Expatiperro

While we had technically completed the Trans-Siberian Railway the moment we stepped off the train in Moscow on September 30th, our trip through Russia still had one leg remaining before we set foot in the last stop on our itinerary, St. Petersburg. The night train from Moscow to St. Petersburg is said to be the busiest and nicest stretch of rail in the country, the Russian equivalent to the Northeastern Corridor, except without the overpriced tickets and overhyped "high-speed" trains. After a night spent with two snoring Russian businessmen who enjoying moving around the small cabin in only their underwear, Kyle and I stumbled out of the train station into the 9 AM twilight and were ready to take on the city.

If Moscow is a representation of what Russia is today, a clash of the Soviet and capitalist eras, then St. Petersburg is a representation of what Russia was before the 1917 Revolution, a near time capsule of life during the Tsarist age. Massive, ornately-facaded Baroque palaces line the broad streets, which cross over canals that give the city an air of Amsterdam or Venice. Old trams run down the streets past pedestrians who stroll as if they have no particular destination in mind and are just out to take in the scenery. Even far out from the city center, St. Petersburg presents an elegant, unhurried face, of a city trying to ignore that it was ever a witness to some of the horrors of the 20th century.


We spent our first day walking down the main street, Nevsky Prospekt, and passed a few hours in the Hermitage, which might be the world's most outsized art museum (yes, including the Louvre). Everything about the Hermitage is enormous and grandiose, like the insanely comprehensive collection of art (world-class collection in things ranging from Russian archeology to 19th century French art to Japanese prints), as well as the over-the-top Winter Palace where the Hermitage collection is housed (the place has 400 rooms!!). It's the only museum in the world where a room with two--TWO-- da Vinci masterpieces could be overshadowed by the decorations of the room where they hang. And best of all- free admission for students, a rarity in Russia. They say that if you spend 30 seconds in front of every world of art in the museum, you'd be there for like 50 years; after exhausting 3 hours there, I completely understand.

High culture was the theme of the rest of our four days in St. Petersburg. We took in a Russian ballet, Swan Lake, where we battled other tourists for the best seats and shot a few dirty looks to other tourists who mistook the ballet performance for a social hour. We went to the Russian State Political History Museum, the main Cathedral, and the Summer Palace (Peterhof). After the hustle and bustle of Moscow, a relaxing, cultural experience was exactly what the travel doctor ordered.