The Flight of Hermes: Imperial St Petersburg (III)

The next activity we enjoyed was to stroll in a boat by the Neva and its channels. We ship from St. Isaac's Cathedral.

The boat was only for us, so our Natasha devoted her body and soul to show us all her river wisdom.

The Neva River, 74 km long, runs from Lake Ladoga and after passing through the isthmus of Karelia through the western part of the oblast of Leningrad (historical region of Ingria) and the city of St. Petersburg, flows into the Gulf of Finland. The Neva River with its banks and piers is part of the heritage place called 'Petersburg and annexes monumental historic centre'. Despite its modest length, it is the third largest river in Europe, after the Volga and the Danube.

In the middle ages, the River had great importance, since being so wide and navigable constituted a channel of communication between the Baltic Sea and the Volga, towards the East. The confluence of the Neva and the Izhora was the scene of the famous, though poorly documented, battle of the Neva (1240) between the Swedes and the Russians. Alexander Yaroslavich, Prince of Novgorod, won this battle and took the nickname of «Nevsky», that means "of the Neva».

During the 16th century, the mouth of the Neva hosted the Swedish fortress of Nyen, and an incoming of land in the Ladoga, the Russina Fortress of Oreshek, later called Shlisselburg. The Nyen fortress was destroyed by Peter the Great, after the founding of the fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul, in 1703. Located on Hare Island, the fortress is considered today the first structure of Petersburg. It was also Peter who ordered the construction of the Ladoga canal linking the Neva with the Volkhov and the Svir a few kilometers to the South of the Ladoga. The famous clergyman Rasputin drowned in the River in 1916. (we'll talk of Rasputin later)

The city of St. Petersburg is a real "Museum of bridges". There are more than 40 Islands, more than 60 rivers and channels and 342 bridges, that give to the character of the city them features romantic. 22 major bridges that cross the river Neva are drawbridges, that rise at night to let cross the large merchant ships. These bridges are one of the symbols of St Petersburg and in summer time this night show attracts thousands of people, especially during the season of the famous "white nights". In winter the bridges do not rise because all the rivers and canals are frozen and there is no navigation.

The Hermitage from the river...

The rivers and smaller Petersburg channels have many curious, and decorative bridges with its myths and legends. Some of those bridges are extraordinarily beautiful, decorated with statues, artistic details and golden and elegant lanterns.

Fortress of St Peter and St Paul

The marble palace. The construction of the Palace began in 1768, lasted 17 years and was completed in 1785. The main material of construction and decoration outside and inside the building was natural stone: granite and marble of different colors, that give the Palace an unique originality and therefore the name of Palace of marble.

The old Hotel St. Petersburg, will become shortly the Hilton St Petersburg

And passing below a bridge we went to Fontanka, with the Palace and the gardens of summer of Peter.

And we found a fun wedding!!

Fontanka is a left branch of the river Neva, which flows through the whole Centre of Petersburg. Its length is 6,700 meters, its width is 70 meters and its depth is 3.5 meters. The Fontanka canal is the heart of the ancient private residences of Russian nobility.

Until the middle of the 18th century, the river Fontanka was considered as the boundary South of St. Petersburg. Its banks are lined with spacious properties of members of the Russian imperial family and nobility, such as the summer palace and Anichkov Palace. In 1780-1789 Andrey Kvasov oversaw the construction of dykes of granite and bring them closer to the river. The river bed was also regulated.

The treasures of the Baroque architecture along the banks of the river include the palaces of Sheremetev Beloselsky-Belozersky, Shuvalov, and the Church of St. Pantaleon, remarkable neo-classical structures from the 18th century as the Institute of Catherine, the Anichkov Palace and the Yusupov Palace. Some of the mansions contain museums of writers and composers who lived there: Gavrila Derzhavin, Alexander Pushkin, Turguenev Ivan, Anna Ajmátova, and others. Here is located the only permanent circus in a building of all Russia.

The Fontanka is crossed by fifteen bridges, including that of 18th century Lomonosov bridge and the extravagant Egyptian bridge. The most famous of them, the Anichkov bridge, helps the Nevsky Prospekt to cross over the river.

On the boardwalk of the Fontanka River, near the bridge, there is a small sculpture of a bird, called "Chízhik-Pízhik". Its height is only 11 centimeters. The name comes from an old ironic song about the students of the nearby Imperial School of Laws, located in the 19th century on the boardwalk of Fontanka, 6, where he also studied the famous composer Piotr Chaikóvsky. These students had uniforms with the colors of a kind of the "nerd" bird, (in Russian "chizhik") and for this reason had this nickname. The song referred to the fact that the students drank vodka in a nearby tavern located on the boardwalk of Fontanka. There are always people on the boardwalk trying to throw a coin to the bird, so if it stays on the statue without falling into the water, there will be luck. This peculiar monument was since in the year 1994 and since then is one of the more beloved by them sanpeterburgueses and tourists.

Pantaleon bridge crosses the Fontanka River near the summer garden as a continuation of Pestelya street. It was the first Russian bridge of strings (1823-1824), which lasted for 85 years. In 1905 a similar bridge (Egyptian bridge) collapsed while a battalion of soldiers was crossing it. Then, in 1906 the bridge was dismantled. The current bridge was built in its place between 1907 and 1908. It has a decoration of imperial style, with golden eagles on laurel wreaths.

And we come closer to the battleship Aurora...

The Aurora, was the third and last of the three protected cruises that comprised the Pallada class, built in St Petersburg to serve in the Pacific Ocean. The three ships, served during the Russian-Japanese war (Cruiser Pallada was sunk by Japanese forces at Port Arthur in 1904; the third ship of the class, the Diana, was interned in Saigon after the battle of the Yellow Sea).

The Aurora was part of the first Pacific Squadron, previously, at the Baltic fleet, which was sent from the there to the Pacific under the command of Vice Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky. During the way, it was damaged by friendly fire in the incident of the Dogger Bank.

In May of 1905, the Aurora took part in the battle of Tsushima, along with the rest of the russian fleet. Under the command of Admiral Oskar Enkvist Aurora managed to avoid being destroyed unlike the majority of Russian ships and with the cruisers Zhemchug and Oleg managed to reach the neutral Manila, where he was interned. Released after the Treaty of Portsmouth in the autumn of 1905, in 1906, the Aurora returned to the Baltic, and was used for training cadets. From 1906 until 1912 the ship visited various countries, in November of 1911 was present in Bangkok as part of the celebrations in honor to the coronation of the new King of Siam. In 1908 the Cruiser cooperated also in the international relief operation for survivors of the earthquake of Messina.

During the First World War the ship operated in the Baltic Sea. In 1915 her main armament was changed to fourteen 152 mm cannons. At the end of 1916, he moved to Petrograd to major repairs. The city was a perfect breeding ground of revolutionary, and part of his crew, joined the revolution of February 1917. Much of his crew, joined the Bolsheviks, who were preparing the Communist revolution. The 25 of October of 1917, the rejection of an order to the Aurora to set sail, was the spark of the revolution of October. At 9.45 p.m. a shot from her Stern cannon was the signal to start the assault of the Winter Palace.

As a museum, the Aurora, became one of the main attractions of Leningrad and continues to be a symbol of the Communist revolution, and a tribute to the history of Russia. In addition to its space as a museum, part of the ship, continues with hes naval role, with a crew that among his roles, has to take care of the vessel, her security, and the participation in military ceremonies. The crew, is considered active, and under training and military laws.

Between 1984 and 1987 her restoration revealed that some parts of the ship, including the armor plate, were originally manufactured in the United Kingdom, which put in doubt the image that the cruise was an authentic Russian naval engineering achievement. The Aurora is today the oldest ship in active Russian army, and her crew is commanded by a captain of first class. From 1956 until today 28 million of people, have visited the Aurora.

And we continue walking by the river, with other restored boats that remember us the fluvial and maritime past of the city.

Trotsky Bridge

And we surrounded the fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul, passing the Museum of artillery and the Zoo.

We went out of the channel and went back back to the jetty

The Admiralty.

The Admiralty is a master work of Russian architecture, a great achievement of the classic art. The Admiralty is considered an architectural and composition center of Petersburg, since from its tower three streets leave: avenues Nevsky, Voznesensky and Gorohovaya. Around the building three squares: Decembrists, San Isaac and Palaces.The building retains its original image in the shape of the Greek letter to house the first shipyards in the new capital, according to the design of the Peter the Great. The inner courtyard of the Admiralty was surrounded by moats and canals. The building also housed the State departments of the Russian fleet.

The modern stone building was erected in 1806-23 according to the design of Zakharov to commemorate the victories of the Russian fleet. In the Centre of the 400 metre façade there is a 72 metre tower crowned by a boatman who is considered the symbol of Petersburg. The tower divides the building into two wings, one for administrative departments, and another for the shipbuilding industry. Zakharov repeated the motif of the arc cutting the facade of the building in two pavilions facing the river Neva. The regular rhythm of the Admiralty is an example of the sculptural and architectural synthesis. Zakharov invited the Group of the best Russian sculptors led by th. Shchedrin. The main high relief of the tower "The establishment of the Marine in Russia", work of Terebenev, testifies the use of the building-construction of boats and navigation.

And we got to the starting point.

And the from the boat ride we went directly to the folk night that we had contracted at the Nikolaevsky Palace. Personally I'm not folk lover, but this seemed to me a different night, and it did not disappoint me. Both dancers, costumes, as the stage itself deserve the €50-

I copy what the web site says... 'We offer you to meet the Russian folkloric show at the Nikolaevsky Palace (Palace of the 19th century). This magnificent show not only gives you a chance to see an unforgettable folklore show, but also gives the possibility to feel involved in this show, which is called "Feel yourself Russian!. Two hours of a dynamic and live show where you will hear melodic folk songs, you will see the dances from different parts of Russia you will learn that some objects, such as a saw or wooden spoons can be used as musical instruments! And a miracle! Suddenly you will be find yourself self onstage dancing as an authentic Russian, taking part in folk games and enjoying the atmosphere of the show!

Before going to the show and during the intermission a couple was dancing with the music of a string cuartet.

This plate remembers Lenin

And it's showtime. First, a wonderful choir that performed traditional Russian songs 'a cappella'.

Then, they gave way to a choir of men and women with the ballet. The folkloric show represents 3 professional folkloric ensembles: "Peters Quartet", "Maidan" and "Stars of St. Petersburg".

"The show consists on two parts and lasts approximately 2 hours, including a break to enjoy some appetizers and drinks (visitors are offered canapes with caviar, cheese and ham;" a little fruit, wine, champagne, red wine, vodka, juice and mineral water).

The Palace is an example of the architecture of the 19th century, built by the famous German architect born in Russia Andrey Stakenshneider for the son of the Emperor Nikolai I, the Grand Duke Nikolai. Due to this fact, the current name of the residence of the old great Duke is the Palace of Nikolayevsky. The walls of the palace remind events of its everyday life, of the family of the great Duke, as well as the intense activities of the new representatives of the political class.