Saint Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg is the second-largest city in Russia.  Санкт-Петербург lies on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland.  It is 306 km (190 miles) from Helsinki, 324 km (201 miles) from Tallinn, and 630 km (392 miles) from Moscow.  About 5.3 million people (the same as Atlanta) call St. Petersburg home.

Peter the Great wanted Russia to have a seaport for trading with other seafaring nations so St. Petersburg was founded in 1703.  The city was named after Saint Peter; not after Peter the Great.  From 1713-1728, and again from 1732-1918, it was the capital of Imperial Russia.

During World War I, the city was renamed Petrograd (Peter's City) so that it would not sound so "German".  In 1924, the city was renamed Leningrad (Ленинград).  In 1991, during the breakup of the Soviet Union, the city's name was changed back to Saint Petersburg.

The city is absolutely gorgeous!!  If you like Baroque and Neoclassical architecture then this is the place to visit.  The city's historic center and a number of monuments were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

The Peter and Paul Fortress was the first structure built in St. Petersburg in 1703.  It never served its intended function as a defensive fortress.  Instead it served as a military base, home to various government departments, the burial ground for the Russian Imperial family and as a jail for political prisoners.

The Peter and Paul Cathedral was built between 1712 and 1733.  The bell tower is the world's tallest Orthodox bell tower.

The State Hermitage Museum is one of the city's most popular attractions.  With over 3 million items in the collection it is one of the world's largest museums.  The Hermitage was founded by Catherine the Great.  The bulk of the collection is located in the Winter Palace which was one of the official residences of the Romanov Czars.

The Alexander Column is named for Emperor Alexander I who reigned from 1801-1825.  The monument was erected to honor the Russian victory in the war with Napoleon.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral took 40 years to built but it was consecrated in 1858.  During the Soviet Era the building was stripped of religious artifacts and in 1931 it became the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.  Today it is the city's largest Russian Orthodox cathedral.

The Kazan Cathedral is officially the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan.  It opened in 1818 after 17 years of construction.  In 1932, it too served as a museum of atheism.  Church services resumed in 1992 and in 1996 the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.  It is now the mother cathedral for St. Petersburg.

The Bronze Horseman statue of Peter the Great was commissioned by Catherine the Great.  The legend goes that while the Bronze Horseman stands in the middle of St. Petersburg, enemy forces will never be able to conquer the city.

Statue of Catherine the Great

The statue's red granite pedestal is the Thunder Stone which is said to be the largest stone ever moved by man.  The original stone weighed about 1500 tons and was carved down to 1250 tons during its 6 km (4 mile) move to its current site facing the Neva River.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is also known as the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.  Construction began in 1883 and it was completed in 1907.  The church was built on the site where Czar Alexander II was assassinated.  During the city's siege in WWII, the church was used as a morgue and after the war it became a vegetable warehouse.

The Admirality building used to be the headquarters of the Imperial Russian Navy.  During the 19th century it was re-built to support the Czar's maritime ambitions.  Today it is the headquarters of the Russian Navy.

The Aurora is a 1900 cruiser built in St. Petersburg for service in the Pacific.  The ship was active in the October Revolution and is currently a museum ship.  Officially, it is the oldest commissioned ship in the Russian navy.

The Russian Museum

In Russia, World War II is known as The Great Patriotic War.  During the war, the city of Leningrad was fully encircled by the German army.  For 900 days, from September 8, 1941, until January 27, 1944, the city endured its most painful time.  

The city had almost 3 million civilians, including 400,000 children, endured the most horrible conditions imaginable.  During the siege, at least 641,000 people died but some estimates put the number closer to 800,000.  

The Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad was unveiled in 1975 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of victory.    

Lenin statue

In a lot of former communist countries, socialist monuments were taken taken down.  However, St. Petersburg has let them stand.  It was explained to me that after the Soviet Union fell apart, the Russian government had bigger problems to deal with then taking down all of the communist statues.  The city owns its history, including its communist history.

Metro Station

St. Petersburg is one of my new favorite cities.  There is so much to see and do that I barely scratched the surface in my 72 hour visit.  The thing that stuck out the most for me was just how clean it was.  Even the subways.  They were spotless and no graffiti at all.  I may have to break down and apply for that 3-year Russian visa so that I can come back often.

Helsinki to St. Petersburg Ferry

Getting a visa to visit Russia can be a pain in the arse, not to mention expensive.  However, certain ferries are able to offer visa-free entry to St. Petersburg.  From Helsinki, it's possible to visit St. Petersburg, without a visa for up to 72 hours.

Princess Maria at Helsinki West Port

The rules are pretty simple.  You have to leave in 72 hours and you can't leave St. Petersburg.  However, unlike cruise ship passengers on day trips, you are not required to have an official guide or anything.  The city is yours to explore.

Our cozy stateroom

We boarded the Princess Maria for a 6 pm departure.  After 14.5 hours we made it to Russia.

The cruise was pretty uneventful.  Well except for one little thing.  While we were waiting to board the ship, we were in queue with a bunch of Erasmus students.  I noticed that one of the girls had a Czech passport so I asked her where she was from.  Of course, she said Prague.  She couldn't understand how we live in Brno since we speak English.  I explained where we were from but that we now live in Brno.  "Brno must be like the end of the world for you" was the response we got.

For those who don't know, there is a serious rivalry in Czechland between Prague and Brno.  Praguers look down on Brno as being too country while Brno folk look at Praguers as snobs.

This little 20-something chica was shocked when I said that I much preferred Brno to Prauge.  The funny thing is that I'm sure she isn't even from Prague.  She's probably from some little village, over an hour from the capital, but just happens to study there.  I'm sure my friends at home will get a kick out of how I had to stick up for Brno.

Russian Entry-Exit Forms

Anyway...the rest of the trip was fine.  Everyone has to fill out an entry and exit form.  One half is given to the border guard when you enter Russia and you must keep the other half with you.  The second half is turned in when you depart.  Not having your exit form is a big No No.

Well, we're here.  Now it's time to get out explore St. Petersburg.

Suomenlinna Fortress, Finland

Suomenlinna is a fortress set up on six islands which are part of Helsinki.  It is a popular tourist destination and is only a short 15-minute ferry ride from the market square.

When Peter the Great moved the Russia's capital to St. Petersburg in 1703, he gave Russia a window on Europe and the Baltic Sea.

Sweden wasn't thrilled about Russian expansionism so, in 1748, when Finland was still part of Swedish kingdom, they started building a fortress to protect their eastern territory.

Ausustin Ehrensvärd was laid to rest here in 1783

Ausustin Ehrensvärd was the military architect put in charge of establishing the fortress which was originally called Sveaborg.  France wasn't too thrilled about Russian expansion either so they partially financed Sveaborg. 



In 1808, the fortress was surrendered to the Russians and it was a Russian garrison for the next 110 years.


The church opened in 1854.  The church steeple doubles as a lighthouse.  It's believed that there are only 3 such church/lighthouse combos that still exist in the world. 

When Finland gained independence from Russia in 1918, the fortress was renamed Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland).

In 1973 it was turned over to civilian authorities.  Thee islands have about 900 permanent residents.

In 1991, Suomenlinna was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a unique monument of military architecture. 

Here's a Rick Steves video from YouTube about Suomenlinna Fortress.

©Rick Steves

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki was founded in 1550 as a Swedish trading post.  In 1809, Finland was annexed by Russia and, in 1812, the capital was moved from Turku to Helsinki.  Under Russian influence, the neoclassic architecture here was modeled after St. Petersburg. 

Helsinki is home to 614,000 people but there are over 1.36 million people living in the greater metro area.  About 25% of the entire country's population lives in the greater metro area. 


Helsinki sits on the Gulf of Finland, about 80 km (50 miles) from Tallinn, Estonia, 300 km (190 miles) from St. Petersburg, Russia, and 400 km (250 miles) from Stockholm, Sweden.

Finland is officially bilingual so all of the street signs are in both Finnish and Swedish.

Upsenski Cathedral was consecrated in 1868.  The Eastern Orthodox cathedral is on a hillside and overlooks the city.  It is said to be the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe.



St. John's Church is the largest Lutheran church in Helsinki and the largest stone church in Finland.  It was built from 1888 to 1891.

Mikael Agricola Church is named after the bishop who is the father of the standard literary Finnish language.  The tower is 106 meters (348 feet) tall.

The Finnish National Theater is the country's oldest Finnish-language professional theater.

City Hall

The parliament house is in Helsinki's Töölö district.  Construction began in 1926 and it was completed in 1931.


At Sibelius Park is the Sibelius Monument dedicated to composer Jean Sibelius.  It consists of over 600 hollow steel pipes which are welded together in a wave-like pattern.  It weighs 24 tons.


The Old Church of Helsinki is an Evangelical Lutheran church.  It was completed in 1826 and is the oldest existing church in central Helsinki.

Helsinki was supposed to host the 1940 Summer Olympics but they were cancelled due to WWII.  However, the Olympic stadium was used for the 1952 Olympic Games.  It is still the country's largest stadium.

Panoramic view of Senate Square from Helsinki Cathedral

Senate Square is the oldest part of the city.  In the center of the square is a statue of Emperor Alexander II that was erected in 1894.  His reforms increased Finland's autonomy from Russia and he was known as "the Good Czar."

Helsinki Cathedral is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral.  The neoclassic cathedral was built from 1830 to 1852 as a tribute to Czar Nicolas I.  It was known as St. Nicholas' Church until 1917 when Finland gained independence.

The Temppeliaukio Church is known as the rock church.  This Lutheran church was consecrated in 1969.  It is built out of solid rock and light enters through a glazed dome. 

Inside the rock church

The Czarina's Stone was erected in 1835 to honor the last Czarina of Russia.

Here are a couple of Rick Steves videos I found out on YouTube that talks about Helsinki and a couple of the churches.

©Rick Steves

©Rick Steves

Not a Village

So last month several people around here lost their minds over a news story.  Amazon wanted to open a distribution center in Brno but the city council rejected the offer. 

The problem came when the press printed that Brno is a village and is located near Prague. 

First of all, Brno is the country's second largest city and is over 200 km (125 miles) from Prague.


So many comments were posted online that a correction was posted indicating that Brno is not a village.

It took me by surprise when I moved here and heard the term "village" because only some U.S. states actually use village to designate an unincorporated area.  Every time I hear 'village', I always picture the Middle Ages, knights in armor, and ye olde town blacksmith or something.

Every country has its own rules on what differentiates a village, a town, and a city.  Some are based on population while some are based on legal definitions of autonomy.  In the UK, a town becomes a city when it contains a cathedral while a charter from the Crown makes it a city.

The bottom line is that a sure fire way to piss off Czechs is to call their 2nd largest city a "village".

Loczech

There are some things that, I swear, only make sense to Czechs.  After almost five years here I've gotten better at just accepting things.  I tell myself that "It's a different country...not right...not wrong...just different".

However, there are still a few things which I've never been able to wrap my head around.  It's not logic; it's what I simply call loczech.

One of the basic things is that Czechs don't like to make change.  And they really don't like large banknotes.  As the customer it's your duty to make sure that you have small bills and as close to the exact amount as possible so that making change is easier.  So then why in the hell does the ATM hand out 2000 Kč ($100) notes?  Heaven forbid if you get a 5000 Kč ($250) note because no shop will want to accept it.  Loczech.

One time, Natalie and I took a guided tour of a chateau.  We had to wear foot covers over our shoes so that we didn't mess up the floors.  However, the guide walked on the same floors that we did and didn't wear the covers.  And they let a dog join the tour as well.  Not a service dog, just someone's family pet.  Loczech.

Every time that I apply for a visa extension I have to provide the office with a photocopy of my current visa.  So I have to give a photocopy of the visa which was issued to me from the very same people who issued it to me in the first place.  Isn't it at least in the computer somewhere?  Loczech.

When you have a baby you first have to provide a boy's name and a girl's name.  So if you know that you are having a boy then why do you have to submit a girl's name?  Loczech.  

These are just a few examples.  These kind of things really used to frustrate me but now I just let them roll like water off a duck's back.  Czechs aren't the only ones.  Slovakia has "slogic" (Slovak logic).

Slivovice Festival

Well this weekend was another first.  This time I went to my first slivovice festival.  It was held in Litenčice, a small village about 45 minutes from Brno.

This was the village's 13th annual festival.  In such a small village, it is a big deal to have the best slivovice.

It cost 100 Kč ($5) to enter and you were given a commemorative shot glass.  Then you went up to the bar and said which one you wanted to try.  You get a small taste, rinse out your glass and try the next one.   
 
Oh, did I mention that there were 149 kinds of moonshine to try.  In addition to the plum, there was also pear, apricot, apple, peach, cherry, plus a few non-traditional flavors.  After a while though they all start to taste the same.  I guess it's a good thing that I only tried 22 of them.

Now here's the part that I don't get.  Distilling your own hooch is illegal but everyone knows someone who does it.  Yet, here's an official festival, attended by the mayor, to celebrate the best moonshine.  Loczech.  

Standa's Funeral

Last night I went to my first Czech wake.  Well, sort of.  First of all, no one actually died.

Stanislav has left IBM, so Vilém and Luděk organized a little going-away party for him. 

Standa thought it was only going to be beers with four or five people.  He was quite surprised when he saw that there were at least 25 people there.

Martin, the deceased, and Jana

I think he was also surprised to see that it was organized as a funeral.  I guess Vilém and Luděk know how to put the "fun" in funeral.  As each person entered, they had to shake hands with everyone else and offer condolences by saying upřímnou soustrast. 

Good luck Standa!  We'll miss you.

Tünde's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Today was Tünde's 1st day of kindergarten.  First of all, kindergarten here is the equivalent of preschool in the USA.

In Czechland, public kindergarten (preschool) starts when the child is 3 years old.  This coincides with the up to three years of parental leave that is available here.  

Private kindergartens will take children at 1 year.  So from when the child is born to when they can go to private kindergarten is the challenge.  A parent has to stay at home or pay for a nanny.  It's common here for grandparents to help out a lot with babysitting.  A full-time private kindergarten can run 4.000 Kč - 20.000 Kč ($200 - $1000) per month.  The prices are higher for a German or English speaking school

There is a serious shortage of public kindergartens in ČR.  Around 60,000 children across the country did not get accepted.  It's especially tough in Brno where more than 55% of children who applied did not get a place.

Claudia had been looking for a place for only one day per week.  She heard from a colleague about an opening at a very good private kindergarten and Tünde was accepted.  They took her even though she won't be one year for a few weeks.  Yeah!  I hear that she did great.  No tears or anything.  I feel like such a proud godfather.