburg Cycling >
1. Traffic Directions!
Driving in Russia is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.
Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 110 km/h along expressways, and 120 km/h on highways.2. Getting to & around Russia.
Since Russia's "special military operation" into Ukraine, accessibility to Russia by air has been limited. But several airlines (including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines) still operate flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
We flew return with Thai Airways from Kuala_Lumpur (KLIA) to Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) with short transits at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport). Presently, Thai Airways still flies from Bangkok to Moscow but now lands at Vnukovo Airport.
We booked hotels, train tickets, and several meals via the internet. Ground arrangements (and airport transfers) in Moscow were made through Alexander of Angel Tour, who can be contacted through WhatsApp at this phone number: +7926-435-86-87.
Ground arrangements (and train station transfers) in St. Petersburg were made through Tayna (contact no.: +7921-923-12-27), a local agent in St. Petersburg.
Travelling around the cities was in a 16-seater van. Travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg was by the Red Arrow Sleeper Train and the Sapsan High Speed Train. Within Moscow, we got around using the Moscow Metro.
For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some Russian Rubles before leaving. We also brought along our Big Pay debit cards, as these can be used to withdraw Russian Rubles at ATMs. Debit and credit cards can also be used, but many smaller shops or market stalls only accept cash transactions. Click here for exchange rates to Rubles (presently 1MYR = 18.67 RUR, i.e. Russian Rubles).
3. Immigration & Customs Requirements
Tourists entering Russia will need a tourist visa, which can only be obtained via a TOURIST CONFIRMATION VOUCHER issued by a Russian travel agency or a Russian hotel that has the license to invite foreign tourists. This can be done through a local travel agency affiliated with a Russian travel agency to obtain this invitation letter. The following is a list of countries that are visa-exempt to enter Russia.
For Malaysians, leaving and returning to Malaysia, getting through immigration is easier now. Just install and register MyBorderPass, and getting through will be a breeze. A QR code will be generated; have this scanned, and you're through.
4. Places & Things of Interest
There were many scenic and interesting places along the way, but one should not miss the following:
- Admiralty Building (Главное адмиралтейство) (GPS: 59.93749, 30.30866).
- Senate Square (Сенатская площадь) (GPS: 59.93565, 30.30210).
- Bronze Horseman (Медный всадник) (GPS: 59.93637, 30.30223).
- Monument to Nikolay Przhevalsky (Пржевальский, Николай Михайлович) (GPS: 59.93599, 30.30713).
- Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library (Президентская библиотека имени Б. Н. Ельцина) (GPS: 59.93510, 30.30217).
- Saint Isaac's Square (Исаакиевская площадь) (GPS: 59.93320, 30.30743).
- Saint Isaac's Cathedral (Исаакиевский собор) (GPS: 59.93390, 30.30648).
- Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood (Спас на Крови) (GPS: 59.94010, 30.32890).
- Kazan Cathedral (Казанский собор (Санкт-Петербург)) (GPS: 59.93420, 30.32457).
- Palace Square (Дворцовая площадь) (GPS: 59.93894, 30.31498).
- State Hermitage Museum (Эрмитаж) (website) (GPS: 59.93983, 30.31455).
- Winter Palace (Зимний дворец) (GPS: 59.94041, 30.31379).
- Singer House (Дом компании «Зингер») (GPS: 59.93567, 30.32572).
- Admiralty Building (Главное адмиралтейство) (GPS: 59.93749, 30.30866).
- Senate Square (Сенатская площадь) (GPS: 59.93565, 30.30210).
- Bronze Horseman (Медный всадник) (GPS: 59.93637, 30.30223).
- Monument to Nikolay Przhevalsky (Пржевальский, Николай Михайлович) (GPS: 59.93599, 30.30713).
- Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library (Президентская библиотека имени Б. Н. Ельцина) (GPS: 59.93510, 30.30217).
- Saint Isaac's Square (Исаакиевская площадь) (GPS: 59.93320, 30.30743).
- Saint Isaac's Cathedral (Исаакиевский собор) (GPS: 59.93390, 30.30648).
- Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood (Спас на Крови) (GPS: 59.94010, 30.32890).
- Kazan Cathedral (Казанский собор (Санкт-Петербург)) (GPS: 59.93420, 30.32457).
- Palace Square (Дворцовая площадь) (GPS: 59.93894, 30.31498).
- State Hermitage Museum (Эрмитаж) (website) (GPS: 59.93983, 30.31455).
- Winter Palace (Зимний дворец) (GPS: 59.94041, 30.31379).
- Singer House (Дом компании «Зингер») (GPS: 59.93567, 30.32572).
- Eliseyev Emporium (Дом торгового товарищества) (GPS: 59.93416, 30.33750).
- Anichkov Bridge (Аничков мост) (GPS: 59.93324, 30.34338).
- Anichkov Bridge (Аничков мост) (GPS: 59.93324, 30.34338).
5. Food
a. Breakfast
Inclusive Russian & Western Breakfast buffet at Tchaikovsky House (Дом Чайковского) (GPS: 59.93567, 30.31245).
Russian & Western fare at The Marketplace (GPS: 59.93676, 30.32748) at Griboyedov Channel embankment 8/1 outlet.
c. Dinner
Arka Bar & Restaurant (GPS: 59.93726, 30.32118) (website) (menu):
Duck Breast with Spicy Apple Jam, Jerusalem Artichoke soup, Hummus with Vegetable Sticks, Pan-fried Trout.
Duck Breast with Spicy Apple Jam, Jerusalem Artichoke soup, Hummus with Vegetable Sticks, Pan-fried Trout.
6. Accommodations
Second of four nights at Tchaikovsky House (Дом Чайковского) (GPS: 59.93567, 30.31245) in St. Petersburg.
7. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Back then, it was not easy to buy Russian Sim cards, and our Moscow guide got the Beeline physical SIM cards (with 14 days unlimited data) at 700 RUR (MYR 37.50) for us before we arrived.
Even now, it is not easy to purchase a SIM card. However, it is possible to buy Russian Sim cards online; just be aware of the restrictions posted earlier.
8. Communicating with Locals
At hotels and tourist spots, locals speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, most locals speak only Russian. As such, it would be good to know some basic Russian.
9. Dressing
When entering churches and monasteries, it is advisable to wear long pants, especially for women. Ladies will also have to wear headscarves or veils. Caps and hats should be taken off when in churches and monasteries.
10. Weather
Useful weather forecast sites for Russia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
The day before was a full day in St. Petersburg, and we visited a couple of opulent palaces, i.e., Catherine Palace and Peterhof Palace. And later took the high-speed Meteor Hydrofoil Boat Ride along the Gulf of Finland back to the city.
It's a walking tour today, and Tanya, our local guide, took us to several key places in St. Petersburg city centre, including parks, canals and stately museum buildings.
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DAY 10: ST. PETERSBURG WALKING TOUR
Many of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)
Tanya, our local guide, met us at our apartment and straight away started our walking tour. We kicked off with a quick visit to the Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
A distinct landmark in Saint Petersburg, the cathedral currently functions as a museum with occasional church services. It was originally built as a cathedral but was turned into a museum by the Soviet government in 1931 and has remained a museum ever since. Church services have been held in a side chapel since the 1990s.
Tanya, our local guide, met us at our apartment and straight away started our walking tour. We kicked off with a quick visit to the Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
A distinct landmark in Saint Petersburg, the cathedral currently functions as a museum with occasional church services. It was originally built as a cathedral but was turned into a museum by the Soviet government in 1931 and has remained a museum ever since. Church services have been held in a side chapel since the 1990s.
It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who was born on the feast day of that saint.
Just outside is Saint Isaac's Square, a simple square with a lawn encircled by low hedges.
In contrast, further away, beautiful crown tulips bloom a bright yellow at the Senate Square.
Contrary to popular belief, tulips did not originate in Holland. Tulips originally grew as wild mountain flowers on the steppes and high ranges of Central Asia. They were first cultivated by Turkic and Persian peoples around the 10th or 11th century before becoming a cherished symbol of wealth and power in the Ottoman Empire.
From here, European diplomats and travelers sent tulip bulbs to Western Europe in the late 1500s. The bulbs arrived in Holland, sparking an intense economic craze ("Tulip Mania") in the 1630s where rare bulbs sold for extraordinary prices.
Just outside is Saint Isaac's Square, a simple square with a lawn encircled by low hedges.
In contrast, further away, beautiful crown tulips bloom a bright yellow at the Senate Square.
Contrary to popular belief, tulips did not originate in Holland. Tulips originally grew as wild mountain flowers on the steppes and high ranges of Central Asia. They were first cultivated by Turkic and Persian peoples around the 10th or 11th century before becoming a cherished symbol of wealth and power in the Ottoman Empire.
From here, European diplomats and travelers sent tulip bulbs to Western Europe in the late 1500s. The bulbs arrived in Holland, sparking an intense economic craze ("Tulip Mania") in the 1630s where rare bulbs sold for extraordinary prices.
St. Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 on the site of a captured Swedish fortress, and was named after the apostle Saint Peter. The city is historically and culturally associated with the birth of the Russian Empire and Russia's entry into modern history as a European great power. It served as the capital of the Tsardom of Russia; and the subsequent Russian Empire, from 1712 to 1918.
So, it is only natural to see the Bronze Horseman, a statue dedicated to Peter the Great, erected here at the Senate Square.
Also at the square is the Monument to Nikolay Przhevalsky.
He is a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reached his ultimate goal, the city of Lhasa in Tibet, he still travelled through regions then unknown to Westerners, such as northern Tibet (modern Tibet Autonomous Region), Amdo (now Qinghai) and Dzungaria (now northern Xinjiang)
Much further away is the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library, one of the three national Libraries in Russia. It is named after Boris Yeltsin, who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999.
At the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood.
The church was erected on the site where Narodnaya Volya members assassinated Emperor Alexander II in March 1881. It was funded by the Romanov imperial family in honor of Alexander II, and the "on Spilled Blood" refers to his assassination.
Inside view of the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood.
Designed by Alfred Parland and Archimandrite Ignaty, the exterior heavily mirrors Moscow's iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral and traditional churches from Yaroslavl.
The interior is completely coated in over 7,500 square meters of intricate, fine-detailed mosaic artwork designed by famous artists like Viktor Vasnetsov and Mikhail Vrubel. The Shrine is a specialized ornate canopy that marks the exact spot on the floor where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated.
12:15 pm - Western/Russian lunch at the The Marketplace at Griboyedov Channel embankment 8/1 outlet:
The Singer House, an interesting name for a building in Russia.
The building was constructed in 1902–1904 by the leading Petersburg architect of the time, Pavel Suzor, for the Russian headquarters of the American Singer Sewing Machine Company. After the Russian Revolution, the house was nationalized and since 1919 used for offices of the editors' houses of various magazines and publishers. The main city bookshop was opened in 1938 and stayed operative even during World War II.
On the opposite side is the Kazan Cathedral.
Completed in 1811, it is also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. It is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church and is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan. Architect Andrey Voronikhin modelled the building after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
The highlight of our city tour is the Winter Palace, with a total area of 14.2 hectares; it is one of the largest palaces in the world. Situated between Palace Embankment and Palace Square, it houses the State Hermitage Museum, which alone covers 5 hectares.
The State Hermitage Museum, holds the largest collection of paintings in the world. It was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day. It has been open to the public since 1852. The Art Newspaper ranked the museum 10th in their list of the most visited art museums, with 2,812,913 visitors in 2022.
Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items (the numismatic collection accounting for about one-third of them).
The above post shows two pieces of Madonna and the Child by Leonardo da Vinci; one is the Madonna Litta and the other is the Benois Madonna.
The artworks are displayed in a large complex of six historic buildings, arranged in different rooms under different categories. The above is a painting titled "Room of Italian Schools", a 342x418mm watercolour painted by Edward Hau in 1853, which is an example of how the artworks were categorised.
Elaborate mosaic art lined many of the ceilings.
Even the corridors are elaborately decorated with paintings
And some of the floors are not spared; the above is a Roman Mosaic Table Otricoli, carved between 1847-1851 in Rome by Vasily Raev, Yegor Solntsev, Ivan Shapovalov and Stepan Fyodorov.
"Lamentation"- Stained glass, German after the drawing by Barthel Bruyn the Elder (1493-1555)
"Portrait of an Old Jew" (1654) - an old master by Rembrandt (1606-1669).
Another "Madonna and Child", this one by Bartolomeo Vivarini (1432-1491) from the collection of Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov.
7:30pm - After freshening up back at our apartment, we took a walk out for dinner, walking past the Moyka River, its blue water bobbing calmly.,
Our dinner at Arka Bar & Restaurant:
Duck Breast with Spicy Apple Jam, Jerusalem Artichoke soup, Hummus with Vegetable Sticks, Pan-fried Trout.
Our dinner at Arka Bar & Restaurant:
Duck Breast with Spicy Apple Jam, Jerusalem Artichoke soup, Hummus with Vegetable Sticks, Pan-fried Trout.
Russian
Rendezvous 2019: Daily Log Day 10 - 18th May Saturday
Вкусный ужин!
(That's "Vkusnyy uzhin!" meaning "A delicious meal!" in Russian)
(For more photos of Day 10, Click Here)
This is page 10 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D9: St. Petersburg Palaces | Go to Other Days | D11: St. Petersburg Cycling >
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