St.Petersburg, Russia - Day 1

The highlight and the moment we were all waiting for was arriving at St.Petersburg, Russia. I was filled with excitement, not just because of the hot russian guys *winks* but also because i have heard a lot about St.petersburg and from watching Anastasia..it gives you and idea and expectation. I had very high expectations and I'm happy to say that St.Petersburg certainly lived up to my expectations *yay!!*.

St. Petersburg is situated on the eastern shore of the Gulf Of Finland and is considered the most european of all the great cities of Russia.Built by Peter the Great in 1703 as russia's "window to the west', St.Petersburg is Russia's biggest port, a huge industrial center and truly an international city.The city has a population of over 5 million inhabitants and is rich of its italianate palaces, ornate cathedrals and broad boulevards. It has a network of 60 rivers and canals criss-cross the city and have about 400 bridges.

There were so many places to see and so many things do, thus the cruise was docked at the port for 2 days. St.petersburg is not a place where you can do your own touring, there was so many details, history and information which was important. We as well as 90% of the people on board the cruise signed up for tours. The disadvantage of the tours is that we had to get by 6 am and have breakfast because we had to gather by 7.45. You really cant complain, cause there was so many things to see and so little time. On day 1, the tour we booked was the tour around St.Petersburg with Hermitage.

The Saint Nicholas Naval Cathedral

Mariinskiy Theatre named after Maria, the daughter or Emperor Nicholas I

Premi at Isaakievskaya Square. The statue behind is the monument of nicholas.

This is St.Isaac's Cathedral. This Cathedral was built between 1818 and 1858. It is the largest church, situated on the side of Decemberists square. It is decorated with 14 kinds of minerals and semi- precious stones as well as mosaic paintings.

The details of the work is magnificent.

This church is known to Petersburgers as the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood - or even just the Church on the Blood - as it marks the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded in an assassination attempt on March 1, 1881.

This is Peter and Paul Fortress.In the middle of the fortress stands the impressive Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of all the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Alexander III. The Cathedral was the first church in the city to be built of stone (between 1712-33) and its design is curiously unusual for a Russian Orthodox church

The Alexander Garden is located in the very center of St. Petersburg, next to Palace Square and behind the Admiralty. Until 1806, the area was covered by the Admiralty's fortifications, but after these were removed it became Admiralty Square.

The Hermitage Museum is Russia's best gallery of world art, one of the most prominent art museums in the world and definitely the main tourist attraction of St. Petersburg. The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world.

The Hermitage museum

Alexander Column located in the middle of the square. The building is the General Staff Building.

Inside the Hermitage :

The art work on the ceiling of the rooms

Sculpture by Michelangelo

On the right is a sculpture of Peter The Great.

The Winter palace.The main building of the Hermitage Museum is the Winter Palace, which was once the main residence of the Russian Tsars. Magnificently located on the bank of the Neva River, this green-and-white three-storey palace is a marvel of Baroque architecture.