From the outside, the ship looked about the same as any of the others we had traveled on thus far. It wasn't until we got onboard that we got our first clue as to the sorry state of this "cruise-ferry." I had done a bit of reading ahead of time on the subject of the "Princess Anastasia" (our boat). Although it had started life as a Scandinavian cruiseliner, it had changed hands a number of times over the last couple decades, ultimately becoming a "mini-cruise" ship (it made a weekly circuit between St. Petersburg, Stockholm, and Tallinn).
Most of our fellow passengers were middle-class Russians who were on holiday. They had come with all the usual accoutrements that we've come to expect from Russian tourists: tiny bathing suits (I'm talking about the men here), gold necklaces (again, talking about the men), and a hearty appetite for alcohol. Our cruise ship was organized with such tourists in mind, and featured all of the amenities that tourists of the former Soviet Bloc could ask for: a casino, a discotheque, several bars, plenty of deck space for sun-bathing, and a "gentlemen's club" (whose name was both shocking and hilarious - I don't dare repeat it here).
We had come prepared with a self-catered dinner and breakfast, and spent the first hours of the journey on the top deck (amid scantily clad, chain-smoking Russians who were working on their tans). We enjoyed a lovely meal very similar to that on the Swedish ferry: more smoked salmon, accompanied by some delicious Estonian produce (the strawberries were especially delicious - we ate at least a half kilo between us).
We arrived at St. Petersburg at 8AM the following day, and discovered the joys of entering a country through a little-used border crossing. We only waited in line about 15 minutes to get our passports stamped (although they scrutinized our visas for quite awhile - they were a little suspicious about them having been issued in Hong Kong). Our B&B in St. Pete had sent a car to pick us up at the ferry, and by 9AM, we were already at our hotel.
Of all the hotels we stayed in on this trip (there were 10 in total), the B&B in St. Petersburg was Emily's favorite. I think that the proprietor "Natalia" was to thank for this. She was a lovely woman (we guessed she was in her mid-40's or early 50's) who had worked as an Engineer in Minsk before emigrating to Texas after the fall of the Soviet Union. She had learned excellent English, and become a US citizen before moving back to St. Pete to start the B&B we were staying in. Natalia made St. Pete for us. She suggested wonderful restaurants, gave us great tourist tips, and cooked us delightful breakfasts (we especially enjoyed the farmer-cheese fritters with jam and sour cream!). Our only regret: we never took any pictures of her or the B&B.
The Neva River in St. Petersburg
We saw this car carrying a couple to their wedding.
Although St. Pete has a great subway system, we never used it. Natalia gave us a great map and showed us how to walk to all the sights. We must have walked about 8-10 miles a day during the 2 days we were in St. Petersburg. Here's some of what we saw:
The cathedral inside of the "St. Peter & Paul Fortress." It was very beautiful inside, but more of a mausoleum than a church (it was made to hold the remains of members of the royal family, and "common" people weren't allowed to worship there - how shocking that the communists resented the state religion of the Tsars).
The prison inside the fortress. Emily is doing her best to empathize with the prisoners of the tsarist era.
The halls of the prison: many famous Russian revolutionaries (and other "troublemakers") were imprisoned here, including Fyodor Dostoevsky and Maxim Gorky.
We stopped by "The Hermitage" museum (housed in the old Tsarist "Winter Palace"). It was a lovely palace, filled with gilt chandeliers and some of the most beautiful inlaid floors we'd ever seen. (We visited one of the world's great art museums, and the most memorable element was the floors. What does that say about our level of sophistication?)
We stopped by the "Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood." (in the background in the photo below). It's very similar to St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow, although not as old.
Thanks to Natalia's suggestions, we ate some great Russian food in St. Petersburg. Throughout our trip, we did our best to take pictures of the foods we ate along the way (thanks for the suggestion, Kalina!). Here's what we had to eat at a restaurant called "The Idiot" (named for the Dostoevsky novel of the same name):
These are "Pelmeni," which are basically just dumplings (in this case stuffed with mushrooms). We discovered that Russians eat a lot of sour cream, potatoes, mushrooms, and dill.
Emily had some potatoes stuffed with mushrooms and covered in...(you guessed it) sour cream!
We've decided that we like homestays and B&B's for the "insider's" perspective it gives you on a city. In St. Pete, our hostess not only suggested great restaurants and helpful tourist tips, but she also narrated the city for us. Here's an example:
These locks were attached to bridges all over the city. We noticed that most were engraved with dates and the names of couples. Natalia explained to us that it is a tradition in St. Petersburg on the day of your wedding to attach a lock to a bridge with the name of you and your spouse (fun twist on the English expression "tie the knot"). We thought it would be fun to attach a lock to one of the bridges here in Hong Kong (although I'm sure we'd get fined for violating some littering law)!
No questions for you this week. If you would like to comment, we'd love to hear from you!
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