By Jane E. Fraser
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg.Credit: Alamy
Veteran cruiser Peter Bentley is impressed by the cultural sights of St Petersburg.
WHERE
Two half-day tours of St Petersburg, in north-western Russia.
Peter Bentley and Dorothy.
THE SHIP
Peter cruised with his partner, Dorothy, pictured, on Crystal Serenity (crystalcruises.com). They did back-to-back cruises through the Baltic, British Isles and Norway, totalling 17 nights.
THE EXPERIENCE
"Seeing the magnificent Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was the highlight of our visit to St Petersburg," says Peter.
"The colourful outside of the church is stunning and the mosaics and icons of the interior are quite amazing; the work of many famous Russian artists.
"The church was built in the era of Alexander III, on the waterfront of the Griboedov Canal. It was ransacked after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and was closed in the 1930s, then underwent 27 years of renovations before being opened as a museum in 1997.
"Our local guide also took us to see the statue of the city's founder, Peter the Great, and to the huge, domed St Isaac's Cathedral.
"On the way back to the ship, she pointed out more palaces, St Petersburg State University, the Mariinsky Theatre and a Soviet-era ice breaker and submarine on display on the Neva River.
"The following day we did another half-day tour, this time of the Hermitage Museum. It is the most famous of the city's museums and houses some of the huge collection of its founder, Catherine the Great, along with many other artefacts gathered and defended during many years of conflict.
"Only part of the collection is exhibited, with the rest held in the Repository. The Hermitage is best known for its Gold Room, with its display of extravagances of the Romanovs, including the famous Peacock Clock, which is a magnificent piece of 18th century craftsmanship."
VALUE FOR MONEY
Peter and Dorothy usually explore independently, but opted for organised shore excursions in St Petersburg to avoid the need for Russian visas costing $110 each.
They paid US$79 ($85) and $US129 ($139) each for the two half-day tours and felt they had a good overview of the city. "The tours were very impressive; the local guides were excellent," Peter says.
As told to Jane E. Fraser
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