July 15: arrival in St. Petersburg
Dear Friends and Relatives,
It is a little past 4:00 a.m. here in St. Petersburg, and dawn is in full force during what is called the "White Nights" here in the city. And I am wide awake, so before we set out for today's lecture and all the sites we are going to explore, I thought I would bring you up to date as to events as they unfolded yesterday, Saturday, July 15.
When I last left you, I was at gate B27 at the Frankfurt Airport, waiting for the St. Petersburg-bound plane to board. While in line I kept scanning for Road Scholar tags and actually pegged a couple, introduced myself, and we had a lovely chat. Between arriving in St. Petersburg and by the time the day had ended, I had made the acquaintance of each one of our 19-20 members. Of course I immediately forgot their names, as is the usual case. Interesting--different names stick with me right away, but otherwise it's a case of in one ear and out the other. There are quite a few more men on this trip than usual, and two of them stand out: one is a teacher who speaks German very well and insists upon practicing with me, which I love; the other is a well-traveled gentleman who, I discovered, very much inwardly absorbs and responds to the city whose acquaintance we first made last night. That sensitivity is one that interests me, and I would like to know more. Each person in the group is a seasoned traveler and intrepid, so I am in good company.
As we made our approach to the city, we saw lush green forests and lakes on the left hand side of the plane and ugly Soviet-era apartment blocs to the right. We landed and pulled up to a gate. Passing through the airport, we noticed the Soviet functionality of it, but at the same time its grimness. Passport control, which I had feared, was quick and painless--not a question was asked, but I was issued a stay permit, since everyone who stays in Russia more than 10 days is required to have one.
Since our plane had arrived later than anticipated, we were quickly rounded up for transfer to our hotel, the Helvetia. Arriving there after about a 15-20 mile drive on the bus, we passed through a lot of ugly industrial eras, but all of a sudden, as we approached the Neva River, the architecture improved greatly and you could begin to understand why this city is so important. At the door of the hotel, which used to be a Swiss Embassy, we met our guide, Olga Boyarskaya (this, being a more complicated name, is one I recalled immediately!). Due to time constraints, she had luggage transferred to our rooms and advised us to quickly refresh and then go down for dinner, which consisted of a salad, a fish cake and mashed potatoes, and I can't recall what for dessert--none of it especially good or photogenic, so I didn't take any pictures, but serviceable enough to see us through.
Afterwards we went on an initial boat ride on the Neva to catch an overview of the city before going into details in the days ahead. Met all the participants at dinner and promptly forgot their names, and even though I despise name tags, I do need everyone to wear one today (Sunday, July 16) so I can have a hope of learning their names.
The hotel, the Helvetia, is in the thick of things and a block from a major subway station (and those of you who know anything about Russia know what important architectural spaces they are!), and the Nevsky Prospect, the Champs d'Elysèes of the city.
After dinner we boarded a bus, which gave us our first whirlwind impression of what turns out to still be a proud, imperial city. We boarded a boat, and Olga began to weave a tale of the city.
The swamp-like area around the mouth of the Neva has long been fought over, mainly by the Swedes, who conquered the area in 1240, and later in the 17th century. It was Peter the Great's desire to crush Sweden and make Russia a European power that lead to the founding of St. Petersburg. In the Great Northern War of 1700-21, he captured the Swedish outposts on the Neva, and in 1703 he began his construction of the city with the Peter and Paul Fortress. In 1712 he moved the capital from Moscow to SP, drafting armies of peasants to work as forced labor. Architects and artisans came to SP from all over Europe, and by Peter's death in 1725, the city had a population of 40,000. 90% of Russia's foreign trade passed through it! Peter's successor had the capital moved back to Moscow, but Empress Anna returned it to SP. Between 1741 and 1825, during the reigns of Elizabeth, Catherine the Great, and Alexander I, it became a cosmopolitan city with an imperial court of splendor. Palaces, government buildings, and churches were constructed, and it became one of Europe's most glittering capitals.
However, the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 as well as industrialization brought a flood of poor workers into the city, leading to squalor, disease and festering discontent, and the city became a hotbed of strikes and political violence. The city was the hub of the 1905 Revolution, sparked by Bloody Sunday on January 9, 1905.
In 1914, in a wave of patriotism, the name of the city was changed to Petrograd, and in 1917 the workers' protests turned into a general strike and troops mutinied, forcing the end of the monarchy in March and the establishment of a provisional government. Seven months later, Lenin's Bolshevik Party staged a coup, and the Soviet government came into being. The capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918.
After Lenin's death in 1924, the city was named Leningrad, and it became a hub of Stalin's 1930s industrialization program. The Communist Party purge also took place in the 1930s.
When Germany attacked the USSR in June of 1941, the armies took only 2 1/2 months to reach Leningrad. Hitler swore to wipe the city off the earth, and his troops besieged the city from 1941-1944. Leningrad survived and became known as the "hero city." In 1991, when the Soviet Union crumbled, the citizens voted to return the city's name to St. Petersburg. The remains of Tsar Nicholas II and some of his family, who had been murdered in Ekaterinburg, were buried in the crypt of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.
SP is a huge and sprawling city spread over many different islands. However, its sites are well centered in the historic heart, the area broadly surrounding the main avenue, Nevsky Prospect.
Like Venice, SP was originally built on many islands, and hundreds of bridges span the waterways. However, a more likely model for the city's picturesque network of canals was Peter the Great's favorite European city, Amsterdam, which he visited in 1697-8 and again in 1716-17.
As we climbed on the boat at about 8:00 pm, it was the shank of the evening, and the city, bathed in a mellow light, was absolutely gorgeous! The spires of its churches, the mint green with ocher accents of the Hermitage (used as my title slide this year for my Summer 2017 blog series), and palaces and government buildings gleamed in the sun as cirrus clouds raced overhead. The entire place erupted in fireworks just as we tied up at the embankment, and we took in its awesome display as a good omen of our stay here.
It is now Sunday morning, July 16, and even at 4:00 am, when I first started this blog entry, the city was light. I have what seems to be a very pleasant roommate, but of course I have forgotten her name and will have to embarrass myself by inquiring again who she is. Off today for an introductory lecture on SP, and then to the Hermitage!!!! I can hardly wait!!! As ever, SV
It is a little past 4:00 a.m. here in St. Petersburg, and dawn is in full force during what is called the "White Nights" here in the city. And I am wide awake, so before we set out for today's lecture and all the sites we are going to explore, I thought I would bring you up to date as to events as they unfolded yesterday, Saturday, July 15.
When I last left you, I was at gate B27 at the Frankfurt Airport, waiting for the St. Petersburg-bound plane to board. While in line I kept scanning for Road Scholar tags and actually pegged a couple, introduced myself, and we had a lovely chat. Between arriving in St. Petersburg and by the time the day had ended, I had made the acquaintance of each one of our 19-20 members. Of course I immediately forgot their names, as is the usual case. Interesting--different names stick with me right away, but otherwise it's a case of in one ear and out the other. There are quite a few more men on this trip than usual, and two of them stand out: one is a teacher who speaks German very well and insists upon practicing with me, which I love; the other is a well-traveled gentleman who, I discovered, very much inwardly absorbs and responds to the city whose acquaintance we first made last night. That sensitivity is one that interests me, and I would like to know more. Each person in the group is a seasoned traveler and intrepid, so I am in good company.
As we made our approach to the city, we saw lush green forests and lakes on the left hand side of the plane and ugly Soviet-era apartment blocs to the right. We landed and pulled up to a gate. Passing through the airport, we noticed the Soviet functionality of it, but at the same time its grimness. Passport control, which I had feared, was quick and painless--not a question was asked, but I was issued a stay permit, since everyone who stays in Russia more than 10 days is required to have one.
Since our plane had arrived later than anticipated, we were quickly rounded up for transfer to our hotel, the Helvetia. Arriving there after about a 15-20 mile drive on the bus, we passed through a lot of ugly industrial eras, but all of a sudden, as we approached the Neva River, the architecture improved greatly and you could begin to understand why this city is so important. At the door of the hotel, which used to be a Swiss Embassy, we met our guide, Olga Boyarskaya (this, being a more complicated name, is one I recalled immediately!). Due to time constraints, she had luggage transferred to our rooms and advised us to quickly refresh and then go down for dinner, which consisted of a salad, a fish cake and mashed potatoes, and I can't recall what for dessert--none of it especially good or photogenic, so I didn't take any pictures, but serviceable enough to see us through.
Afterwards we went on an initial boat ride on the Neva to catch an overview of the city before going into details in the days ahead. Met all the participants at dinner and promptly forgot their names, and even though I despise name tags, I do need everyone to wear one today (Sunday, July 16) so I can have a hope of learning their names.
The hotel, the Helvetia, is in the thick of things and a block from a major subway station (and those of you who know anything about Russia know what important architectural spaces they are!), and the Nevsky Prospect, the Champs d'Elysèes of the city.
After dinner we boarded a bus, which gave us our first whirlwind impression of what turns out to still be a proud, imperial city. We boarded a boat, and Olga began to weave a tale of the city.
The swamp-like area around the mouth of the Neva has long been fought over, mainly by the Swedes, who conquered the area in 1240, and later in the 17th century. It was Peter the Great's desire to crush Sweden and make Russia a European power that lead to the founding of St. Petersburg. In the Great Northern War of 1700-21, he captured the Swedish outposts on the Neva, and in 1703 he began his construction of the city with the Peter and Paul Fortress. In 1712 he moved the capital from Moscow to SP, drafting armies of peasants to work as forced labor. Architects and artisans came to SP from all over Europe, and by Peter's death in 1725, the city had a population of 40,000. 90% of Russia's foreign trade passed through it! Peter's successor had the capital moved back to Moscow, but Empress Anna returned it to SP. Between 1741 and 1825, during the reigns of Elizabeth, Catherine the Great, and Alexander I, it became a cosmopolitan city with an imperial court of splendor. Palaces, government buildings, and churches were constructed, and it became one of Europe's most glittering capitals.
However, the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 as well as industrialization brought a flood of poor workers into the city, leading to squalor, disease and festering discontent, and the city became a hotbed of strikes and political violence. The city was the hub of the 1905 Revolution, sparked by Bloody Sunday on January 9, 1905.
In 1914, in a wave of patriotism, the name of the city was changed to Petrograd, and in 1917 the workers' protests turned into a general strike and troops mutinied, forcing the end of the monarchy in March and the establishment of a provisional government. Seven months later, Lenin's Bolshevik Party staged a coup, and the Soviet government came into being. The capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918.
After Lenin's death in 1924, the city was named Leningrad, and it became a hub of Stalin's 1930s industrialization program. The Communist Party purge also took place in the 1930s.
When Germany attacked the USSR in June of 1941, the armies took only 2 1/2 months to reach Leningrad. Hitler swore to wipe the city off the earth, and his troops besieged the city from 1941-1944. Leningrad survived and became known as the "hero city." In 1991, when the Soviet Union crumbled, the citizens voted to return the city's name to St. Petersburg. The remains of Tsar Nicholas II and some of his family, who had been murdered in Ekaterinburg, were buried in the crypt of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.
SP is a huge and sprawling city spread over many different islands. However, its sites are well centered in the historic heart, the area broadly surrounding the main avenue, Nevsky Prospect.
Like Venice, SP was originally built on many islands, and hundreds of bridges span the waterways. However, a more likely model for the city's picturesque network of canals was Peter the Great's favorite European city, Amsterdam, which he visited in 1697-8 and again in 1716-17.
As we climbed on the boat at about 8:00 pm, it was the shank of the evening, and the city, bathed in a mellow light, was absolutely gorgeous! The spires of its churches, the mint green with ocher accents of the Hermitage (used as my title slide this year for my Summer 2017 blog series), and palaces and government buildings gleamed in the sun as cirrus clouds raced overhead. The entire place erupted in fireworks just as we tied up at the embankment, and we took in its awesome display as a good omen of our stay here.
It is now Sunday morning, July 16, and even at 4:00 am, when I first started this blog entry, the city was light. I have what seems to be a very pleasant roommate, but of course I have forgotten her name and will have to embarrass myself by inquiring again who she is. Off today for an introductory lecture on SP, and then to the Hermitage!!!! I can hardly wait!!! As ever, SV
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