I don't know how long I've wanted to visit this city. Possibly since I was a teenager and went through a Russian literature phase. Definitely since I read and obsessed over Tatia and Shura's lives during the Siege. In fact, I actually re-read the book once tickets to Peters were booked! Either way, I FINALLY MADE IT
After visiting Suomelinna, H and I hurried to the ferry terminal to catch an overnighter to St. Petersburg. I can now definitely confirm to everyone that, yes, it is possible to enter Peters without a visa via Helsinki ferry so long as you stay less than 72 hours. I had absolutely no problems at Immigration, H was given a little for not filling in his form properly. But, this is not widely known - the girl at the check in counter of our hotel was a bit concerned when we said we had no visa.
Passing by another ferry in the Baltic sea!
Having said that, check your info when you sail - I had read a posting on the website of our ferry company saying that due to an economic forum, the company would not be able to run their usual shuttle buses to the city center, and would instead drop us off at the closest metro. When we disembarked, a pair of girls at the company stand said the shuttles were running. They were wrong. When the (non-english speaking) driver stopped the bus at a place that I think I could accurately describe as looking like 'badlands' (H's comment - I was told St. Petersburg is a very beautiful city...this doesn't match what I was thinking), it turned out my original research was true! We had to hotfoot it out of there because, needless to say, it was not a touristy area.
But that was soon rectified! Here is Nevsky Prospekt, the main avenue!
On which the beautiful Art Nouveau Singer House is located. Note the red ship street decoration - we had arrived in the city during the White Nights festival, of which the Scarlet Sails is a huge event.
We eschewed walking along Nevsky for the time being and decided to stroll along the canals
which is damn beautiful
and has interestingly decorated bridges, as befitting an imperial capital.
And interestingly decorated wall inserts.
Chinese restaurants are everywhere!
I found this randomly lost chess piece to be quite Russian.
For our midday meal, we headed to Shtolle's on Vic's advice and tried to get the chicken pie. They were sold out (!!!) so here is H contemplating our orders of salmon, meat, and cheese and spinach pies. THEY WERE DELICIOUS and we agreed that we would return to try and get the chicken version.
Also, despite being VERY far north, it was hot! Hotter than Munich! H said it was the first real feeling of summer he'd had since moving to London.
St. Isaac's, the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city.
But Peters isn't all beautiful Empire-era buildings - check out this Stalinist era edifice! It had a great frieze up the top.
Speaking of which, here's a monument to Uncle Joe in the Alexander Garden.
The Bronze Horseman, monument to Peter the Great, founder of Peters.
I was pretty happy to be there! After this, I spent what felt like...hours retelling the plot of that 600-something page book!
These are actually quite a common sight, confirming many things you think about Russians :D
The Winter Palace. Formerly the palace of the Tsars, now the Hermitage Museum, and too large to fit into one photo.
Also part of the Hermitage Museum, I called it the A&F entry :P
Randomly left vodka bottle!
Boats on the Moika River. !$%ing beautiful!
Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, with it's beautiful domes.
Looking back at the Church from the Griboyedov Canal. *sigh*
For the curious, I can confirm that there was daylight at midnight, which was both awesome and disorienting. It wasn't full midday light, more of an extended summery dusk, but definitely light enough to not need streetlights. While walking around and marvelling at the light, a guy turned to the side of the road and, to our shock, started vomiting. Then we realised that in any other city, it would be dark and we wouldn't have raised a brow at midnight chunders.
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