Not so Red Russia

St Petersburg

It was with much trepidation that I decided to head back to Australia via the Trans-Siberian railway. I’d heard bad stories about Russia – that the people are cold and racist, costs prohibitive and the culture boring. Well, I quite liked Russia, and it confirms my belief that you have to find out some things for yourself. Everyone is different in the end and will always have different likes and dislikes, and hence experiences.

I flew into St Petersburg around 8pm, after a hectic 4 days in the UK, trying to replace all the things I’d lost after my bag was snatched. It would cost me about 450AUD to replace everything – so, a little more than a pretty penny!

It was early June, and nearing the Summer Solstice. St Petersburg is at a really high latitude – higher than most Scandanavian capitals – and has White Nights. I think it would get dark after midnight when I was there, but I never stayed up to find out. It is also a very European feeling city, and a beautiful one to boot. I came at a good time of year, with flowers blooming and clear blue skies.

I was astounded by the architecture of Russia, because I had never seen it before. Well, only on TV. The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood was most impressive, inside and out. It had the stereotypical onion domes in fanciful colours and a beautifully painted interior. When you are the biggest land empire in the world, you have some serious coin for monuments.

And St Petersburg does not lack for monuments. I visited Petrodvorets (Peterhof), the palace that Peter the Great built, famous for its fountains and gardens. It is meant to rival Versailles and I can see why. Stunning place. But it’s actually nicer outside than inside. It’s set on the coast, and gets a lovely breeze.

And of course, there is the Hermitage. I visited the Hermitage twice, as it is so big. It’s an amazing place, with rooms full of Rafael, Rubens, Renoir, Rembrandt. I guess they seized all this stuff in WWII. It was hard work trying to see all the famous stuff, so in the end, I just wandered the beautiful rooms and hallways, and had an absolute ball.

Moscow

After an overnight train I pulled into Moscow at 6.30am. I bought my tickets for my onward journey as soon as I arrived, to avoid the long queues. It was a bit of an ordeal with my basic Russian and the reputation of the ladies behind the windows at the train station – most unhelpful. My heart was pumping when I got to the counter, because suddenly a long queue of impatient Muscovites formed behind me, adding to the pressure. And damn, my train was full. So, I had to make a split second decision, and add Nizhny Novgorod to my itinerary. Boy, sweat was pouring from my brow after the ordeal, which in reality, was not too bad. All in my head!

 

I wandered down to the (in)famous Red Square next, and along the way, some cheeky devils tried to pick pocket me. Not this time – no way Jose! One guy dropped a wad of USD in front of me while a guy at the back was following. Not to be outdone, I sidestepped and stared at them. And boy, did they act guilty! They were ducking into shops, looking back at me, coming out again.

That hurdle cleared, I just had to find my way down to the Red Square. And with my sense of direction, it was quite an ordeal. I was half distracted watching out for pickpockets, and three quarters clueless, but eventually I made it. I might have been thrown off track by the Armani and Luis Vuitton stores in the huge department store looking onto the Red Square. I couldn’t believe it – Luis Vuitton next to the Red Square and Lenin’s Mausoleum? Lenin must be turning in his grave. So, I left the not-so-Red Square to head into the Kremlin, and it was an awe-inspiring sight. Huge, oppulent churches and more onion domes. Wow! I was told Moscow is boring, but I sure enjoyed it – with captivating galleries, and Soviet Park with Lenin.