St. Petersburg, Part III

Breakfast the next morning in the Palace was lovely:  fresh fruit, yogurts, croissants, cappuccino, etc. in a vaulted atrium tiled in marble, followed by a long shower in the luxurious bathroom.  After which Vic made arrangements to hire a guide and driver to take us to the Summer Palace, a long, yellow building that stretches across acres of gardens filled with germinating flowers and golden fountains and arboreal greenery. Touring the gilded rooms and gardens we gasped in delight and awe, then walked outside and watched children play in the fountains, listened to musicians entertain us, and tried our hand at a coin toss into the boot of a statue.  When we felt we had seen it all, we boarded the high speed catamaran powerboat across the harbor and back into the heart of the City.
That night, we decided to eat dinner at the Russian Empire restaurant -- a palace formerly owned by the Stroganoff family, where we ate an amazing meal of Venison Stroganoff, sorbet, and various delights. Our dinner ended with a tour of the basement where ancient wines were concealed and hidden bedrooms hosted unexpected overnight visitors. Our guide informed us that the members of the G20 Summit had just eaten there the week before. When we returned to the hotel, we had a vodka and ran into the lead singer for Nazareth, Dan MacCafferty, and the Village People, who were also staying at our hotel. What a great end to an amazing City!

St. Petersburg, Part II, Russia

Afterward, we toured St. Isaacs Cathedral -- enjoying the view from the top and from the inside (gold gilded doors and moldings, and painted ceilings and walls). People were riding their horses outside the cathedral. We walked around the city and viewed the statue that Catherine the Great had given to honor Peter the Great. We finished the evening at Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral where Alexander II is buried, followed by dinner in the Palace - Beef Stroganoff, seafood and medallions of duck. 

St. Petersburg, Part I, Russia

Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, the three of us checked into our Palace Hotel: an amazing renovation of a palace with an enormous bedroom lined with Romanesque columns and a luxurious hallway that led to a bathroom tiled in marble and mosaics and gold accouterments -- indubitably ostentatious. After settling in, we toured the area around the hotel, including the Winter Palace (the Hermitage Museum), the Neva River and Nevsky Prospect. Vic was astounded by how much St. Petersburg had changed in twenty-five years; commercialism and capitalism now live somewhere down the street from the local McDonalds, while the communist structure is hidden somewhere beneath the cobblestone.  We grabbed a bite to eat at an all night cafe and tucked into our luxurious hotel for the night. 
In the morning, we hired a guide to take us on a tour of the Hermitage. She showed us the most important rooms and paintings, and provided background about all the pieces. One of the most incredible was a lifesized, gold peacock clock which spread its tail on the hour.  We ate lunch at a fast food Russian restaurant called Teremok, which served delicious Blinis and Borscht.