Russia: Final Thoughts

So while writing a post that was initially supposed to combine final thoughts with travel tips, I realized that it was starting to become too long. As such, I decided to split them in two. One post for travel tips and this one for some final thoughts.

GUM (ГУМ), a shopping mall that borders Red Square

On my first day in Russia, I tripped and almost fell on my camera. When we were at the Kremlin, I was so intent on taking a photo that I kept inching my way to the left while trying to frame a shot properly. I didn't notice a small knee-high post on my left. I ended up falling over it. Only thought: don't let the camera hit the ground. Almost did. Thankfully, I managed to catch my fall with my free hand without injuring my wrist. It was extremely embarrassing though.

Golden domes inside the Moscow Kremlin

Surprisingly, learning the Russian alphabet is not as hard as you'd think. Don't get intimidated by it. Both my mom and I were able to read Russian well enough to get by and get around. My geekiness sort of came out though since I somehow remembered the greek letters, it might help you with a few letters. In the Greek alphabet, Г is Gamma (G), Д is Delta (D), Л looks like Lamdba (L), and П is Pi (P).

Inside the Tretyakov Gallery

Not a lot of people in Moscow speak English. When my mom and I tried purchasing overnight train tickets from Moscow to St. Petersburg, we were trying to get first class seats. The lady behind the counter couldn't understand us. She was telling us there were no seats available and was about to sell us the second class seats. Apparently, I figured out later on that she may have thought we wanted the cheapest seats and that she was trying to say was there were no third class seats left so she was giving us the next level up which was second class. Thankfully, a lady who could speak some English came up behind us and helped translate. She helped us get the correct tickets. Lucky for us!

Inside the Commandant's House at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg

Strange and slightly intimidating experience at the Izmailovo Market. We passed by a shop that was selling a shirt with the Sochi Winter Olympics logo that I was interested in getting. On our way into the market, I heard the guy manning the shop tell another patron that the shirt cost 300 rubles. I thought of getting it on the way out, but when we passed by again, the guy said 500 rubles. I was thinking about getting it but the guy then asked "how much?" I was still thinking if I still wanted to get it and then he said in a more forceful and confrontational way "how much?" I guess he was getting slightly impatient or maybe he thought I didn't understand him because before I knew it, he screamed at me "How much?!!" Okay, at that point I just had to step away.

The vibrantly colorful Kremlin in Izmailovo

McDonald's is relatively cheap in Russia. A Big Mac sandwich here costs about 87 rubles (or P100). I don't know how much a Big Mac meal costs though since I wasn't sure how do order the meal. :) Note however that because it is quite cheap, there are always very long lines at McDonald's.

Dining room in Catherine Palace just outside St. Petersburg

It was my first time to fly Aeroflot, Russia's largest airline and its flag carrier. It was pretty decent, with a good selection of movies, including some relatively new ones. I finally got to see Skyfall, The King's Speech, Rise of the Guardians, and Ocean's Thirteen.

Magnificent mosaic ceiling and interior of the Church of The Savior on Spilled Blood

I didn't realize until we were heading back to Manila that Aeroflot is part of Skyteam, with which I have a miles program. Thankfully, my miles were credited after the fact. Moral of the story: (1) know which airlines are part of your miles program and (2) always keep your boarding passes after your flight, just in case.

A beautifully sculpted grave in the Alexander Nevsky monastery

Next post: Travel Tips.

Russian Ballet

We got to see two ballets when we were in Russia, both times in St. Petersburg. Russian ballet was an absolute must-see for us and I'm happy that we were able to experience it twice during our holiday. We attempted to see one in Moscow as well but it didn't exactly work out.

Jewels ballet at the Mariinsky

The Bolshoi Theatre is the top place in Moscow to see a ballet. One key thing to note when attempting to buy tickets to a ballet here is that you have to buy them way in advance. Purchasing tickets 1-2 weeks before the playdate won't cut it. I waited until we got our visas before I attempted to buy tickets but by then, every ballet at the Bolshoi was already sold out. A couple of seats did became available for Romeo and Juliet a couple of days before but each cost a whopping 8.000 rubles (that's more than P10,00) so we decided not to watch. We did visit the Bolshoi Theatre while we were in Moscow and took some photos from outside.

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow

The Mariinsky Theatre is the main place in St. Petersburg for musical theatre. During the Soviet era, it was called the Kirov Theatre and this is actually where Filipina prima ballerina Lisa Macuja developed her exceptional skills as a ballet dancer.

The lovely green facade of the original Mariinsky Theatre

My mom and I were choosing between two ballets: Jewels and The Young Lady and the Hooligan. We opted for the longer ballet, Jewels, but as I was checking the performance information, I noticed that it would be showing in the Mariinsky II, the newly-built modern-styled theater right next to the original Mariinsky. Both my mom and I were interested in watching a show in the older theater so when I saw that The Young Lady and the Hooligan would be staged there, I decided to get the most inexpensive seats for that show as well.

The old Mariinsky (left) and the Mariinsky II (right) stand on opposite sides

of a canal and showcase a contrast in architectural styles

Jewels is an award-winning ballet that features impressive choreography. It is comprised of three separate ballets, all of which are named after jewels. The costumes of the dancers appropriately match the jewel they represent: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds.

Scene from the Rubies suite of the Jewels ballet

The Mariinsky II looks very modern and thus, out-of-place in a section of the city that is filled with old architecture. I have to say that it has a resplendent amber-inspired interior (see the left side of the photo below). If I remember correctly, it was on the third level that several costumes from past ballets were on display for people to see and enjoy.

Inside the Mariinsky II

The theater is supposed to feature cutting edge technology that would allow sets to be very quickly and seamlessly changed; apparently, up to six shows with different sets can be shown here in one day. The layout of the seats was also supposed to have been done in such a way that everyone in the audience can see everything on stage. The seating area, however, is not as luxurious as I was expecting of a theater of such great significance. It kind of reminded me of the RCBC theater in Makati. I will say though that we were quite lucky to watch a ballet here because it opened on May 2 which meant we got to enjoy a show here on its 6th day of being open. Talk about good timing!

Mariinsky II Theatre

The Young Lady and the Hooligan featured Elena Yevseyeva and Ilya Kuznetsov, both of them award-winning performers who have gained prominence for their skill and artistry. Watching them perform, I could completely understand why. They were both exceptional!

The Young Lady and the Hooligan

This ballet lasted about an hour but it was still a great experience, made even more wonderful by the fact that we were enjoying this performance in a historically and culturally significant venue. While we sat at the highest level, we did get front row seats in that section which gave us an unobstructed view of the stage and the old but still magnificent interior of the theater.

Inside the original Mariinsky Theatre

As expected, both performances we saw were sensational. The lead dancers and soloists were flawless and their impeccable technique and incredible expression were on full display. That we got to see two shows in two different theaters fully rounded out our incredible Russian experience.

Ready to watch the show

Two things surprised me though. First, while camera use is not supposed to be allowed inside the theater during a show, you could see so many people unabashedly taking photos and even videos! I ended up taking my cue from them and snapping a few photos myself during the performances but only within the first minute or so and also during curtain call and it was never with a flash. I don't understand how so many people kept taking pictures with flash which could so easily distract the dancers (thankfully, no one seemed to get thrown off.). The second thing I noticed was the lack of standing ovations. Maybe stellar performances at the ballet are so commonplace here in Russia that people are not that bothered standing up to show their adulation. Maybe here it's the curtain call that is the true sign and the highest form of respect. Still, I felt that the leads and soloists of both shows deserved standing ovations.

All suited up

The Bolshoi website recommends getting dressed up when watching a show and you will indeed see a lot of people in the audience, especially the women, dressed to the nines. There were quite a few people, however, who came in just wearing a shirt and jeans. You can buy tickets for the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky online through their respective official websites. You can also select which seat you want to get. Of course, while my mom and I focused specifically on ballet, there are lots of other performances (such as operas and orchestras) that are staged at both theaters. Make sure you take the time to see a show in one of these venues when you visit Moscow and/or St. Petersburg.

Next post: Final thoughts.

More St. Petersburg

Our hotel was located right across Alexander Nevsky Monastery and we had a good view of it from our window. The claim to fame of this lavra is here you will find the graves of some of the most famous and important Russian artists.

View of Alexander Nevsky Monastery from our hotel room

It was a bit of an effort to figure out where different people were buried, but we thankfully found the ones we were looking for. Among them are author Fyodor Dostoyevsky...

Grave of Fyodor Dostoyevksy

...and composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Grave of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The metro in St. Petersburg is not as spectacular as its Moscow counterpart but that doesn't mean that some of the stations here aren't worth a photo op or two. The Admiralteyskaya station with its appropriate mosaic design is the stop closest to the Hermitage and the deepest metro station in the city.

Admiralteyskaya metro station

We saw the beautiful St. Petersburg Mosque from a bit of a distance when we went to Peter and Paul Fortress.

St. Petersburg Mosque

We passed by the Nikolsky Cathedral (or St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral) on our way to the Mariinsky Theatre. I would have loved to go in to see its beautifully carved wooden iconostasis but we didn't have enough time. Nevertheless, we got to admire its elegant blue and gold facade.

Nikolsky Cathedral

This monument has the most interesting name - To Leningrad the Hero City Obelisk. It was erected in Vosstaniya Square in 1985 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Victory Day.

To Leningrad the Hero City Obelisk

It was in this area on May 9 that we luckily chanced upon the Victory Day parade. We spent most of that day at the Peterhof and after getting dressed at our hotel, we got on a bus which was supposed to take us all the way to the Mariinsky Theatre. However, most of the roads were closed and we had to get off the bus near Ploshchad Vosstaniya. As we made our way to the metro station, we saw that the parade in this square had just started. Talk about great timing!

Victory Day parade

We had our final dinner in Russia at Chaynaya Lozhka, which had a branch not far from our hotel. This place serves relatively inexpensive blini, a traditional Russian dish and we felt that it would be good to have something local before we flew out.

Dinner and dessert blinis at Chaynaya Lozhka

There is still one key Russian experience I had that I have yet to write about. Next post: Russian Ballet.

Palaces around St. Petersburg

We visited three palaces located just outside St. Petersburg. We spent a full day visiting two of them which are located next to each other - Pavlovsk and Catherine Palaces - while we spent most of our last day at the Peterhof Palace. All of these are about an hour away from St. Petersburg but are all worth the trip.

Of the three palaces we visited, Pavlovsk Palace is the most subdued. It doesn't have the grandeur as the other two palaces; its facade is not as striking and its room are not as massive.However, it is exactly these qualities that give Pavlosvk palace a very homey feel. It was built by Paul I in Pavlovsk near Saint Petersburg and used as an Imperial residence so it makes perfect sense that this house is like a comfortable mansion set amidst sprawling greenery. After the death of Paul I, the palace became the home of his widow, Maria Feodorovna.

Pavlovsk Palace

Our tour guide Irina (she was also our guide at the Hermitage) took us through several different rooms in the palace. We had to put on covers over our shoes so as not to damage the floor and you also have to pay extra (200 rubles I think) to take pictures inside. Irina talked in detail about each room, although I did miss some of what she said as I was too busy taking photos.

One of the most interesting things on display was what is called the Sèvres porcelain toilet set (see photo below) located in the State Bedroom. Irina told us that when the Germans invaded Russia, the curators of the palace started packing  the palace collection and moving them to safer locations to hide them. Supposedly, the mold that was used to create the Sèvres porcelain toilet set was destroyed. Whether this is true or not, this set on display at the Pavlovsk is the only one of its kind that was ever produced.

After our trip tour inside the palace, we had a few minutes to spare. So we walked about the park outside the palace for a bit and take photos. My mom also had a bit of time to buy souvenirs.

After spending a morning in Pavlovsk, we headed to Catherine Palace which is a short drive away. This is probably the most lavish and visually stunning of all the palaces we visited outside St. Petersburg. Located in Tsarskoe Selo, it was named after Catherine I and used as a summer residence of Russian tsars.

Catherine Palace

One of the most impressive and jaw-dropping rooms in this palace is the Grand Hall or Hall of Lights, a ballroom used for important receptions. Arched windows, electric lamps, gilded walls and mirrors make this room explode with sheer brilliance. In true baroque style, a majestic sky-themed painting covers the entire ceiling.

The Grand Hall is probably trumped by only one room - the Amber Room - and you can read more about it here. Unfortunately, it is the only location in the palace where photographs are not allowed. There is a long corridor that spans the entire length of the palace, connecting the different rooms here. If you stand at one end and look through the corridor, you can see door after door after door. I think our guide Irina called these the infinite doors. In any case, it was definitely worth a picture. You can also see the immense number of people visiting the palace that day.

The palace is set amidst a beautiful park. Apparently, it didn't look like this naturally. The park was landscaped and even the lake is man-made. Nevertheless, it is very beautiful and peaceful.

Our final day was spent at the Peterhof Palace. It is known as the Russian Versailles because Peter the Great commissioned the palace complex and its beautiful gardens and fountains to be modeled after Versailles. We were there on May 9, Victory Day, and we were very lucky that when we went to view the Grand Cascade, we got to view a fireworks display. A few minutes earlier or later and we would have missed it completely.

Peterhof Palace

Known as Petrodvorets from 1944 to 1997 during the Soviet era, Peterhof Palace is located at the Gulf of Finland so we decided to have a closer look at this easternmost part of the Baltic sea.

Photos are not allowed inside the palace so all of our pictures here were taken around the garden. I can't recall now what our guide told us but I think there are close to 200 fountains here, all of different sizes and designs.

We spent about 4 hours in Peterhof but I would have liked to spend a bit more time to see more of the gardens and fountains and so we could also purchase a few souvenirs (it's really tough to buy stuff when you are on tour, even if it is private, due to the time limitations). Apparently you can easily get to the Peterhof Palace via hydrofoil (450 rubles one-way) from the Neva River near the Hermitage. If spending more time here is more important to you than learning historical details of the different rooms in the palace, traveling on your own might be a better option than taking a private tour.

Next post: More St. Petersburg.

The Hermitage

A trip to St. Petersburg cannot be complete without a visit to the State Hermitage Museum, or simply the Hermitage. It is rated #1 in Trip Advisor among attractions in St. Petersburg and it is completely understandable why. This museum is set mainly in the beautiful Winter Palace, but as the collection grew over the centuries, additional buildings - the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, and the New Hermitage - were erected as part of the palace complex where visitors can view the public exhibits.

Catherine the Great is known to be one of the greatest art collectors in history and it was she who established the Hermitage. The collection in the museum is said to consist of more than three million items, and only a small fraction of them is on permanent public display. What makes the Hermitage unique is that it is set in a palace, and you are not only awed by the great art but also by the grandeur of the rooms in which they are housed.

Once you enter, you are greeted by the lavish Grand Staircase. Imagine that, we were just at the entrance and even then we were already being wowed. (My photo below doesn't do it justice, you have to see it in person to be truly impressed.)

We were then taken through a series of rooms, each one just as impressive as the next. The resplendent Armorial Hall has gilded columns and was one of the palace's main reception areas.

You can find the Great Imperial Throne at the far-end of the The St. George Hall (or Large Throne Hall). This opulent room has a very intricately-decorated ceiling included a bas-relief of St. George slaying the dragon. What makes this hall even more astonishing, and I would never have noticed if our guide didn't point it out, is that the parquet floor has been designed to look like a reflection of the ceiling decorations, including the chandeliers. Amazing!

Our guide from Marina Wilson tours told us that the Hermitage contains artwork from every significant artist in the world. Not that I know every important artist, but I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. However, as we started going through the displays, I realized that statement may actually have been more accurate than I initially thought. Among the displays are an early painting by Leonardo Da Vinci called Madonna with a Flower. (He actually has another Madonna and Child painting at the Hermitage. Both paintings are located in the same room.)

Madonna and a Flower by Leonardo Da Vinci

There is a large section of paintings by Rembrandt, who is probably one of my favorite painters because of his mastery of chiaroscuro, or the use of strong, dramatic contrasts between light and shadow. We stopped at this next painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son, as our guide pointed out to us the hands of the father. You will see that one hand is wide and masculine while the other is soft and almost feminine, which seems to suggest fathering and mothering at the same time.

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt

We also got to see some paintings from Vincent Van Gogh, including this one entitled Memory of the Garden at Etten (Ladies of Arles).

Memory of the Garden at Etten (Ladies of Arles) by Vincent Van Gogh

Pablo Picasso was also well-represented in the Hermitage. His painting Friendship demonstrates his popular style of cubism and was completed during his African Period.

Friendship by Pablo Picasso

The sculpture Crouching Boy is the only work of Michelangelo that can be found in the museum. While it seems unfinished or unpolished, some people feel that it was intentionally sculpted this way.

Crouching Boy by Michelangelo

The Raphael Loggias were modeled after the famous gallery at the Vatican. I initially thought that these frescoes were painted by Raphael himself but apparently he supervised his students who were the ones who painted the walls and columns in this hallway.

Raphael Loggias

What I love about museums is that you get to see and appreciate beautiful work of artists you haven't heart of before. Our guide directed our attention to this magnificent painting called Departure for the Market (Autumn Morning) by Constant Troyon, a French painter who mastered the art of painting animals. I also love how he rendered this painting with an early morning mist.

Departure for the Market (Autumn Morning) by Constant Troyon

I was also impressed by this painting entitled The Angel of Death by Horace Vernet.

The Angel of Death by Horace Vernet

This sculpture, called The Three Graces, was created by Italian artist Antonio Canova. It's impressive how this piece was created out of marble and yet it looks exceptionally delicate and soft. Take a closer look, especially at the hands and fingers of the women.

The Three Graces by Antonio Canova

Our tour lasted only 3 hours but my mom and I decided to stay a bit more so we could spend more time looking at the artwork and cultural artifacts on display in the museum (and also to buy souvenirs). We could easily have spent more time inside if not for the fact that we had tickets to a ballet that same night so by around 4pm we left the museum to head back to our hotel.

Our guide (coincidentally, her name was also Irina, similar to our walking tour guide) told us that in each trip she takes to the Hermitage, she always sees or learns something new. Not hard to imagine given the size of the museum and the vastness of the collection. The Hermitage is a definite must-see when you visit St. Petersburg and it is now probably my favorite museum in the world.

Next post: Palaces around St. Petersburg.