Continuing the Russia Trip from Moscow
The Moscow leg was over, but Russia trip is incomplete without exploring the charming St. Petersburg.
Onroute Next Stop…
Took the fast train (Sapsan) leaving Moskva Oktiabrskaia at 6.50am – arriving Saint Petersburg Glavny at 10.45am (roughly 4 hours ride).
The one way journey costed about USD 78.
We arrived in the city famous for its imperial palaces and buildings with distinct architecture. It is also the Russian Port city in the Baltic Sea.
We checked into our apartment located in the Tsentralny district. The entrance was a bit confusing at first but once we found our way in, it was very safe, secure and cool. The apartment was very quirky and well maintained – (Apartment City na Liteynom)
Without wasting any time we freshened up and stepped out in the direction of “Savior on the Spilled Blood” church. Along the 1.8km walk the roads are wide, buildings are big and the city is clean.
About 20-25 minutes later we arrived at our most awaited view!
Fascination of the Unique and Colorful Russian architecture is real. We kept the day rather light with a trip inside the church – ticket priced at USD 3.5 and seeing some intricate mosaic art.
This was followed by a delicious lunch by the Griboyedov Canal (Restaurant ChaCha)- typical chicken and pizza kinda afternoon binge.
Right outside the cathedral are rows of stalls selling some beautiful art pieces and souvenirs.
We picked up some traditional Russian Dolls – they are also known as the Russian Matryoshka Nesting Doll as they symbolize motherhood, fertility and family. The shape is rather fuller to depict the body of a woman who has given birth to many children. My set has 5 dolls stacked one inside the other.
Happy after a little shopping we wound up the evening with a bit of sweet indulgence in a wine store (Na Vina! Magaz & Bar K-3). Got our names written on our glasses (a little personalization quirk) and drank delicious wine.
The day definitely went as we expected – vibrant, cheerful and scrumptious 🙂
Note – a lot of cathedrals in Russia are under partial restoration that is why you see the cover on one of the bulbs at the Savior on the spilled blood.
Day 2 details…coming soon…
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