The "Wow" Of St. Petersburg...

St. Petersburg, Russia

July 15-19, 2014

A long day of traveling by motor coach from Tallinn to St. Petersburg, but we stopped along the way and the scenery was lovely. Crossing the border into Russia was a bit of an experience...a well-guarded check-point, no photos, and certainly no political discussions inside the bus as security came on board. Once we passed inspection and drove through, the reality of being in this country was felt by all of us...a country whose political relationship with the USA is stressed and suspicious and whose military presence in the Ukraine is unlawful. Little did we know that within a couple of days, a pro-Russian separatist group would be responsible for the shooting down of MH17 and conditions would continue to worsen in the Ukraine. My Russian tour guide, a well-educated and interesting woman, was in complete denial of any culpability on the part of Russia in either situation when I questioned her a few days later. As Mr. Putin controls the media, the population believes (for the most part) what he wants to tell them...which is why his approval rating is hovering at 84%. (I did read just a few minutes that this number is a slight decrease from earlier in the summer.) My experience in Russia was eye-opening on many levels, historically, culturally, socially, and politically and I gained an appreciation of a people whose lives have been controlled by many a despotic ruler (yes, there were some benevolent ones) over the centuries.

Saint Petersburg, Russia's second largest city and a very important port for the country, was founded by Czar (Tsar) Peter the Great in May,1703 and for most of the time until 1918, it was the imperial capital of Russia. Located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, its name has gone through a series of changes (Petrograd  and Leningrad), depending upon who was in power. Grandiose is an appropriate descriptor of this city...everywhere one looks there is a marvel of architecture. (The sheer opulence and decadence, however magnificent, of the czars' palaces make the Bolshevik revolution understandable.) I've visited lots of castles and chateaux during my travels, but Catherine's Palace, the Hermitage Museum, and the Peterhof Grand Palace and Gardens were, without question, extraordinarily and extravagantly beautiful to the utmost. St. Petersburg is known as the “Cultural Capital” of Russia and it's a reputation that its citizens are very proud of. Art, dance, and music are part of the everyday experience and both locals and tourists fill the theaters to capacity.

Our hotel was on Nevsky Prospect, the main commercial street running through the city and not far from one of the many bridges that span the river. Shops and restaurants line the boulevard which is thronged with people, vehicles are driven like racing cars, and the speeding sound of motorcyles is continual. Energy is everywhere; this is a city with a pulse that doesn't stop...the youth rush about, the young couples stroll, the children play in the park, and, it being summer, lots of ice cream is eaten! As I did in the Baltic countries, I visited a local synagogue in St. Petersburg where I had an opportunity to speak with a gentleman there about antisemitism in Russia and being a part of the Jewish community in a country whose history of religious persecution spans hundreds of year. My maternal grandparents came from the Ukraine in the wave of immigration in the early 1900's; massive pogroms in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries made it dangerous for Jews to live anywhere in the region and they, like thousands, came to the United States in search of freedom and an opportunity to live peacefully. The current unrest in the Ukraine made it impossible to visit there so I was even more determined to continue my visit of synagogues in Russia, not as a substitute, but a chance to get as close as I could to my Russian heritage.