Back in the USSR (part 2)!

On the second day of our semi-private tour of St. Petersburg, we did less time in the van and more time on foot. We had an early admission into the Hermitage which is the 2nd biggest museum in the world--2nd only to the Louve in Paris. They say that if you were to look at every item for 10 seconds you would be in the museum for weeks! The most interesting thing was that Catherine the Great has been quoted as saying, "These are my treasures, for my eyes only"---no wonder they had a revolution! Talk about selfish! After spending a few hours in the Hermitage we went to a Russian restaurant for lunch. It wasn't really Russian food, really just a piece of grilled chicken and some rice with some salad. Even our guide said that they make the meal to the tourists tastes. I don't know though, I was ready for some beef stroganoff or chicken kiev!



We then went to a couple of churches. We visited the Church on Spilled Blood which was the most colorful church I'd ever seen. The interior was exquisite with the walls and ceiling being nothing but mosaics. Millions and millions of little tiles covered every inch of the place. The second was St. Isaac's Cathedral which is a symbol of St. Petersburg with it's giant golden dome. This was a much more subdued church with a little less glitz and glamour, but no less grand.



Next, it was off to the Peterhof Palace. This place's claim to fame was that it was the place where Rasputin met his demise. The palace was beautiful, and the Rasputin story only came into play toward the end of our tour there. I think they could have played it up a little more.




All in all, it was quite an experience to be in Russia. They still are really behind the times, and sure there is great wealth, but that certainly doesn't trickle down the the actual working stiffs. While they have food and regular goods readily available, unlike in Soviet times, they are very expensive. Our tour guide Elena was very cryptic when I asked what she did before the tourist boom after the Soviet reign. Our group decided to assume that she was with the government in some capacity. Her English was outstanding and she would never get in any pictures! As like we've learned in a lot of the Eastern European countries we've visited, with all the churches they have, religion is pretty much nonexistant among Russians. It was explained to us that the Soviets took away their religion. They were to believe in communism and the Soviet way and that was all. It really is a shame though, all of these beautiful buildings all over the place for a country of non-believers. I suppose I can't fault them though. Fewer and fewer people go to church weekly if at all. We, ourselves haven't been to church since our wedding over a year ago!