From Russia With Hugs

[lupestripe]

We have headed back to Moscow now after our four day trip to St Petersburg. On Monday we sadly fly home but there is still some time to have fun between now and then.

We have been hitting the sightseeing hard over the last nine days, causing painful blisters and chronic lethargy. Saturday was a case in point but after Friday night we were unlikely to surface before lunchtime anyway.

Consulting the guidebook, we decided to go to the southern suburbs of St Petersburg where a myriad of different sights reside. The first was the Victory Monument, built in 1975 to remember the 900 day siege the Germans lay on the city during The Great Patriotic War. From September 1941 to January 1944, 670,000 Leningraders died in the Blockade. The memorial is a large red granite obelisk under which stands a black ring which is broken at one end. Eternal flames flicker at intervals around the broken circle while the sound of Shostaskovich's Seventh Symphony adds another layer of poignancy. The whole structure, now set in the concrete tower blocks of a collectivised suburb, was extremely moving. Plaques to the Hero Cities also adorn this area while the small museum tells you more about the Blockade.

The Victory Monument forms what must be one of the most elegant roundabouts in the world. It is on Moskovskiy Prospect, the main route to Moscow. Heading back on ourselves we saw the giant House of Soviets in the middle of a Soviet square which wad never quite completed. This awesome grey megalith still bares the hammer and sickle, as well as a gesticulating statue of Lenin amongst some fountains out front.

Walking towards the centre of St Petersburg, we passed the new Russian National Library before spying the crumbling domes of the Chesma Palace and Church. We also checked out the disappointing Park Pobody - nowhere near as grand as the Muscovite equivalent and with more modest monuments and landscaping.

Feeling peckish - and in need to rest blistered paws - we stopped off at Kofe Khauz, the Russian version of Starbucks. Their hot chocolate with marshmallows was gloriously rich and gloopy while their desserts were to die for. The service, like in most places here, was painfully slow but the waitresses were interested in our Englishness and were very hospitable.

Boarding the Metro at Park Pobody, we headed up to Elektrosila to check put a mural at the station dedicated to the Elektrosila Factory, whose generators and technology did much to electrify the Soviet Union. Then it was back on to the Metro to go to Moskovskie Vorota where we observed the imposing yet awesome Moscow Triumphal Arch.

The Narva Gate soon followed - another magnificent structure plonked in the city for no good reason (okay it was built to
commemorate Russia's success in the Napoleonic Wars) - before Wolfie went to McDonald's for.a McShit. Afterwards, we tried to locate the only monument with an image of Stalin still standing in the city but alas it was dark and too difficult to find.

Some of the finest architecture in Russia can be found in the stunning Metro stations, which had a huge propaganda purpose during Soviet times. At Avtovo, 46 columns - 30 marble and 16 cut glass - hold up this wide station which was sadly undergoing refurbishment. At Kirovskiy Zavod, there were many silver plaques detailing the processes of oil extraction and steel making due to the heavy engineering plant there. At one end of this station was a red sandstone statue of Lenin but as there was a loud drunk there, we kept our distance. Meanwhile at Narvaskaya station you can see a huge carving of Lenin orating to the proletariate while outside is the scene of the 1905 Bloody Sunday massacres. OnInside, there are 48 separate statues extolling the virtues of a good Soviet life.

It was around this time that Tony agreed to meet, having had some urgent business to attend to earlier in the day. We went to the Finlyandskiy Railway Station to meet him, where we saw the arch through which Lenin walked after he returned from exile in April 1917. To see the other sights we actually had to get on the platform and as we didn't have a train ticket this proved to be impossible. We contented ourselves with going across the road to see the first ever statue of Lenin which wad unveiled on November 7, 1926. We also saw the wonderful blue and white exterior of the station and the infamous Kresty Prison before heading back into the city to enjoy some sushi and the company of furs.

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Comments

[rainbow-lioness.livejournal.com]

I have been really enjoying reading about your trip. If I had known you were going I would have given you money to bring me back a coffee mug. If you happen to see something I like I would gladly pay you back in return for said mug.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Damn, if only you had mentioned this 24 hours earlier and I would have been able to get something for you. I could ask my friends to send something over if you like. I am glad you enjoyed the details of my trip ^^

[rainbow-lioness.livejournal.com]

I always love reading about your trips. They are always very descriptive and very informative with personal comments you would never get in tour guides.

I would really appreciate it if you could ask your friends. Russia is a place I would love to see but I dont think my funds would ever allow me to go I do remain hopeful however. :)

*SCRITCHES*

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I am glad you like reading about my trips - I'll see what I can do regarding a mug. What sort of mug would you like?

[rainbow-lioness.livejournal.com]

My apologies for the late reply. Not been on the computer much. Just a standard size coffee mug would be great, just something that says its from Russian, like a touristy design on the mug (if they have them)or a manufacturer stamp "made in Russia" would work.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I'll see what I can do ^^