For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to visit Russia. As a child, I was obsessed with the place, reading books about the USSR, writing stories about Russia, and even teaching myself the Cyrillic alphabet (which, unfortunately, I have long since forgotten). My mother thinks this fascination stemmed from watching “An American Tale”, but I’m not sure.
Regardless, I’ve dreamt about visiting this country for three decades, but getting here wasn’t easy, as we had to endure the painful procedure of applying for Russian visas, which luckily were approved a week before we left.
Our first stop was St Petersburg, on the Gulf of Finland. It is a cultural city. Its short stature (no skyscrapers in sight), and 18th century style buildings give it a distinctly Western European flavor. Not as famous as Moscow, St Petersburg was a city we didn’t know too much about when we arrived. For that reason, here are 5 things you may not have known about St Petersburg.
- It used to be the capital of Russia. Back when Peter the Great was in charge, he built St Petersburg to emulate classical European cities, and moved the governing body here.
It’s like a really cold Amsterdam - The city is built upon 42 islands.
- The Hermitage, one of the biggest museums in the world, is home to 50 cats. Housed in the lovely mint colored Winter Palace, the museum has countless art treasures, including paintings by Rembrandt, da Vinci, and Monet.
In order to control the mouse population, which could damage the artworks, cats live in the museum. Locals can adopt these cats, which are mini celebrities.
Cat crossing sign - There is a church called Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, erected on the spot that a Tsar was assassinated. It looks like St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.
The sun literally came out for 10 minutes, as we were visiting this church. The entirety of the inside is covered in mosaics, and there’s an open piece in floor, exposing the pavement on which the blood was spilled.
The piece of pavement where the blood was spilled is under this canopy. - Faberge, creator of the famed Faberge Easter Eggs, was born here. Each egg took one year to make, and was given as an Easter present to family members and friends of Russian royalty. These pieces of art contained surprises, such as jewelry or photographs. Like fancy Kinder Surprises.
Beer of Choice: Laughing Sam American Pale Ale