Touring St. Petersburg

Besides walking around the city and eating great food, we wanted to get to know the place better. The river and canals are the lifeblood of Sankt Peterburg, so a river tour was a must. There are a zillion providers, but owing to the narrow canals, boat sizes don’t vary much. We were careful to reserve a personalized tour in English and were lucky enough to have a lovely guide named Kate who had encyclopedic knowledge of the history and culture.

After meeting us at our hotel, she walked us to a nearby docking area where our boat awaited. She had brought an iPad with photos to show pictures of famous places and people, including Peter the Great, of course, and also Rasputin and the last of the Romanovs, namely Nicholas II and his family.

It’s hard to beat any boat tour in a lovely city. I’ve been on lots over the years. This cruise began with the smaller canals, which are surrounded by graceful pastel buildings dating from the time of Peter II.

Peter had huge ambitions to elevate Russia from its feudal constraints and form a European nation. Drawing on his extensive travels, he formed a vision of his capital city. On this tour, we learned that he liked Amsterdam greatly, and modeled his city after it. Much as I love Amsterdam, I find the loud colors jarring after a while. So I appreciate the lovely muted colors that grace St. Petersburg.

Soon we made our way into the Neva river, the lifeline of the city. One of the highlights of this portion was seeing the Peter and Paul Fortress on Hare Island. Peter II built this defense as the first order of business in his new capital, overseeing its design and construction himself.

We returned to this fortress for a tour a few days later and foot. It’s location is designed to ward off enemies such as Sweden, a threat in those times.

The most fun of all was our night bike tour! Starting at 22:00, we gathered these cute small-wheeled Schultz bikes at a cool place called Berthold Centre. Besides the bike shop, the courtyard is a high energy hub for music, art, coffee and food. (Have I mentioned how young the crowds are in St. Petersburg?). With our guide in the lead, we sped off towards the many sights of the night, which was just dusk, really.

I’d failed to check my equipment properly. Not the bike, but my shoelaces. Oh, no, my right shoe grew tighter with each forward pedal. I could backpedal and unwind , but had to stop for assistance from Fred and the rear guard of the tour if I was going to continue. A little unwinding and I could re-tie and then secure both shoes with a double tie.

The most notable sights that evening were the original Egyptian granite statues along one canal, the pocket courtyards in a modest and bohemian neighborhood, and the finale at the raising of the Aurora bridge at about 1:30 AM. In summer, this is highly celebrated, with cars and boats gathering, and serious fireworks accompanied by Mozart and other classics.

The canal tour boats are first to pass through, and that swarm is followed by barges filled with food and other goods to stock the stores.

There’s a historical reason that drawbridges are everywhere in St. Petersburg. When the city was first carved out of the deep forest, the biggest threat were wolves. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, but we were. Every night, the bridges were raised to keep the marauders out.

Our walk home from Berthold plaza was quiet- at 14:00, most folks were home. We stopped for a snack and a drink, at another Jager locale, then to bed. Tired.