Day 16

September 16

What an amazing day.

Got up at 10am and made a plan to see as much of this city as possible today.  Headed out at 12:30.

First stop, the final home of Pyotr Tchaikosky at No. 13 Malaya Morskaya Ulitsa. This is where the “incident” occurred.  Some say cholera, others suicide, then there is my opinion.

Near by was a gift shop run by the most fascinating lady. Here I saw an Obama matryoshka doll with W, Clinto and HW inside. Too funny. I also asked her about seeing so many cat images in St. Petersburg. She said that St. Peterburg loves cats. In fact there is a cat day in March to celebrate the feline. Apparently when Catherine the Great was compiling her collection of European art works for the Winter Castle, she brought in cats to prevent the rats from eating her masterpieces. She went on to say that even today in the historic buildings cats are used to keep the rat population down. 

Further down this street is the iconic St. Isaac’s Cathedral..one of the world’s largest that opened in 1858. 

Walking past the statue of Sir Nicolas I

 and down the Moyka embankment I came to the Yusupov Palace. It was here that Rasputin was invited to a party only to be poisoned, shot several times and ultimately throw into the frozen river…to the sadness of so many aristocratic wives…..and we always thought it was his hypnotic eyes.

It is so sunny and beautiful today.

Around the corner from the Yusupov Palace is the world famous Mariinskiy Theater. All the greats passed through these doors: Pavlova, Nijinsky, Nureyev.

Further down Glinki Ulitsa es the St. Nicolas Cathedral with her brilliant coloring and gold domes.

Stopped by the public pay bathrooms. The best 20 rubles I have ever spent.

Back tracking I passed by the Decembrists Square and the Bronze Horseman.

Headed across the street to the Neva. She is busy today. Boats everywhere. 

Just down further at the Field of Mars is a wonderful fountain to relax for a minute.

Back to Nevsky Prospekt and down to the Literary Café where a very unwise and jealous Alexandr Pushkin called his wive’s boyfriend to a duel in the street….this would be his last meal.  It is such a wonderful white glove restaurant on the canal. Just as I was finishing up my tropical latte and Vienna sponge cake with apples, chocolate and raspberry ice cream, a song came on from my past and yet another Kodak moment. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JILPiwXQ-2Q

                                                   View from my table.

When exiting the restaurant, I once again ran into Olga  Zhitline. She was busy running around trying to get some art supplies. As I continued further I returned to the Church on Spilled Blood. 

I bought a ticket and entered one of the most beautiful places I have been in my life. WOW is all that can be said. I have posted some photos that hardly do any justice to this magnificent structure – a memorial to Tsar Alexander II. The church rest where he was assassinated in 1881. Please do further research on this place.

When leaving the church I ran into 3 people I had met my first night in St. Petersburg. Perused the souvenir stands and headed back to the apartment.

Here I found the party at CEC had already started. Hung out with the wonderful artists that were there. Later walked back to the market and then to bed. Such an exhaustingly wonderful day.