St Petersburg (Day 2)

It’s just a short trip across town and we soon arrive at the Hermitage and enter the magnificent Winter Palace. Once we have sorted out who needs the loo (I’m beginning to feel like a five-year-old again), we ascend a magnificent Baroque staircase to first floor. I actually recognise this ornate room and it brings to mind a painting of the storming of the Winter Palace. It’s hard to think that such bloody deeds could have taken place in such surroundings.

Passing from room to room, we gasp at the shear indulgence of it all. Each room seem to outdo the last. In fact we have all made the mistake of thinking we are just visiting an art gallery. We forget the buildings are palaces and that some of the most powerful people of their time lived here. When we do see paintings, they seem to play second fiddle to their surroundings.

My impression of the priest is then shattered … as he gets out his mobile phone

We visit the Italian masters including one Michelangelo and some frankly dull Botticellis. Perhaps they had been part of one of Catherine the Great’s job lots. “Oh he’s a famous painter, we had better put that one up”. In a room of their own we find two tiny Da Vinci portraits of Madonna and child.

One extremely glamorous room, decorated by intricate mosaics, also features an enormous clock, except you really wouldn’t realise that just from looking at it. It actually looks like a brass sculpture of a tree complete with peacock, owl and squirrel. When the clock strikes; the peacock raises his tail, the owls head rotates and the squirrel does something with his nuts – apparently. Somewhere there has to be a dial and that appears to be well hidden on a toadstool beneath the tree.

The next target for us is the impressive collection of Dutch or Flemish masters. There are a number of Van Dykes and over 40 Rubens. These were actually collected by Peter the Great, who was an enormous fan of the artist during his lifetime. Unfortunately these rooms are also incredibly busy and there is an enormous amount of noise. Most people seem to think this is feedback coming from the earphones being worn by some of the other groups. However the constant buzzing is actually caused by people getting too close to the paintings and setting off the alarms. Judging by the lack of any kind of reaction from the staff, this happens all the time. This is surprising considering that one of the reasons we were not allowed to bring bottles of water into the Hermitage, was because someone threw a bottle of acid at a painting a few years ago.

As we pass through the building we reach a corridor that stops me in my tracks. I’ve definitely been here before! I’ve just whispered this to my friend, saying how much it looks like the Vatican, when the guide confirms it. Apparently artists were dispatched to Rome, purely to copy this extraordinary decoration. However it is only in the style of the Vatican, not a direct copy.

Before continuing we are given the option of going to see the Picassos which will be packed, or the Impressionists. We vote for the latter and are treated to a wonderful selection of works by van Goch, Cezanne, Goya, etc. This whole collection was “liberated” from German collections following WW2. Now they have an uncertain future as they may be returned to their original owners.

We head back to the main hall after seeing probably less than 1% of the collection. It has been calculated you would need to spend at least seven years briefly viewing each item, to see everything. However one curator had apparently been doing his bit, by stealing various items over a six year period. He had recently died and the thefts were discovered. The news had just been announced that his wife and other members of his family have been arrested as accomplices.

Before leaving our guide takes some of us (those that are not desperate for a sit down), back to the famous Malachite room. We pass through a temporary exhibition of Modern art. Sadly (for the artist) we walk straight through it without any mention. On the way back we pass through the room where Tsar Nicholas had abdicated and where the revolutionaries had finally taken control of Russia.

Leaving the Hermitage proves to be more difficult than entering it. We have decided that the very shallow steps would have been perfect for ladies in elegant dresses to descend as it would enable you to look as though you were gliding. This we practice to great effect. However we have taken our eye off our guide and we briefly lose our group in the mêlée. It’s pure luck that we spot her at the far end of the corridor. When we get there we find there are still a few stragglers missing, so we appoint a particularly tall member of our group as official clipboard brandisher. He does this with great aplomb. I must admit he is particularly useful to have around as you simply can’t miss him in a crowd.

Outside the Hermitage we find ourselves in a small enclosed garden. From here we pass through an arch into an enormous square. Somewhere on the far side is our coach, but we don’t rush and take some pictures of the Winter Palace’s impressive façade. A couple of hawkers offer to sell us Russian military hats covered in Soviet badges. Heaven knows whether they are real or not, but there are probably millions of these cheap badges about, so why bother faking them? My friend is coming round to the idea of getting one for her brother or possibly her son and I decide to get in on the act too. We strike what we think is a reasonable deal, but decide to give the caviar a miss!

After a brief break on the ship, we are off again, this time to visit St Petersburg’s cathedrals. Most of these are familiar. We saw them yesterday as we drove around the city. Our first stop is at the SS Peter and Paul Fortress. Rather surprisingly we actually drive into the centre of it over an extremely delicate looking wooden bridge. I suppose it’s great we get to stop in such a convenient position, but the place isn’t enhanced by the large number of coaches.

The SS Peter Paul Cathedral is surmounted by a needle like golden spire rather than onion domes. The decoration inside proves it is possible to build an Orthodox church without over doing it. Every surface is beautifully painted, even the bits that look like marble.

Inside are the tombs of all the Romanov Tsars from Peter the Great to Nicholas II. We wander amongst these remarkable white Italian marble tombs. Most are identical, but Golden two headed eagles decorate the tombs of those who actually ruled as tsar. The last Tsar, Nicholas II and his family are not buried inside the main part of the Cathedral. They reside in an adjoining anteroom. The bodies of the royal family have been buried along with those of their faithful servants, who refused to leave them even though they knew it would cost them their lives. Because they died together, it was felt that it was only right they should be buried together. Unfortunately in the Orthodox religion only very important people can be buried within a church. The compromise was therefore to bury them all just outside of the main church.

The next part of our visit was to the Kazan Cathedral, just off Nevsky Prospect. The first thing that strikes you about this building is that it looks just like St Peters in Rome. This is because of the curving colonnades on either side of the building. Rather disappointingly we don’t enter through this spectacular façade. We have to use a side door round the back. Here we are accosted by three generations of female beggars. A little later on, when I stick my head back out the door, they are being bullied by a man who demands his protection money.

Inside our guide finally looses control of us. There is a wedding service taking place and sod the history, we want to watch! The ceremony is quite elaborate, whilst the priest takes the service, the bridesmaid and best man hold golden crowns above the bride and grooms heads. They even have to do this when the whole group circle the altar several times. The service ends with the bride and groom kissing icons on either side of the symbolic gates to heaven. Then they swap over and kiss the other icon. No music is played during the ceremony, instead the priest and a small choir sing. The choir are very well hidden but after looking around I finally spot them high above the main entrance to the church. This is probably a good thing because they don’t have any special outfits and in fact one of them appears to be wearing jeans and a T shirt.

As I look around the Cathedral, I am passed by a different priest. He looks extremely impressive with a tangible aura of power about him. He’s between 30 and 40, has long blonde hair and beard and is wearing richly decorated gold vestments. He meets a second bride and groom at the main entrance and there seems to be a problem. They don’t look very happy - perhaps the other couple are running late? My impression of the priest is then shattered … as he gets out his mobile phone!

Our final visit is to St Isaacs’s Cathedral. This building is now a museum but part of it has now been re opened as a church. It is a vast and overpowering structure. During the Soviet period it used to house a scientific experiment that disproved the existence of God. Our guide can remember having this demonstrated when she visited it on a school trip. A gigantic pendulum was suspended from the towering dome. When it was set in motion, it would begin to change direction. This demonstrated the rotation of the earth and, according to the Soviets, that about wrapped it up for God! Now the pendulum has been replaced by the original 1.5m dove that hangs right up in the centre of the dome.

Now this magnificent cathedral is nothing more than a grand museum. There are beautiful works of art as well as exhibits showing how the building was originally contrasted. But its main purpose now seems to be selling nick nacks to tourists. In fact to help us out there is even a cash machine. I’d rather like to nip outside to find a stall, but our guide clearly doesn’t want that to happen.

Back at the dock, we have a final wander round the shop, before climbing back up the gang plank. We’ve had a marvellous time here in Russia and I can’t help wishing that we were staying.