Russian Food, Museums and Hospitality (Part 4: September 20)

September 20

Russian Food, Museums and Hospitality

Tolstoy 

This morning we take a taxi back to the Hermitage for more incredible art. Our driver speaks some English so we ask him how the economy has affected St Petersburg.  He says that since the U.S. and European sanctions resulting from Ukraine and Crimean issues there has been a downturn in tourism. He explains that the Japanese cancelled a number of big ships coming even though they were prepaid. However, he tells us there are more Chinese coming but not many Americans. We ask him about Obama and he replies, “he’s a nobody.”  I comment that he doesn’t seem very positive about Americans and he replies that it is not the Americans rather it is the American policy and the problems the government has caused in Iraq and Iran. He goes on to say that those countries are not ready for democracy. When we ask him how the Russians feel about democracy he says the people don’t want it and are still mentally ready to still be under a strong rule like Czars.  He says “people like Putin” but goes on to add “this is not my feeling”. 

The Hermitage 

At the Hermitage we see more art … and this time it is the Old Masters such as two small Leonardo da Vinci Madonnas. These are landmarks in composition because they portray the emotion of  a mother and child having an intimate moment with touching hands and gazes rather than seated formally on a throne. 

 We enter a long hallway decorated with colorful paintings . Apparently this is a  virtually identical replica of Raphael’s Vatican Loggia in Rome commissioned by Catherine the Great after she visited. (later called Raphael’s Bible because it mixes Christian and pagan).

We go on to see one of Rembrandt’s last paintings called Prodigal Son which is powerfully emotionally resonating depicting a father’s forgiveness for his son’s transgressions. I am moved by this painting and know it is impossible to capture on my camera. 

  I realize I am overdosed and not able to take in much more. John is still going strong and I tell him later that night over dinner that I feel very plebian and uncultured. 

Second DOM dinner

John has made reservations for us to go back to the DOM for he felt our meal there was the best we have had in Russia. When we arrive they ask to take my coat and when I refuse because I am cold they insist saying they can bring me a blanket if I am cold.  There seems to be some important rule in Russia that one must not have a coat at dinner or even have it put on the back of a chair.  This time John starts his meal with pickled herring (but no vodka) followed by pelini with turkey and then a mushroom pastry. What next? Why stroganoff for John of course.. and for me peach arugula salad (same as last time) and mushroom risotto.  All this with wine and coffee in an elegant dining room for just $75 including service charge!

A Different Taxi Experience

We ask the restaurant to call a taxi for us but now have become nonchalant about taxis. For the first time in 6 days we don’t ask for the price ahead of time. When we arrive at Alexander Home we are told the price will be 700 rubles.  This is twice what we have paid other taxis into town which is a longer drive. Our prices have ranged from 300 to 450 rubles. John says we won’t pay that amount and our hotel manager comes up to tell the driver this is not right.  Okay so we have learned the stories about tourists being scammed by taxi drivers is correct.  In this case we are supported by the lovely young Russian hotel manager.

 Russian Museum

Mikhailovsky Palace 

Up early this morning we set off for the Russian Museum ~ surely we must see some Russian art. I love this museum located in the Mikhailovsky Palace because it is smaller, less ornate which is distracting, uncrowded and it is socially acceptable that I don’t know the artists. Much of the work is about Russians exploring their culture and political history. I particularly love a painting by Illya Repin called Barge Haulers on the Volga (1870-73). In this picture the labor of the workers pulling a ship against the current and their painful facial expressions reflects the struggle of the working class. We also see one painting of Tolstoy also by Repin.

Repin

Barge Haulers on the Volga (Repin)

Tolstoy 

Russian Hospitality

It is 11:30 am and we need to get back to the hotel in order to catch our taxi to the airport. But we must buy something more with our remaining rubles.  John negotiates some nesting dolls.  Getting a taxi turns out to be more difficult than we realized and we are worried about our time.  John tries unsuccessfully to hail some cabs. A young Russian woman seeing our distress asks if she can help us. When we tell her we are trying to get a taxi she gives us the number of a legal and safe taxi company. When John tells her he doesn’t have a working cell phone she is astonished and asks us how we intended to get a cab. John shows her how he would put out his arm to hail a taxi and she is further astonished and says that we would be charged 5 times more because we are tourists.  She proceeds to go in the street and somehow get a car to stop ~ the car has no sign on it that indicates it is a taxi but just looks like an ordinary car.  She asks us where we are going and I tell her we are used to paying 300-450 rubles to get back.  She shakes her head saying, “no more than 200 rubles”.  At this stage I am thinking this is another kind of scam and I ask her if she is sure this is safe. She replies, “trust me” and consider this “Russian hospitality”.  We get in this unmarked car and John shows the driver who speaks no English his I-pad with the address.  The driver takes on a rather circuitous route to our hotel finally using John’s I-pad. When we get there the driver seems quite content with his 200 rubles.  Once again we have experienced friendly Russian hospitality. A nice end to a fascinating trip.

Churches, Stroganoff and More Vodka (Part 3: Sept 19, 2015)

Churches, Stroganoff and More Vodka  (Part 3)

Church on Spilled Blood

I had seen this church’s gilded onion domes from afar but was struck anew by its fairy-tale image when we got closer. It received this perplexing name because it is built on the place where a suicide bomber assassinated Czar Alexander II in 1881. When you go inside and look up Christ gazes down at you from the top of the dome and is bathed in light from the  windows. 

Nothing inside is painted ~ the walls are all covered with exquisite mosaics.






And the altar, typically made of wood, was entirely in marble. 

Entirely made of marble 

Interestingly this place is not used for religious purposes. 

St. Isaacs Cathedral and Weddings

This cathedral seems to be the place where newly married couples come to have their pictures taken. I take about 50 pictures but decide you have seen enough wedding pictures in my past blogs.
I am considering changing my career to be a wedding photographer as I find it fun to try to capture the joy and love in these couples celebrations. 

Stroganoff Steak House and Vodka Toasting

To add to John’s off diet streak of stroganoff meals, we go out this night to a restaurant called Stroganoff’s Steak House.  I am not sure why we chose this restaurant from the list the hotel concierge has given us because we never go to steak houses in America, try to keep beef off our diet and realize that good steaks won’t be cheap in Russia.  Perhaps we are taken in by the “stroganoff” brand marketing effort or the 4-½ star reviews by Trip Advisor and high recommendation by the concierge. Nonetheless when we arrive to we find it to be a comfortable and welcoming very male atmosphere with its white walls, black and white photos and dark leather chairs. John orders St. Petersburg steak and is told by the waiter it is really New York steak. I order half a lamb rack. 

I laugh as I tell John we are again seated by a group of  5 young men drinking vodka.  This time I can count the number of toasts more carefully.  They are having pickled herring and vodka chased by a reddish cranberry drink. Before even getting their 3-inch thick steaks I have counted 5 toasts. By the time they get their steaks they are up to 8 toasts. I wonder if this is regular young male Russian manhood behavior or if something special is being celebrated.  As we are close to finishing our meal I lean over to ask them if they speak English and whether they are celebrating a wedding. The man I am speaking to laughs and says yes he is getting married in a week. He shows me a picture of his fiancee.  We then ask about the etiquette for vodka toasting and number of toasts required. I mentioned I had been counting and one of them said he noticed I was watching them and told me my numbers were wrong because they had had 1 ½ liters of vodka before we arrived!  Moreover, this was just the start of the evening to be followed by cocktails at other bars. I asked if we could take a picture of them and they readily agreed and asked if they could take a picture of us sitting with them as well. They were eager to chat, their English was pretty good, and we talked about their views of differences and similarities between Americans and Russians. One of them had worked in Chicago which he loved.  Turns out drinking vodka is not their usual weekend habit and the groom told us he had not had vodka in 9 months. I mentioned they didn’t seem drunk and the groom replied that drinking vodka kept your mind clear and was only a problem if mixed with other alcohol such as wine! By background these men mostly had financial jobs and one had a PhD in statistics. They insisted on us joining them in a vodka toast with them and were surprised when we told them we had never tasted it
 before. Thus we participated in this traditional event although I found it hard to drink down a whole swig in one gulp without tasting it. After being urged to have a few more rounds (1 is never enough), we shared email addresses and left feeling once again we had been welcomed by friendly Russia people. 

Taxi Caution

Our guidebook has warned us to use taxis only with caution and to walk away from taxis that hail you down.  So far we have either taken the bus, or ordered a taxi from our hotel, or chosen a taxi with a taxi brand on the side of the car. We have negotiated the language barrier with John’s I-pad navigation system indicating our chosen location.  Usually the “official” taxis  from our hotel have cost us 450 rubles (about $7 ) versus 50 rubles on the bus. However, bus service takes much longer than the taxi depending on when your bus number arrives. This evening we ask the restaurant to order us an official taxi. However, when we get outside there are many taxis waiting and one driver offers to take us right away. I ask the restaurant manager how we know which taxi is ours? She cautions us not to take any of the taxis outside and to wait for the one she has ordered.  She comes out to the street to show us the taxi we are to take. This drive takes us to the Alexandra House for 350 rubles, the cheapest taxi ride yet! I comment on the way home that we haven’t had any taxi problems so far. The next day we have a different experience.  (see Part 4)

Canals, a Russian Good Samaritan & Best Art Museum (Part 2: Sept 18, 2015)

September 18

Canals, a Russian Good Samaritan, and Best Art Museum

The next day we have a wonderful breakfast that comes as part of our room fee.  We ask the hotel manager about getting tickets for a canal boat tour that has English translation.  She tells us it is unlikely we can have a translator. While doing this a lovely young Russian woman named Maria who overhears us and speaks very good English interrupts to say that she can get us a boat canal trip at a good price. She immediately calls from her cell phone and sets up a 1 pm time for a tour. John asks her if she can get any black market tickets for the Opera. She laughs and says she doesn’t deal with black market tickets but can help with white market tickets.  To our absolute amazement she tells us that for 100 rubles each for a ticket ($1.45) she will book us. She gives us her card and instructs us to go to the Opera administrator’s office and show this card.  The deal is that for this unbelievable price you can wait at the door to see if people don’t show up and then are given any empty seats. If there are no empty seats available they will give you a chair in the aisle.  It turns out this helpful person is a tour guide and interpreter who arranges tours for students from London.  Another incredible experience with a friendly Russian. I wonder if we would have done the same for a Russian tourist in United States.

Canal Tour

Add caption

John sends emails

Seated on a small canal low level flat boat with 4 other people we are provided with audio guides with English translation. This low lying motorized boat proceeds down the canals  and under bridges until it pops out onto the Neva River that offers an amazing panoramic view of the Hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress, palaces and churches.  

Pushkin Home

The Hermitage From Neva River 

Peter and Paul Fortress 

Coming from Canal to Neva River

This 1-hour tour with very good translation is a wonderful way to get our first look at St. Petersburg. What a beautiful city. 

After walking around for a bit we head back to Alexander House for another nap so we will be awake for the Opera.

Mikhailovsky Theatre

Mikhailovsky Theatre 

But before the Opera we have dinner at the Grand Hotel in the lobby. For the first time John does not order stroganoff but instead orders Hungarian goulash while I have a salad. We head for the theatre wondering if we will get a seat.

Well not only do we get a seat it is in the middle of the 2^nd row in front of the symphony and the stage. We can see both the musicians and the actors up close.

We are watching the Queen of Spades composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky 1889 (and written by Pushkin).   This time the theme is a poor officer, Herman, who is desperately in love with Lisa, an heiress to the rich Countess. He is obsessed with marrying her but loses hope when he frightens the Countess to death. The loss of hope drives Herman mad and his only solution is death as was also Lisa’s solution. Not exactly Romeo and Juliet but nevertheless another play about unfulfilled love ending in a dual suicide. Just like Swan Lake, a morbid ending to a beautiful spectacle.  It is a 3-hour opera with 2 intermissions and in a classic opera house with world-class music, singing and amazing sumptuous sets.  Who says Russians don’t have a lot of emotion?  Now we have seen two Russian plays all about emotional trauma, loss and the search for ideal love. I think about Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina which both John and I read a few years ago ~ “if you look for perfection, you’ll never be content” Or, “Is it really possible to tell someone else what one feels?”

“Everyone thinks about changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Tolstoy

September 19

Overdosing at The Hermitage

Czar's Winter Palace ~ The Hermitage 

Above the Palace

John an art lover has been excited about going to the Hermitage ever since we decided to come to St Petersburg. It’s one of 5 art museums listed as the best in the world and since John likes numbers and we have been to the other four museums (Prada in Spain, Art Institute of Chicago, Louvre in Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), he wants to complete the set. John is outraged that in our Rick Steve’s travel guide, Rick says that if you have limited time and want a “wider range experience” you can skip the Hermitage. Instead Steve recommends his self-guided walking tour down Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg’s main street which is a 6-8 lane thorough fare. This amazing street is at least 2 miles long and is interspersed with cathedrals such as Kazan cathedral, churches such as Church on Spilled Blood, Peter and Paul’s Fortress, museums, opulent palaces, department stores, viewpoints and walkways over canals and rivers.   Furthermore, Steve argues that the Hermitage doesn’t have Russian art. Nonetheless John has bought us 2-day tickets for the Hermitage so we will have plenty of time to view it. I am afraid to admit that I find Steve’s comments somewhat persuasive as I love people watching and the energy of street life.  In any case, we have plenty of time so we can enjoy the Hermitage as well as many of the other amazing Russian things there are to see.

 

Tile Floor 

The Hermitage was built by Peter the Great’s daughter, Elizabeth, and later filled with the art collection of Catherine the Great. As we walk into this place I am awestruck by the immensity of the palace ~ this is so much more than an art collection as it is housed in an amazing imperial residence. Room after room you slide through the most opulent and amazing ballrooms, throne rooms, and dining rooms I have ever seen. I believe it is the most beautiful museum I have ever been in and find I am more entranced by the building itself than the art. On this first day here we first focus on the Historical rooms in the Czar’s Winter Palace ~ interestingly the architects of this palace were Italian using Baroque style.

In Field Marshall’s Hall we see portraits of all of Russian’s military generals lined up.

Another hall is dedicated to Peter the Great and a third gallery to over 300 portraits of generals who helped to expel Napoleon from Russia in 1812. This ended Napoleon’s plans for European dominance.  In the Pavilion room we see a Peacock Clock made by a British goldsmith.

After 3-4 hours wandering in this enormous palace where every room seems better than the last one, we decide to take a break and go to a building across the square which houses the moderns masters.

Here we see an impressive collection of Impressionist artists including Pissarro (see photo below), Degas, Monet (see photo), Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Matisse. 

Gaughin 

Monet

In this building each room is dedicated to one of these artists so you get to see how these artists living in France influenced one another’s style. I find in this simple building it is easier to focus on the art and you are less distracted by the opulence of the marble and palace design. We have been doing this for almost 5 hours and I am overdosed with so much to see and I know we have barely touched the surface of what there is to see but can’t digest anything more.

Gaughan 

Outside the Hermitage John looks at the famous Russian nesting dolls or is he looking all the beautiful Russian women with high heels? Amazing how they walk on these cobbled streets.

Rather than the peasant women in traditional dress, he buys one that includes the Russian heads of state. In his version we find Lenin on the outside, then Stalin, Brezhnev (1985),  Gorbachev (1991), Yelstin (1993), Putin (1999), Medvedev (2008) and then Putin again (2012).