13 | Mother Russia
Well, by now I assume that you all have at least noticed that I posted all of my travel photos on ye ol' Facebook. So, I will not bore you by explaining our day-to-day schedule while in St. Petersburg. Instead, I thought I would share some things that stood out or surprised me during my trip.
It's cheap
So, ~58 rubles = $1. That ain't bad. But even with an exchange rate like that things can still be expensive, right? Well yes, our guide took us to a very fancy Russian restaurant our first night, and it was expensive. But in general, food and souvenirs were pretty inexpensive, which of course does not mean I didn't spend more than I wanted to.
The city is dripping in gold
As I'm sure many of you know, St. Petersburg is the royal city of Russia. It has about a billion palaces scattered throughout the city and suburbs, some of which house world class art museums while others are museums themselves. The palaces, former government buildings, and churches have beautiful exteriors that are accented with gold foil. If it had been sunny the entire time we were there, I'm sure I would have needed sunglasses to protect my eyes from the ~sparkle~.
They are still reconstructing
I guess this didn't come as a huge surprise, considering that other areas I've visited throughout Central and Eastern Europe are also still recovering from World War II and the long Soviet pause. Heck, there are palaces in Berlin that still aren't completely repaired, and it's the capital of the strongest economy in the EU! Not many people know this, but the Nazis held a siege on St. Petersburg for 872 days. They never technically entered the city, but were able to wreak havoc on then Leningrad. If you're really interested, wiki it or Operation Barbarossa. Also, speaking of the siege - we went to Catherine's Palace, which is in the suburb of Pushkin (THE PLACE THE ROMANOVS WERE TAKEN FROM AND THEY NEVER MENTIONED RASPUTIN BUT IT'S CHILL, WHATEVER), and it was mostly destroyed by the Nazis, and they have done an amazing job renovating it. It's difficult to imagine the long hours that went into each painted tile, historically accurate wallpaper, and gold covered wall decoration. Also, THE AMBER ROOM. I put one photo below, but still look it up - we weren't allowed to take photos in the room, but they were never able to find the original pieces that were taken by the Germans, so they had to completely redo everything from scratch. What???
We also visited St. Isaac's, this amazingly beautiful church, and I looked up at the ceiling decorations and noticed that some were still very clearly being redone. This is a church that is owned by the state and operated as a museum and is obviously a huge tourist attraction, and they still haven't finished renovations? It really put into perspective the level of damage done by the Soviets.
They take security very seriously
Obviously I've never been through border control for non-citizens in the United States, but I have in the EU, and they seem to barely care besides putting you in the system and stamping your passport. Russia cares. We had a very strict amount of time we were allowed to be in Russia without a visa, and you really don't want to get trapped in Russia for any reason. It's not like they get angry with you and kick you out. You gotta fight to get out. Macy and I stood in line for border security for about an hour and a half. We were one of the first people off the boat. We had to wait for the rest of our group for an additional 2-3 hours.
When we checked-in for the cruise, the woman helping us heavily emphasized how important not just our boarding pass was but also the arrival and departure cards. Basically, we couldn't enter or leave Russia without all of those cards verifying that we would in fact be leaving the country within 72 hours. On top of that, the border control agents still give everyone an official document so they know that you really came in. As if they don't trust their own stamp or something.
It's not just the borders that are protected - the metro system had an odd amount of security as well. Upon entrance to the station, everyone has to walk through some sort of detector (I genuinely have no idea what it was for, because obviously not metal or it would be constantly going off). Often people with large backpacks were stopped to have their bags checked by security officials waiting before the turnstiles. Once you actually get through the turnstile, you have to go down the longest escalator imaginable. St. Petersburg is essentially built on a swamp (who did it best? St. Petersburg or Jamestown???), so the metro has to be waaaay deep down. To our surprise, there was a security guard sitting in a little glass box at the bottom of the escalator. What is her purpose? No idea. But I did ask our guide why there was so much security. She explained that last April there was a bombing in the metro, so the extra security was set up. What? 1. What amazing efficiency for that to have been decided, funded, and implemented in less than a year (it was obviously not new to the public). 2. They have one bombing, and this is their reaction? Like damn, if only America cared that much about the number of children and young adults being killed in schools maybe only one would have happened.
They want to help others
After all of our group had successfully gotten through border control and been gathered, we used a free shuttle to get to the city center. It was our group of 13 and one random Irish man. So, this shuttle literally has only one stop - right next to St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is apparently very close to this man's hotel. The shuttle driver understood that the man was confused, but he didn't speak English. SO. We all got out of the van, and the driver ran after us as the Irish man stood there looking confused so that our guide could help the guy. Of course, it just sounded like our guide was being berated by the driver in Russian, but he was trying to be nice. Thanks Russian shuttle driver.
Skyscrapers
While I was on this trip, two of my friends from last summer took a road trip through Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland in the nicest BMW I've ever seen (it was a miracle it wasn't stolen or graffiti'd). So, after we both got back I asked one how he liked Warsaw, and he said he was surprised that it was so modern. Specifically, that there were skyscrapers. And I was so confused. Like Warsaw is the capital of one of the largest countries in the EU that has a 4.5% growth rate. Of course there are skyscrapers! And then I thought to myself, I was surprised there were skyscrapers in the business district in St. Petersburg. More specifically, I was surprised by one skyscraper in particular: the Lakhta Center that will be used by Gazprom, Russia's (essentially state owned) natural gas provider. The Lakhta Center upon completion will be the tallest building in Europe. Devoted to a company that has been used by the Russian government to wage war on neighboring countries and was sued by the European Union. For those of you that don't know, my major is International Affairs, and, sure, my concentration is Central and Eastern Europe, but my main interest is energy policy (and politics, tbh), and my research is focused on energy politics in Central and Eastern Europe. So, I'm basically saying I have some strong feelings about Gazprom. Actually seeing this symbol of power that I have been studying for so long was a very odd feeling to say the least.
Different religions and Orthodox services
Peter the Great wanted St. Petersburg to feel like it was a religious meeting place. Sure, basically everyone that lived there then and now are Orthodox Christian (or now also Atheist), but he wanted to build Orthodox churches but make them look Catholic. Because why not? He is an absolute monarch, and he can do whatever he wants. There is actually only one true Russian style church, and it is absolutely beautiful. If you check out my photos on Facebook, I'm sure you will be able to easily pick it out. It is called the Church on the Spilled Blood (a fun name, I know) if you want to do a quick Google search. He also oddly built a mosque, which our guide made us awkwardly stand outside of. We were able to witness a few services inside of the most prominent churches in the city, Church on the Spilled Blood and Kazan Cathedral. This was also the week before Orthodox Easter, so it was a pretty exciting time to be there. The insides were absolutely stunning and seeing them being correctly used (instead of as storage spaces or places to worship the great Soviet leaders) was an amazing experience.
European feel
So, Peter the Great really wanted St. Petersburg to be Russia's window to the West and to feel as European as possible, right? Yes. Did he achieve that? Yes. Was it kind of a let down? Yes. Now, I've never been to Venice or Amsterdam, so all of the canals were pretty cool. I'm not gonna lie. But sometimes it was hard to snap yourself out of the feeling that I was in any other European city and remind yourself I'm in Russia. Now, you could say "But Elizabeth - everyone was speaking Russian! And all of the signs were in Russian! And they were wearing ushankas! How much more Russian could it get??" And you would be right, but once you've been to enough places where you don't speak the language, it really starts to not matter anymore. I live in a constant state of confusion in Poland. Throwing in the Cyrillic alphabet only barely changes that (I also learned it before I went bc I'm a travel boss). I also live in a former Communist country. So, seeing all of the sad Communist-era apartment buildings doesn't phase me anymore. I live in one of those sad Communist-era apartment buildings. So, I suppose I am the most jaded and ungrateful person to ever visit Russia.
But really, I am so thankful I was able to take this trip, and I really appreciate those that helped me get there through downloading the app and putting in my code. People keep asking me what my favorite thing was. It is easy to say the food or the beautiful churches, but really I just enjoyed being there and getting to speak with our guide. I have a friend, who is a fellow exchange student who is from Russia and is also very open to speaking about Russian politics, customs, or opinions, but getting to do that while eating Russian pies?? That was wild.
It's cheap
So, ~58 rubles = $1. That ain't bad. But even with an exchange rate like that things can still be expensive, right? Well yes, our guide took us to a very fancy Russian restaurant our first night, and it was expensive. But in general, food and souvenirs were pretty inexpensive, which of course does not mean I didn't spend more than I wanted to.
The city is dripping in gold
As I'm sure many of you know, St. Petersburg is the royal city of Russia. It has about a billion palaces scattered throughout the city and suburbs, some of which house world class art museums while others are museums themselves. The palaces, former government buildings, and churches have beautiful exteriors that are accented with gold foil. If it had been sunny the entire time we were there, I'm sure I would have needed sunglasses to protect my eyes from the ~sparkle~.
They are still reconstructing
I guess this didn't come as a huge surprise, considering that other areas I've visited throughout Central and Eastern Europe are also still recovering from World War II and the long Soviet pause. Heck, there are palaces in Berlin that still aren't completely repaired, and it's the capital of the strongest economy in the EU! Not many people know this, but the Nazis held a siege on St. Petersburg for 872 days. They never technically entered the city, but were able to wreak havoc on then Leningrad. If you're really interested, wiki it or Operation Barbarossa. Also, speaking of the siege - we went to Catherine's Palace, which is in the suburb of Pushkin (THE PLACE THE ROMANOVS WERE TAKEN FROM AND THEY NEVER MENTIONED RASPUTIN BUT IT'S CHILL, WHATEVER), and it was mostly destroyed by the Nazis, and they have done an amazing job renovating it. It's difficult to imagine the long hours that went into each painted tile, historically accurate wallpaper, and gold covered wall decoration. Also, THE AMBER ROOM. I put one photo below, but still look it up - we weren't allowed to take photos in the room, but they were never able to find the original pieces that were taken by the Germans, so they had to completely redo everything from scratch. What???
We also visited St. Isaac's, this amazingly beautiful church, and I looked up at the ceiling decorations and noticed that some were still very clearly being redone. This is a church that is owned by the state and operated as a museum and is obviously a huge tourist attraction, and they still haven't finished renovations? It really put into perspective the level of damage done by the Soviets.
They take security very seriously
Obviously I've never been through border control for non-citizens in the United States, but I have in the EU, and they seem to barely care besides putting you in the system and stamping your passport. Russia cares. We had a very strict amount of time we were allowed to be in Russia without a visa, and you really don't want to get trapped in Russia for any reason. It's not like they get angry with you and kick you out. You gotta fight to get out. Macy and I stood in line for border security for about an hour and a half. We were one of the first people off the boat. We had to wait for the rest of our group for an additional 2-3 hours.
When we checked-in for the cruise, the woman helping us heavily emphasized how important not just our boarding pass was but also the arrival and departure cards. Basically, we couldn't enter or leave Russia without all of those cards verifying that we would in fact be leaving the country within 72 hours. On top of that, the border control agents still give everyone an official document so they know that you really came in. As if they don't trust their own stamp or something.
It's not just the borders that are protected - the metro system had an odd amount of security as well. Upon entrance to the station, everyone has to walk through some sort of detector (I genuinely have no idea what it was for, because obviously not metal or it would be constantly going off). Often people with large backpacks were stopped to have their bags checked by security officials waiting before the turnstiles. Once you actually get through the turnstile, you have to go down the longest escalator imaginable. St. Petersburg is essentially built on a swamp (who did it best? St. Petersburg or Jamestown???), so the metro has to be waaaay deep down. To our surprise, there was a security guard sitting in a little glass box at the bottom of the escalator. What is her purpose? No idea. But I did ask our guide why there was so much security. She explained that last April there was a bombing in the metro, so the extra security was set up. What? 1. What amazing efficiency for that to have been decided, funded, and implemented in less than a year (it was obviously not new to the public). 2. They have one bombing, and this is their reaction? Like damn, if only America cared that much about the number of children and young adults being killed in schools maybe only one would have happened.
They want to help others
After all of our group had successfully gotten through border control and been gathered, we used a free shuttle to get to the city center. It was our group of 13 and one random Irish man. So, this shuttle literally has only one stop - right next to St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is apparently very close to this man's hotel. The shuttle driver understood that the man was confused, but he didn't speak English. SO. We all got out of the van, and the driver ran after us as the Irish man stood there looking confused so that our guide could help the guy. Of course, it just sounded like our guide was being berated by the driver in Russian, but he was trying to be nice. Thanks Russian shuttle driver.
Skyscrapers
While I was on this trip, two of my friends from last summer took a road trip through Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland in the nicest BMW I've ever seen (it was a miracle it wasn't stolen or graffiti'd). So, after we both got back I asked one how he liked Warsaw, and he said he was surprised that it was so modern. Specifically, that there were skyscrapers. And I was so confused. Like Warsaw is the capital of one of the largest countries in the EU that has a 4.5% growth rate. Of course there are skyscrapers! And then I thought to myself, I was surprised there were skyscrapers in the business district in St. Petersburg. More specifically, I was surprised by one skyscraper in particular: the Lakhta Center that will be used by Gazprom, Russia's (essentially state owned) natural gas provider. The Lakhta Center upon completion will be the tallest building in Europe. Devoted to a company that has been used by the Russian government to wage war on neighboring countries and was sued by the European Union. For those of you that don't know, my major is International Affairs, and, sure, my concentration is Central and Eastern Europe, but my main interest is energy policy (and politics, tbh), and my research is focused on energy politics in Central and Eastern Europe. So, I'm basically saying I have some strong feelings about Gazprom. Actually seeing this symbol of power that I have been studying for so long was a very odd feeling to say the least.
Different religions and Orthodox services
Peter the Great wanted St. Petersburg to feel like it was a religious meeting place. Sure, basically everyone that lived there then and now are Orthodox Christian (or now also Atheist), but he wanted to build Orthodox churches but make them look Catholic. Because why not? He is an absolute monarch, and he can do whatever he wants. There is actually only one true Russian style church, and it is absolutely beautiful. If you check out my photos on Facebook, I'm sure you will be able to easily pick it out. It is called the Church on the Spilled Blood (a fun name, I know) if you want to do a quick Google search. He also oddly built a mosque, which our guide made us awkwardly stand outside of. We were able to witness a few services inside of the most prominent churches in the city, Church on the Spilled Blood and Kazan Cathedral. This was also the week before Orthodox Easter, so it was a pretty exciting time to be there. The insides were absolutely stunning and seeing them being correctly used (instead of as storage spaces or places to worship the great Soviet leaders) was an amazing experience.
European feel
So, Peter the Great really wanted St. Petersburg to be Russia's window to the West and to feel as European as possible, right? Yes. Did he achieve that? Yes. Was it kind of a let down? Yes. Now, I've never been to Venice or Amsterdam, so all of the canals were pretty cool. I'm not gonna lie. But sometimes it was hard to snap yourself out of the feeling that I was in any other European city and remind yourself I'm in Russia. Now, you could say "But Elizabeth - everyone was speaking Russian! And all of the signs were in Russian! And they were wearing ushankas! How much more Russian could it get??" And you would be right, but once you've been to enough places where you don't speak the language, it really starts to not matter anymore. I live in a constant state of confusion in Poland. Throwing in the Cyrillic alphabet only barely changes that (I also learned it before I went bc I'm a travel boss). I also live in a former Communist country. So, seeing all of the sad Communist-era apartment buildings doesn't phase me anymore. I live in one of those sad Communist-era apartment buildings. So, I suppose I am the most jaded and ungrateful person to ever visit Russia.
But really, I am so thankful I was able to take this trip, and I really appreciate those that helped me get there through downloading the app and putting in my code. People keep asking me what my favorite thing was. It is easy to say the food or the beautiful churches, but really I just enjoyed being there and getting to speak with our guide. I have a friend, who is a fellow exchange student who is from Russia and is also very open to speaking about Russian politics, customs, or opinions, but getting to do that while eating Russian pies?? That was wild.
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