Day 27 13th March 2017 St Petersburg
A day on our own. A rest day. Yet too much to see and do so its breakfast and we are off.
First The Church of the Spilled Blood. Excited to visit up close after seeing the beautiful coloured spires from all angles.
The spilled blood refers to the blood of Christ but this Church was also the actual site of spilled blood. The story is that Tsar Alexander II was attacked when he was passing by the cathedral on his way to a regular meeting. A first assassin threw a bomb and missed-Alexander got out of his carriage to attack the bomb thrower and got killed by a second attacker. Mel has decided this could be the first recorded incident of road rage and that Alexander should have stayed in his carriage.
A monument is built upon the actual spot where Alexander died. On the floor a piece of the original road remains.
With some vague map reading and a bit of luck we moved on to the Faberge museum. In contrast to much of what we have seen this was very elegant and almost understated. If you call diamond-encrusted eggs understated! The eggs were a standout as they demonstrated such a precision of craftsmanship. The eggs on display were those given to the Csar and family for Easter. Surprise eggs that contained something special – a little mechanical bird, a diamond watch.
The rest of the displays mainly included silverware and gold, fine mosaic work both as dinnerware and pieces purely for display. Samovars again featured with one eye-catching set in of course over the top gold – Oh yes please …
Initially we felt we should avoid the slightly darkened rooms off the main corridors – then as we ventured in we discovered a small collection of beautifully lit oil paintings. These included roiling seascapes by Ivan Aivazovsky – currently a painter we had passed as a special exhibit drawing very very long cues at the Russian museum.
Next we headed down Nevski Prospekt (the main street) looking for a food store with a looooong history. Eliseyev Emporium food store It turned out to be the most delightfully elegant place. It reminded us both of tea houses we had gone to as kids.
A grand piano playing beautifully sans pianist, beautiful baked goods displayed in glass aroundthe hall, exotic cheeses and of course plenty of champagne – some captivatingly offered in colourful Matruschka dolls.
Lunch a definite we decided. Seating ourselves at the cushioned couch surrounding the central pillar. We in our travel worn clothes and clompy boots sat amongst the elegant women of St P and lunched. I had caviar and pancakes-delicious! Mel the set lunch Creamy mushroom soup with a tiny pot of croutons. Three delicate pastries and a little tray with tart Cranberry jelly and cream. Not realising it was desert this was embarrassingly dobbed on the pies!
We then went back to find the ultra-hip barbershop we had seen yesterday-however it was closed. Repaired to the cool Gronland café where we sat and used the wifi and drank lattes. Followed by a couple of very nice Jaws beers – weiss beer and a citrus.
We then headed off for dinner at a restaurant recommended by our hotel. The Gastronom -located downstairs in a basement-a really nice space with great service and delightful food. After a slight budget breaker we threaded our way home along the river via misty pale lit streets of old traditionally coloured buildings.
