History at Every Turn

In Russia, people suffer from the stillness of time.
~Tatyana Tolstaya

Another walk back down to the Winter Palace this morning. This time, though, to the boat dock on the river where we caught the hydrofoil to Peterhof.

I’m not going to get into the details of the palace – suffice it to say that its an absolutely stunning spot crowned with a beautiful palace and gardens that any autocrat would be happy to have as a main residence. In Russia, of course, it was only one of dozens of residences of the tsars.

The hydrofoil ride was really cool. No one got sick on it like the last hydrofoil I was on from Cozumel to mainland Mexico.

Back in Peter, we left the boat dock and headed to the Cathedral of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, the church that marks the spot where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. It was closed the last time I was in the city (1995), so it was a highlight for me. Well, I’ve never seen such beautiful mosaics. Or, for that matter, so many. Lavishly decorated and absolutely glowing even in the dim light of a cloudy northern afternoon. Stunning.