Blog Notes

Blogging 25 Comments

I’m home but still recuperating. Regular blogging should resume tomorrow some time.
In the meanwhile, a few photos from the trip, including this favourite. I can’t recommend this city too highly – so much to see in a comparatively small area, reasonable prices for my accommodations in the theatre district and the best food I’ve ever eaten — easily half the price one would pay for a comparable meal in Canada. (It helped that my friend turned tour guide is a third generation resident of the city.)

We visited Peterhof, the Hermitage including the Treasury and Diamond Room and their endless galleries with works by DaVinci, Rubens and more; The Winter Palace, along with a couple of cathedrals and Peter and Paul Fortress. And then there were the front row seats for The Nutcracker at the Mariinsky Theatre. What a place. That is all I can say.
I did trade photo quality for ease of walking the streets and seeing the city through my eyes and not a camera lens. In coming days I’ll probably post more as I sift through what I have.
Just a few of my shots chosen at random, in no particular order and without processing;
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Now I must try to catch up on my life and shake the rest of this jet lag.

25 Replies to “Blog Notes”

  1. Similar comments regarding food in Serbia, where we visited a couple of years ago. Phenomenal meals for ridiculously cheap prices. I am not in the habit of bashing our way of living but the restaurant fare we have here is nothing compared to what you can get in certain places in Eastern Europe. Welcome back, O anointed One.

  2. I can imagine the art on display in Russian museums is grand, considering a large part of it is looted from the Nazis who looted it from the owners during and shortly after WW2.

  4. Glad you had fun and made it back safely.
    Canada Customs don’t have you on their terrorist watch list?
    Running a blog that hurts the feeling of tender lefties, that is almost treason in Libtard Canada.
    On the food, always nice to have local guide, finding great food really improves a visit.

  5. Much hangs on the situation shown in that photo. When Peter the Great founded the Russian navy he based it on the Neva, right where the photo shows. You will note the presence of a small problem: ice.

  6. Most of the art works were purchased by Czars starting with Catherine the Great. The Communists were not interested in paintings and sculpture, and Stalin even gave away art from the Hermitage to guests he wished to impress. Again, the collection in the Tretyakov in Moscow was acquired by Mr. Tretyakov, a rich merchant.

  7. Welcome back, Kate! Glad your trip went well! The architecture you photographed is magnificent, and the food sounds delicious.

  8. Nice pictures..
    Welcome back Kate, Lance did his best while you were gone,
    you were missed.
    Short story to get you in a better mood:
    Jewish comedian doing his act at the local Pub started telling jokes,
    All of a sudden he had a heart attack and dropped dead.. Stage director ran to him and then yelled, ” Is there a doctor in the room.”
    Some drunk in the back yelled “Give his some Chicken Noodle Soup.”
    Stage Director Yelled: “He doesn’t need Soup, he needs a doctor. Is there a doctor in the House ??”
    Again the drunk yelled, “Give him some Chicken Noodle Soup ! ”
    Finally the outraged Director Yelled, “What the hell is Chicken Noodle Soup going to do for him ?? !
    Drunk yelled back: “Well it ain’t gonna hurt him.”
    Kate: “Eat some Chicken Noodle Soup and get some bed rest and we will see you in the morning.” …..
    FL

  9. Ice fishing right in town….hmmmm.
    Thanks for the pictures and welcome home.

  11. Welcome home.
    Lance did a great job. Almost ignited a Western Canadian indepenance movement off the ground while you were gone.

  12. When a friend & I dropped into an office-cafeteria in St. Petersburg, Russia a few years ago, the office-cafeteria ran out of lunch-food for i’s “unexpected” customers: within a minute or two, several salads were brought to the serving-counter for both of us. Just enough for 2 people. Just what they figured the 2 of us would want. No more — no less.
    Maybe THAT method of supplying just enough (and not too much) food to meet ‘the unexpecteds’ is the Russians’ secret to success !?!

  13. When a friend & I dropped into an office-cafeteria in St. Petersburg, Russia a few years ago, the office-cafeteria ran out of lunch-food for i’s “unexpected” customers: within a minute or two, several salads were brought to the serving-counter for both of us. Just enough for 2 people. Just what they figured the 2 of us would want. No more — no less.
    Maybe THAT method of supplying just enough (and not too much) food to meet ‘the unexpecteds’ is the Russians’ secret to success !?!

  14. Second world food is great in the small family run restaurants, I include Greece in here, Croatia Serbia and Hungary

  16. Used to visit eastern Europe when a relative there. Food very variable. At the time – as a relic of the Communist era – companies still had to provide lunch for their workers or give them lunch money. So various restaurants had the cheap luncheon specials. Tried one – greasy, thin chicken soup and fatty rest of food. Otherwise, restaurants fairly good, though very much meat-and-potatoes basics. You ordered the meat (and they were specified by grams), your carbohydrate, and your veggies all separately. Should the waiter put bread on the table you would get charged extra, even if they were not ordered. Even the “garnish” cost extra – usually some form of cabbage slaw.

  17. Welcome back Kate. Glad you enjoyed the visit and trip. Lance did a great job and took a lot of abuse quite stoically. Oh yes, btw, the food at the restaurants is fantastic.
    “I can’t recommend this city too highly -“. I agree completely with your observations and comment. We have been there twice.
    I like your winter shot of the Troitsky (Trinity) Bridge at the top of the thread. The Bolos crossed this bridge the night of October 24th and headed for the Winter Palace to take over the Provisional Government. The photo is a little fuzzy, but it looks like there are ice fishermen out there.
    John Lewis @ 3:01, exactly.

  19. Those are very nice photos, and I especially like the main one of the ice-covered river.
    Did you drop by Ayn Rand’s birthplace? (not that I’m sure exactly where it is)

  20. Most of the Hermitage was destroyed by the Germans in WWII. Those magnificent rooms you walked through are not the work of long dead craftsmen from an ancient time, but of modern day volunteers who painstakingly recreated every detail. It is a fine tribute to Russian craftsmanship and their love of their history and mother Russia. There is a good National Geographic documentary on the restoration of St. Petersburg

  21. Yes, the guides took great pains to explain the tremendous work that went into the restoration.

  23. Visited Leningrad back in 1988, when the Soviet Union had started to open up a little bit but the place still had that incredible grey and somewhat depressing atmosphere.
    Saw all necessities, like the Winter Palace, Hermitage, etc – all fantastic.
    Tried out a queue, not knowing what it was for. Ended up in a grocery store where the only thing left to buy was vodka, matches, and tea.
    Escaped from the group, managed to join a Russian wedding party. Big glasses of vodka and smaller glasses of pink champagne. Lots of fun.
    Recommendation: If you want to visit a truly beautiful city, go to Prague! History, architecture, culture… not to mention the best beer in the world.
    Cheers,
    /Johan

  25. I was there as a kid in the summer of 1970, we had traveled by camper from Kiev, Moscow and on our way out, of course it was called Leningrad back then! the summer palace was just starting to be rebuilt, see the Soviet Union at the age of 10 taught everything I needed to know about Communism. that being said the average Russian treated us well.

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