13 May 2019 -- Day 5 -- St. Petersburg
We had another beautiful day in St. Petersburg with sunny skies and temps again in the high 60s. We are still so impressed with the beauty of this city and its history. We saw some of the same sites as we had seen from the river and canal excursion yesterday evening, but we were able to get closer to a lot of the sites and listen to our excellent tour guide as she gave us her own spin and depth of the stories behind this city, its culture, and history.
We walked around many sites and saw angles we did not experience before and heard more history and tales. We also saw ones that we hadn't seen on the prior tour. It was an absolutely amazing 3-1/2 hours! We cannot say enough!
The Cruiser AURORA and the cannon on the bow that fired the first shot that set off the 1907 Revolt
Hotel Astoria where Hitler planned a victory banquet that was never held. Now is famous and where visiting Presidents stay when in Russia for diplomatic events
Statue of Tsar Alexander, given by Catherine the Great, and located in the park in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral. It depicts the Tsar on a horse, atop a wave of granite, pointing westward to show conquest. A snake being trampled by the horse, which represents his reign of terror against his oppressors.
We have many more stories and pictures and memories of this fabulous city! Now we are setting out for Estonia.
We had another beautiful day in St. Petersburg with sunny skies and temps again in the high 60s. We are still so impressed with the beauty of this city and its history. We saw some of the same sites as we had seen from the river and canal excursion yesterday evening, but we were able to get closer to a lot of the sites and listen to our excellent tour guide as she gave us her own spin and depth of the stories behind this city, its culture, and history.
We walked around many sites and saw angles we did not experience before and heard more history and tales. We also saw ones that we hadn't seen on the prior tour. It was an absolutely amazing 3-1/2 hours! We cannot say enough!
Front, side, and rear shots of the Church of the Resurrection, also known as the Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood, since this is where Tsar Alexander was shot and later died in the Summer Palace across the canal.
The Cruiser AURORA and the cannon on the bow that fired the first shot that set off the 1907 Revolt
Hotel Astoria where Hitler planned a victory banquet that was never held. Now is famous and where visiting Presidents stay when in Russia for diplomatic events
The log cabin where Peter the Great stayed while he designed and built his walled defense fortress and Peter and Paul Church on the island on the Neva River
Confluence of the Big Neva and Little Neva Rivers and the lighthouses that guard the widest point.
Statue of Tsar Alexander, given by Catherine the Great, and located in the park in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral. It depicts the Tsar on a horse, atop a wave of granite, pointing westward to show conquest. A snake being trampled by the horse, which represents his reign of terror against his oppressors.
We have many more stories and pictures and memories of this fabulous city! Now we are setting out for Estonia.
Wow, John! It's wonderful! I cannot WAIT! Your pictures just bumped this city up in my most anticipated list!! I feel like I'm along with your two on your journey. Thank you!
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