And for the one Austrian who reads this blog:
And this was just funny:
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
St. Petersburg Part III
There isn't a better way to get to know a city and its people than walking through a local market and riding the subway. We spent our last day in St Petersburg doing just that. Oh, and sampling vodka too, because hey, we were in Russia!
Our bus dropped us off on Nevsky Prospekt, the main and most important avenue in St. Petersburg. From there we walked a couple blocks to a new and modern grocery store. It was, for the most part, like anything you would see here in the US. The difference? The liquor section was huge - thought I'd died and gone to vodka heaven. The cigarettes were cheap (equivalent to about $1/carton), no wonder everyone here smokes! Another great thing to check out in another country: Chocolates and baked goods. We headed straight for the chocolate section where we found some amazing Russian chocolates: O'Zera. I also picked up a pastry at the bakery: Лакомка or Lakomka. Was amazing, I need to find the recipe!
After the grocery store, we crossed the street and walked a couple blocks to a public market, where we found just about everything one would need: meats, cheese, fruits, veggies and the all important pastries. Our favorite: the pickles! Russians tend to use a lot of dill in their cooking, and pickles, which obviously call for dill were no exception.
After our time at the markets, we headed for the subway, tokens in hand. The subway in St. Petersburg is the deepest in the world, over 300 feet underground at some stations, so the escalator ride down to the platforms can take up at five minutes. Each subway station is ornate and looks like it belongs in a museum. Taking photos in the St Petersburg metro stations is absolutely forbidden. While I did think about taking some photos from the hip, I didn't want to chance going to a Russian prison.
Here are a few photos taken by those brave enough:
We rode the subway for three stops and then headed to a hotel bar for vodka tasting. We tasted plain vodka, cranberry vodka, and garlic vodka. The garlic was a little much, the cranberry was perfection. Our Russian guide helped herself to a few shots, as did everyone else.
The bus ride back to the ships was entertaining - our guide sang Russian folks songs solo thanks to the vodka. As our guide said (insert bad Russian accent here and say 'Vodka' like 'Wodka'):
"Problem in Russia is never too much vodka, only problem in Russia is too little vodka".
I couldn't agree more!
Our bus dropped us off on Nevsky Prospekt, the main and most important avenue in St. Petersburg. From there we walked a couple blocks to a new and modern grocery store. It was, for the most part, like anything you would see here in the US. The difference? The liquor section was huge - thought I'd died and gone to vodka heaven. The cigarettes were cheap (equivalent to about $1/carton), no wonder everyone here smokes! Another great thing to check out in another country: Chocolates and baked goods. We headed straight for the chocolate section where we found some amazing Russian chocolates: O'Zera. I also picked up a pastry at the bakery: Лакомка or Lakomka. Was amazing, I need to find the recipe!
Entrance to the Supermarket
After the grocery store, we crossed the street and walked a couple blocks to a public market, where we found just about everything one would need: meats, cheese, fruits, veggies and the all important pastries. Our favorite: the pickles! Russians tend to use a lot of dill in their cooking, and pickles, which obviously call for dill were no exception.
After our time at the markets, we headed for the subway, tokens in hand. The subway in St. Petersburg is the deepest in the world, over 300 feet underground at some stations, so the escalator ride down to the platforms can take up at five minutes. Each subway station is ornate and looks like it belongs in a museum. Taking photos in the St Petersburg metro stations is absolutely forbidden. While I did think about taking some photos from the hip, I didn't want to chance going to a Russian prison.
Here are a few photos taken by those brave enough:
We rode the subway for three stops and then headed to a hotel bar for vodka tasting. We tasted plain vodka, cranberry vodka, and garlic vodka. The garlic was a little much, the cranberry was perfection. Our Russian guide helped herself to a few shots, as did everyone else.
The bus ride back to the ships was entertaining - our guide sang Russian folks songs solo thanks to the vodka. As our guide said (insert bad Russian accent here and say 'Vodka' like 'Wodka'):
"Problem in Russia is never too much vodka, only problem in Russia is too little vodka".
I couldn't agree more!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
St. Petersburg Part II
Yusupov Palace
The life of a noble must have been rough. Yusupov Palace, belonging to the family of the same name, was built along the Moika River in the mid-1700s. The very wealthy Yusupovs were close to the Russian royal family and later played a very important part in the history of the family and their eventual demise. The palace itself is beautiful. Our evening began with a tour of the interiors and the cellar.
After the tour of the cellar and the interiors, we were ushered into a gala hall where we enjoyed champagne, caviar and a string quartet. The music was lovely, but I was expecting more Russian music; they played Mozart. After the performance we moved from the gala hall into the palace's small, yet three story theater. When you're nobility, the opera comes to you, you don't go to the opera. We heard some great opera, but again, not Russian, some Italian. Overall though, it was a fun experience.
Our evening ended around 11pm, and it was still light outside with the White Nights of Summer. Here's a picture with my other half in front of the palace.
St. Petersburg Part III to come shortly...
Yusupov Palace (listed under Nobleman's Nest in the book)
Date of Completion: June 2010
The life of a noble must have been rough. Yusupov Palace, belonging to the family of the same name, was built along the Moika River in the mid-1700s. The very wealthy Yusupovs were close to the Russian royal family and later played a very important part in the history of the family and their eventual demise. The palace itself is beautiful. Our evening began with a tour of the interiors and the cellar.
It was at Yusupov Palace that the infamous Rasputin was murdered. After our tour of the main palace, we walked down to the cellar of the palace, where the room was staged as it had been the evening Rasputin was murdered. The Yusupovs brought him to the cellar where he was expecting the company of many women and a feast, and served him wine to start off the evening. The wine was laced with poison. After the failed attempt to kill him with poison, they then pulled a gun on him. To ensure that would die (because somehow he kept avoiding death), they threw him in the nearby Moika River where he was sure to either drown or freeze to death. That finally did the trick. The cellar is very small, dark, and dank. Even the wax figure of Rasputin gives you chills.
St. Petersburg Part III to come shortly...
Yusupov Palace (listed under Nobleman's Nest in the book)
Date of Completion: June 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
St. Petersburg, Part I
Wow. While in St. Petersburg, I continually had to remind myself: I'm in Russia.
St. Petersburg looked familiar, but yet so different. It's made up of Western European architecture which I recognized, but looks so tired. While Tallinn looks to be back on its feet in the post-communist world, St. Petersburg is still trying to break free of its past.
It's been over 20 years since communism fell in Russia, but as an American, you can’t go there without thinking about the KGB, spy movies, that thing on Gorbechev's head, and remembering all those bad fake Russian accents we’ve had to endure in movies over the years. The bad fake Russian accent is quite accurate though.
We had two days in St. Petersburg and we wanted to see everything. The first day we hired a private guide and she took on the challenge. Somehow, coping with St. Petersburg traffic, she managed to find a way to fit everything in.
Here’s where our guide took us:
St Isaacs Cathedral
St. Isaacs Cathedral glows along the St. Petersburg skyline during the White Nights of summer. An impressive cathedral, its granite columns are solid. There wasn’t much to see of the Cathedral itself, but it’s a great landmark in the city.
The Hermitage
Prominently situated in the center of St. Petersburg on the Neva River, the Hermitage, with over three million items, has the largest collection of paintings in the world. It’s made up of six buildings, palaces and theaters, all connected to now form the museum. Catherine the Great originally lived in one of these palaces and used it as her Winter Palace. The Hermitage was Catherine’s place to escape from it all, where she could become a hermit and enjoy her paintings without being bothered.
The Hermitage started with a few hundred Dutch and Flemish paintings, but grew over the course of a couple hundred years. So much so that if you spent one minute looking at every piece in the collection, it would take you eleven years to see everything.
Being that none of us have eleven years to dedicate to the Hermitage, here were some of my favorites:
Ceramic by Picasso
One of the first paintings of Raphael
Unfinished work of DaVinci
Interiors of the Hermitage were just as beautiful as the collections
Mosaics
This tabletop isn’t painted – it’s a mosaic!
Know before you go: The Hermitage is free the first Thursday of every month. Luckily for us, our first day in port was the first Thursday of the month!
Church on the Spilled Blood
This church sums up Russian architecture and grandeur.
During the communist-era, when all houses of worship belonged to the public, the Church on the Spilled Blood was used mostly as a potato warehouse. As it was used as a warehouse during the time, the church was rather dilapidated and in need of major repairs toward the late 20th century. It was under major renovations for three decades and now the beautiful interior mosaics are back to their original brilliance.
Catherine's Palace
Almost fully destroyed by the Nazis during WWII, this palace has been immaculately and painstakingly reconstructed to its original glory. Artists from around Russia and the world spent decades restoring the palace, using only methods available during its original construction to keep true to the style. Some of the original pieces from the Palace were hidden away during the years of war and later recovered, but the original pieces of one room are still missing. The Amber Room.
Aside from the amazing palace interiors and grounds, Catherine's Palace is best known for the Amber Room. Instead of tapestries adoring the walls, the walls are lined with yellow and red amber. At first glance, it looks like just another ornate room in the palace, but wait, it's polished amber and intricately etched on the backside with scenes.
Here's a close up from about.com: (photographs of the Amber room are no longer allowed)
There’s a great article about the latest story in the search for the lost Amber Room here.
That covers the first eight hours of our first day in St. Petersburg, more to come shortly...
The Hermitage, Catherine's Palace Date of Completion: June 2010
St. Petersburg looked familiar, but yet so different. It's made up of Western European architecture which I recognized, but looks so tired. While Tallinn looks to be back on its feet in the post-communist world, St. Petersburg is still trying to break free of its past.
It's been over 20 years since communism fell in Russia, but as an American, you can’t go there without thinking about the KGB, spy movies, that thing on Gorbechev's head, and remembering all those bad fake Russian accents we’ve had to endure in movies over the years. The bad fake Russian accent is quite accurate though.
We had two days in St. Petersburg and we wanted to see everything. The first day we hired a private guide and she took on the challenge. Somehow, coping with St. Petersburg traffic, she managed to find a way to fit everything in.
Here’s where our guide took us:
St Isaacs Cathedral
St. Isaacs Cathedral glows along the St. Petersburg skyline during the White Nights of summer. An impressive cathedral, its granite columns are solid. There wasn’t much to see of the Cathedral itself, but it’s a great landmark in the city.
The Hermitage
Prominently situated in the center of St. Petersburg on the Neva River, the Hermitage, with over three million items, has the largest collection of paintings in the world. It’s made up of six buildings, palaces and theaters, all connected to now form the museum. Catherine the Great originally lived in one of these palaces and used it as her Winter Palace. The Hermitage was Catherine’s place to escape from it all, where she could become a hermit and enjoy her paintings without being bothered.
The Hermitage started with a few hundred Dutch and Flemish paintings, but grew over the course of a couple hundred years. So much so that if you spent one minute looking at every piece in the collection, it would take you eleven years to see everything.
Being that none of us have eleven years to dedicate to the Hermitage, here were some of my favorites:
Ceramic by Picasso
One of the first paintings of Raphael
Unfinished work of DaVinci
Interiors of the Hermitage were just as beautiful as the collections
Mosaics
Know before you go: The Hermitage is free the first Thursday of every month. Luckily for us, our first day in port was the first Thursday of the month!
Church on the Spilled Blood
This church sums up Russian architecture and grandeur.
During the communist-era, when all houses of worship belonged to the public, the Church on the Spilled Blood was used mostly as a potato warehouse. As it was used as a warehouse during the time, the church was rather dilapidated and in need of major repairs toward the late 20th century. It was under major renovations for three decades and now the beautiful interior mosaics are back to their original brilliance.
Catherine's Palace
Almost fully destroyed by the Nazis during WWII, this palace has been immaculately and painstakingly reconstructed to its original glory. Artists from around Russia and the world spent decades restoring the palace, using only methods available during its original construction to keep true to the style. Some of the original pieces from the Palace were hidden away during the years of war and later recovered, but the original pieces of one room are still missing. The Amber Room.
Aside from the amazing palace interiors and grounds, Catherine's Palace is best known for the Amber Room. Instead of tapestries adoring the walls, the walls are lined with yellow and red amber. At first glance, it looks like just another ornate room in the palace, but wait, it's polished amber and intricately etched on the backside with scenes.
Here's a close up from about.com: (photographs of the Amber room are no longer allowed)
There’s a great article about the latest story in the search for the lost Amber Room here.
That covers the first eight hours of our first day in St. Petersburg, more to come shortly...
The Hermitage, Catherine's Palace Date of Completion: June 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Eesti
Tallinn, Estonia
I can't wait for my next visit to Estonia. Perhaps it's because I had no expectations (this place isn't listed in the book), but the capital city of Tallinn and the warmth of the people of Estonia really surprised me. Had there been expectations, I'm sure those expectations would have been exceeded.
I can't wait for my next visit to Estonia. Perhaps it's because I had no expectations (this place isn't listed in the book), but the capital city of Tallinn and the warmth of the people of Estonia really surprised me. Had there been expectations, I'm sure those expectations would have been exceeded.
The capital city of Tallinn sits unassumingly on the Baltic sea. This picturesque town still has portions of it's old city wall, small castle like structures and fortresses. The city center is clean, has streets upon streets paved with cobblestone and boasts an amazing town square. The town square is lined with outdoor restaurants, umbrellas providing shade everywhere, and even decorative lamps adorn the tables to make it look cozy in the evenings. I wanted to spend all afternoon here!
After being part of the Soviet Union for over 45 years, Estonia seized the opportunity to become independent shortly after the 1989 fall of communism. It became independent in 1991, and was quick to implement capitalism and launch its rebirth. Tallinn is a vibrant city, with few ties to its communist past, except for the few communist style housing blocks. The people seem quick to forget about their communist past and instead focus on the history and spirit of the true Estonia. Estonians are genuinely nice, happy, almost giddy, and love to show foreigners around their country. We loved our guide Stanislav.
Our day of playing tourist began with a short walking tour of the city and history lesson. We walked through the old town, into the town square, and along the cobble stone streets of the charming city. A motor coach later took us to an outdoor museum, Rocca al Mare, showcasing the history and traditions of Estonia. Small villages are set up of countryside architecture once found in Estonia. You can walk through 18th century farmhouses and churches, and see old windmills. It provides great insight into life outside of the city. We walked throughout the various trails in the park, enjoyed a cup of coffee and a traditional Estonian folk dance, but then it was time to head back to the ship.
Our day of playing tourist began with a short walking tour of the city and history lesson. We walked through the old town, into the town square, and along the cobble stone streets of the charming city. A motor coach later took us to an outdoor museum, Rocca al Mare, showcasing the history and traditions of Estonia. Small villages are set up of countryside architecture once found in Estonia. You can walk through 18th century farmhouses and churches, and see old windmills. It provides great insight into life outside of the city. We walked throughout the various trails in the park, enjoyed a cup of coffee and a traditional Estonian folk dance, but then it was time to head back to the ship.
Once back on the ship, we basked in the sun the last few minutes the ship was tied to the dock and then waved goodbye to Tallinn as the ship set sail. As the ship was leaving (and was well on its way mind you), we noticed three passengers running through the port, toward the dock and eventually to the end of the dock. They'd missed the boat! Although I was looking forward to the upcoming ports, part of me wished I could be them and stay longer in Estonia. That was short-lived. Rethinking all the travel hassle that would have caused, I just sat back in my lounge chair cocktail in hand, and watched as the port agents approached the guests, to start talking options.
I'm going to petition to add Tallinn to the 1,000 list...
I'm going to petition to add Tallinn to the 1,000 list...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Copenhagen, Denmark
Although our trip began with a day in London, our first stop in the Baltic (and the first item of many crossed off the list) was in Copenhagen. My first impression of Copenhagen in our first few minutes of meeting: it's clean, the Danish are fashionable and they ride their bikes everywhere! They must also be very trustworthy, I didn't see one bike lock.
Hotel d'Angleterre
The book obviously recommends this hotel for an overnight stay as well as it's adjoining restaurant (Kommandanten), but since we're on a cruise, we just had the day. Our day in Copenhagen began with coffee at the Hotel d'Angleterre. The coffee wasn't just served in a mug with a small stash of sugars and creamers. No, it was served in fine china, complete with warmed milk, raw sugars, and even came with chocolate breakfast cookies. The hotel facade looks like many others you'd see throughout Europe, but the hotel does overlook an impressive garden square in a busy section of Copenhagen. As we sipped our coffee, we watched out the window as the Danes made their morning commute to work on bikes. Bikes everywhere! The hotel, although recently renovated, still held its old world feel. As we walked across the carpeted cafe area, we could hear the squeaks and creaks of the old wooden floorboards. 
Tivoli Gardens
Is a classic amusement park opened in Copenhagen in 1843, probably the first in the world. The grounds are spectacular, yet simple. The glasswork decor throughout the park is colorful and whimsical. We only spent limited time here, but enough to take a quick walk throughout the park.
Restaurant Ida Davidsen
Although not listed in the book, I'd highly recommend a side trip to the quaint Dragør fishing village just 10km outside Copenhagen. In the 1970s, this fishing village banned cars from it's city center to keep its charm. The pedestrian walkways around the tightly knit residential areas are still in tact with cobblestones and many of the homes still have thatched roofs. A little journey back in time. We had coffee and a typical danish pastry at the Strandhotel, located right near the water. And a beer too, because, why not?
Date of Completion: May 2010
Hotel d'Angleterre
The book obviously recommends this hotel for an overnight stay as well as it's adjoining restaurant (Kommandanten), but since we're on a cruise, we just had the day. Our day in Copenhagen began with coffee at the Hotel d'Angleterre. The coffee wasn't just served in a mug with a small stash of sugars and creamers. No, it was served in fine china, complete with warmed milk, raw sugars, and even came with chocolate breakfast cookies. The hotel facade looks like many others you'd see throughout Europe, but the hotel does overlook an impressive garden square in a busy section of Copenhagen. As we sipped our coffee, we watched out the window as the Danes made their morning commute to work on bikes. Bikes everywhere! The hotel, although recently renovated, still held its old world feel. As we walked across the carpeted cafe area, we could hear the squeaks and creaks of the old wooden floorboards. 
Is a classic amusement park opened in Copenhagen in 1843, probably the first in the world. The grounds are spectacular, yet simple. The glasswork decor throughout the park is colorful and whimsical. We only spent limited time here, but enough to take a quick walk throughout the park.
Restaurant Ida Davidsen
A legendary restaurant in Copenhagen, this place serves the open sandwich: smørrebrød. All ingredients are extremely fresh, prepared from scratch, and are rather unique. I stuck with the tried and true tomato, brie, and bacon, while my other half went with the caviar and salmon. Ida herself even served us. Check it out Here.
Although not listed in the book, I'd highly recommend a side trip to the quaint Dragør fishing village just 10km outside Copenhagen. In the 1970s, this fishing village banned cars from it's city center to keep its charm. The pedestrian walkways around the tightly knit residential areas are still in tact with cobblestones and many of the homes still have thatched roofs. A little journey back in time. We had coffee and a typical danish pastry at the Strandhotel, located right near the water. And a beer too, because, why not?
Oh, and perhaps I've just never noticed this before, but I love the Carlsberg beer slogan. Probably the best beer in town. Not the best beer, but probably.
Date of Completion: May 2010
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