Sunday, September 1, 2013
Day 12 Peterhof and the Metro
On the bus again for the trip out of town to the Summer Palace built by Peter, called Peterhof. The direct road was blocked due to the preparations for the G20, so we had to take a very circuitous route. we finally got there before too many other tourists from the cruise ships. Lots of Koreans and Japanese. This was another huge palace built to impress other heads of state who were visiting, but it sure impressed us also. From the gold encrusted staircase to the ornate reception hall, it was opulence to the hilt. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I did anyway surreptitiously. When I get to upload my camera pictures, I'll show them.
Outside was an enormous fountain with gold statues, overlooking the enormous grounds. With the G20 coming, preparations were being made for the event. There were a gazillion lights being placed around the grounds; the kind that move synchronously, as well as sound booths inside for multiple reporters. We saw one of the tables where some of the talks will be held, in the former palace throne room. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.
Coming back to town, we had a "free" afternoon. Silvija suggested a ride on the Metro to see the various stations. Of course, our whole group took her up on it. We were dropped off by one Metro station, and we stopped into a little cafe to grab a bite. Since I didn't have too many Rubles just then, I wanted to pay with my credit card. When she asked for my PIN, I was stuck. It seems every debit card AND credit card in Europe comes with a PIN. Sylvija came to the rescue and advanced me the 200 rubles I needed.
Returning to the Metro, we bought our tokens (28 Rubles each) and boarded. The trains were clean but noisy. Since there is no need for air conditioning, the windows were open which led to a considerable racket. We went to a number of stations which were all decorated differently with murals to the glorious revolution, the glorious defeat of the Nazis in the World War, and the glorious history of Russian literature. Even the air handling vents had different decorations.
We saw 4 or 5 stations and ended up at Nevsky Prospect, the main drag of town. Even for a Sunday, it was crowded, but Sylvija said this was relatively light. We found one of the boats to do a cruise of the canals. There was even a guided tour, which was entirely in Russian. My feeling was the lady didn't tell the jokes right. The light was good, however, and many good pictures presented themselves of the Church of the Spilled Blood, the Hermitage and other sites until it got cloudy and rain threatened. Luckily, it never did rain before we got back.
We got some coffee and sweets at the Singer Cafe, a wonderful Art Deco building that really was built by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. It is now a bookstore with a cafe.
Metro home by ourselves which wasn't much for Ann and me, but was scary for others of the group unused to riding a Metro.
Our final dinner was special. Everyone gave a little talk about what they had learned, and most spoke of the plight of the Baltic States in the past 50-100 years. They never really had an ally, and were pushed around by all sides . They were the pawns of Europe; a trifling to be sacrificed by one side or another for some larger gain. The human toll was devastating. Somehow, they maintained their will to independence and are now thriving.
Sylvija passed out DVDs of the picture she had been taking all along of us. We were thrilled. She has been a very special tour guide: our Mother Hen looking after us and doing lots of work in the background to ensure the quality of our experience. It was very nice to have met her family and see their interactions. I left my Nationals hat with her son, Gustav, hopefully to replace his Yankees hat. The group overall was very copicetic. We made some wonderful friends, especially Art and Laurie from Florida. One of the group asked us how long we had known each other before this trip!
More final thoughts in a while...
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Outside was an enormous fountain with gold statues, overlooking the enormous grounds. With the G20 coming, preparations were being made for the event. There were a gazillion lights being placed around the grounds; the kind that move synchronously, as well as sound booths inside for multiple reporters. We saw one of the tables where some of the talks will be held, in the former palace throne room. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.
Coming back to town, we had a "free" afternoon. Silvija suggested a ride on the Metro to see the various stations. Of course, our whole group took her up on it. We were dropped off by one Metro station, and we stopped into a little cafe to grab a bite. Since I didn't have too many Rubles just then, I wanted to pay with my credit card. When she asked for my PIN, I was stuck. It seems every debit card AND credit card in Europe comes with a PIN. Sylvija came to the rescue and advanced me the 200 rubles I needed.
Returning to the Metro, we bought our tokens (28 Rubles each) and boarded. The trains were clean but noisy. Since there is no need for air conditioning, the windows were open which led to a considerable racket. We went to a number of stations which were all decorated differently with murals to the glorious revolution, the glorious defeat of the Nazis in the World War, and the glorious history of Russian literature. Even the air handling vents had different decorations.
We saw 4 or 5 stations and ended up at Nevsky Prospect, the main drag of town. Even for a Sunday, it was crowded, but Sylvija said this was relatively light. We found one of the boats to do a cruise of the canals. There was even a guided tour, which was entirely in Russian. My feeling was the lady didn't tell the jokes right. The light was good, however, and many good pictures presented themselves of the Church of the Spilled Blood, the Hermitage and other sites until it got cloudy and rain threatened. Luckily, it never did rain before we got back.
We got some coffee and sweets at the Singer Cafe, a wonderful Art Deco building that really was built by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. It is now a bookstore with a cafe.
Metro home by ourselves which wasn't much for Ann and me, but was scary for others of the group unused to riding a Metro.
Our final dinner was special. Everyone gave a little talk about what they had learned, and most spoke of the plight of the Baltic States in the past 50-100 years. They never really had an ally, and were pushed around by all sides . They were the pawns of Europe; a trifling to be sacrificed by one side or another for some larger gain. The human toll was devastating. Somehow, they maintained their will to independence and are now thriving.
Sylvija passed out DVDs of the picture she had been taking all along of us. We were thrilled. She has been a very special tour guide: our Mother Hen looking after us and doing lots of work in the background to ensure the quality of our experience. It was very nice to have met her family and see their interactions. I left my Nationals hat with her son, Gustav, hopefully to replace his Yankees hat. The group overall was very copicetic. We made some wonderful friends, especially Art and Laurie from Florida. One of the group asked us how long we had known each other before this trip!
More final thoughts in a while...
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Day 11: Saint Pete Evening
Day 11: Saint Pete Evening
We didn't really stop for dinner as we had a 7:00 show. We walked to the theater, but had an unexpected surprise on the way. One of the customs here and in the Baltics is for newly weds to take a lock and lock it on a bridge railing and throw the keys into the river. Thus the marriage is "locked in place" and you'd have to hire a diver to retrieve the keys to unlock the marriage. Since we were here for our 40th anniversary, Silvija bought a lock for us and we locked it on the bridge over the Narva and we threw the keys in the river. Very cute and romantic.
We proceeded to the theater which was an interesting building dedicated to Lenin. Before the performance there was champagne, and lots of little stalls to buy schlock.... Aah, souvenirs. The performance started ok with a Russian barbershop quartet, but the proceeded to dancing natives in colorful costumes. I had seen this show before, but as I said, I had been outvoted. The 2 shots of vodka at intermission helped.
A little cheese plate later sufficed for dinner.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We didn't really stop for dinner as we had a 7:00 show. We walked to the theater, but had an unexpected surprise on the way. One of the customs here and in the Baltics is for newly weds to take a lock and lock it on a bridge railing and throw the keys into the river. Thus the marriage is "locked in place" and you'd have to hire a diver to retrieve the keys to unlock the marriage. Since we were here for our 40th anniversary, Silvija bought a lock for us and we locked it on the bridge over the Narva and we threw the keys in the river. Very cute and romantic.
We proceeded to the theater which was an interesting building dedicated to Lenin. Before the performance there was champagne, and lots of little stalls to buy schlock.... Aah, souvenirs. The performance started ok with a Russian barbershop quartet, but the proceeded to dancing natives in colorful costumes. I had seen this show before, but as I said, I had been outvoted. The 2 shots of vodka at intermission helped.
A little cheese plate later sufficed for dinner.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
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