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Baltic Cruise Day Five: Peterhof Palace & Saint Petersburg Cathedrals
Another big day, we’d scheduled two excursions, “Peter the Great’s Grand Palace- Peterhof” and “Saint Petersburg Cathedrals“. By this point on our trip, we’d realized we were only averaging about four hours sleep a night and were happily exhausted. I have to say, I became quite good at taking cat naps on the buses to and from our destinations.
The Peterhof Grand Palace.
In the morning, we headed to Peterhof Palace for what was to be one of the highlights of our trip. Peterhof is a not-to-be-missed destination. If you are visiting Saint Petersburg, Russia and are short on time, I’d definitely choose Peterhof over Catherine Palace. Both are beautiful and opulent but in addition to the Grand Palace, Peterhof has the exquisite Grand Cascade and gardens that are a sight to behold.
The Grand Cascade from the palace, before the fountains were turned on.
We arrived early at Peterhof, which was important for two reasons: 1) We were one of the first groups to tour the Grand Palace before it opened to the public, and; 2) We were present when the fountains were turned on, on the Grand Cascade.
Like Catherine Palace, Peterhof was built in the early 1700’s and sustained substantial damage from the German invasion during World War II. It has been fully restored, though renovations are ongoing.
Exploring the gardens at Peterhof.
The interiors and gardens were both heavily influenced by French style. There is an overabundance of silk wall coverings, ornamental plaster designs and gold leaf detail in every room. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the Grand Palace.
It took about an hour to walk through the palace and then we had about an hour to explore the gardens before meeting back at the Grand Cascade to see the main fountains activated.
It was a sunny day and about 70 degrees. Perfect for a beautiful, relaxing walk.
The formal, french-style gardens at Peterhof.
Back at the Grand Cascade, we chose to watch the fountains from a lower corner where there were less tourists crowding the area. Aside from the beauty, the big attraction to the fountains is that they are all gravity-fed. No pumps are used to power the many fountains. It’s not only an amazing feat of ingenuity, it’s visually stunning.
Peterhof Grand Palace and Grand Cascade as the fountains are being activated.
The fountains of the Grand Cascade.
The statues on the Grand Cascade at Peterhof.
As if the sights of Peterhof weren’t enough stimulation for one day, we had enough time to return to the ship for a quick lunch before meeting our group for a tour of some of the world’s most beautiful cathedrals. I’m just going to focus on two: Saint Issac’s Cathedral and Church of the Spilled Blood.
Saint Issac’s Cathedral, currently under renovation.
Saint Issac’s Cathedral is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in Saint Petersburg. It took 40 years to construct, opening in 1858. I found it interesting to know that the Gold dome was painted over in gray during World War II to deter detection. There are still pock marks from enemy fire, visible on the the large exterior columns.
The interior is amazing. The color and detail are glorious.
The ceilings of Saint Issac’s Cathedral.
Facing the altar in Saint Issac’s Cathedral.
Most commonly referred to as Church of the Spilled Blood, the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ is also known as The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Michael and I at the Church of the Spilled Blood.
This was one of my two must-have picture spots of Michael and I on our vacation. (The other was the Berlin Wall.) When we visited and toured the interior, it was turning overcast, so I was grateful we had stopped here briefly the day before and I was able to take some exterior pictures.
The Church of the Spilled Blood is visually recognizable by its ornate, colorful onion domes. I can’t say why I find them so appealing, I just find myself drawn to them.
I wasn’t prepared to be so overwhelmed by the interior. The entire wall surfaces are covered in tiny mosaic tiles. It’s so difficult to comprehend the amount of work, time and planning that went in to the magnificent design. I’m at a loss for words to describe its beauty.
Looking up in the Church of the Spilled Blood.
A figure is depicted inside each of the domes.
Church of the Spilled Blood.
The Church of the Spilled Blood is one of the most magnificent places I’ve ever visited.
The onion domes of the Church of the Spilled Blood.
What an amazing day! I’m all out of adjectives to describe it all. I just feel so lucky and blessed to be able to have witnessed all this beauty first hand. It certainly brings new meaning to ‘trip of a lifetime’. And, we still had one more day in Saint Petersburg.
Baltic Cruise Day Three: Helsinki, Finland
Our view of Helsinki as we sailed in to port.
Helsinki is the beautiful, urban capital city of Finland. Full of history and culture it is also the largest, most populated city in Finland. We took the four hour, “Walking Tour of Helsinki”, which wasn’t nearly enough time to see all we would have liked to have seen but our guide gave us a really nice cross section of the historic and modern influences the city has to offer.
Our guides in both Turku and Helsinki stressed the importance and strong government support for education in Finland. Most education through university, is free, even to foreign students. To graduate though, in addition to the Finnish language, you must learn and show a mastery of the Swedish language as well, even though less than 5% of the population are native Swedish speakers. The reasoning is due to the close social and economic ties with Sweden. If I remember correctly, English is taught to students beginning in the third grade. I found this very impressive.
Uspenski Cathedral
Our first stop was the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, the largest orthodox church in Western Europe. It was designed by Russian architect, Alexey Gornostaev but wasn’t built until after his death in 1862.
Next we visited Helsinki Cathedral, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, in the center of Helsinki. It’s main structure is in the design of a cross with a large main dome surrounded by four smaller domes. The domes were added later, modeled after Saint Issac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Helsinki Cathedral
The interior, though simpler than many of the Russian cathedrals we would visit later, is quite stunning with its high arching peaks.
The magnificent pipe organ and choir loft of Helsinki Cathedral.
I found it interesting that the choir lofts in most of the churches and cathedrals we visited are behind the congregation and mostly hidden from view.
Great care is taken in the renovation and maintenance of these iconic Finnish landmarks.
We then walked through the more modern streets in the heart of Helsinki and saw many examples of historic and modern architecture and also many, many buildings dedicated to the arts.
Taking a break from our walk, we stopped at an intriguing little local restaurant for blueberry tarts, coffee and tea. It was tucked away in a much more densely populated part of the city that you could easily miss. The decor was quite eclectic and I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of the colorfully-lit bar just inside the entrance. I loved the atmosphere in this place.
A hidden gem in modern Helsinki.
Continuing our walk, we visited the historic Finnish National Theatre and the modern, glass-designed, Helsinki Music Centre, that houses two symphony orchestras and the Sibelius Music Academy.
Outside the Church of the Rock in the center of Helsinki.
Then we came to a large rock hill, roughly the size of a city block, surrounded by business and apartment buildings. Inside this rock is the Temppeliaukio Church, also know as the Church of the Rock. It is a Lutheran Church built in the late 1960’s inside the excavated rock. From the outside, the land appears mostly undisturbed, similar to the exposed rock clusters you’d find in Central Park, NYC. Inside, you find a gorgeous modern church, rock walls, copper ceiling with natural light warming the center.
Inside the Temppeliaukio Church, also know as the Church of the Rock.
A close up shot from underneath the Sibelius Monument.
We got on the bus to travel a short distance to our final stop on our tour, Sibelius Park. Here stands the Sibelius Monument to honor Finland’s great composer, Jean Sibelius.
Sibelius (1865-1957), was a prolific composer, particularly in the 1920’s and is probably best known for his composition, Finlandia and his symphonies.
Apparently, there was quite a controversy over the monument and its modern art design when it was erected in the late 1960’s. I love its design and think it’s a fitting tribute to the late composer.
The Sibelius Monument in Helsinki, Finland.
Thousands of residents travel each day by the Helskini trams.
So there are the highlights of our whirlwind tour of Helsinki. I really loved the blend of historic and modern architecture.
The city was busy, yet didn’t give you that overwhelming, rushed feeling that many new city surroundings can give you.
I was also impressed by the elaborate transportation options in the city. Fewer cars and many bicycles, trains, buses and trams for travel.
I’d definitely visit Helsinki again.
Back on the Voyager, we ended the day with a fabulous dinner followed by this breathtaking sunset. A perfect ending to perfect day.
Finnish sunset on the Baltic Sea.
Next stop: Russia.
How Do You Measure 525600 Minutes? 