From Romeo and Juliet to River cruise on the Neva


This is my fourth post but we’re still only on our first day in Saint Petersburg. That was a really long day. These first pictures show some streets in Saint Petersburg. Architecturally, it is a very beautiful city. After we ate we went back to the hotel and changed and then went straight to the ballet. We were seeing Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet performed by the St. Petersburg Mussorgsky State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. The production was excellent, what I would consider classical or traditional ballet with beautiful costumes and dancing and a live orchestra. It was also very long (3 1/2 hours). Brad and I both really enjoyed it but unfortunately due to our long day and jet lag we had a hard time staying awake. One amazing thing about the ballet company is that they have a repertoire of 18 ballets and they perform a different one every night.

When it was over at 10:00 p.m. we were really looking forward to going back to the hotel and sleeping. Imagine my surprise when I walked out of the lobby and saw Luda waiting. She had planned an evening of sightseeing for us. I can honestly say now that I’m glad we did it (went out that night), but at the time I was very tired and not looking forward to it. She told us she had some things she wanted to show us and then there was an 11:30 p.m. boat ride on the Neva River that would last about 45 minutes so we should be back shortly after midnight. We started going but realized we were very hungry (the pancakes didn’t last past the first act of the ballet). We told Luda we needed to eat and she allowed us to stop at a small cafe. Fully nourished we started on a walking tour. We walked past the Kazahn Cathedral (only to look, no time to stop), through a park to the Admiralty and stopped at the Bronze Horseman. This statue is a symbol of Saint Petersburg. (incidentally this photo was taken after 11:00 p.m.). This "statue was commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1768-82 as a tribute to the czar she most admired" (Russia Walks). The base is inscribed simply, "To Peter the First, Catherine the Second, Year 1782." Luda told us that she did this because she wanted to be remembered with Peter, to solidify her greatness with his. It was very enlightening having Luda guide us. She is a true Saint Petersburger, very proud of her city and its history.
We then walked back to the Fontanka Canal where the boat ride was going to start. It was scheduled to leave at 11:30 and we arrived right about this time. After several loud and fast exchanges in Russian between Luda and the drivers she told us they would go but it would be a little later. (You just didn’t mess with her--she knew how to get what she wanted). We pleaded that we wanted to just go home, but to no avail. First of all, it’s pretty hard to convince someone through a translator and second of all, there’s no convincing Luda (but as I said, I’m glad now that we went). She insisted that going on a boat ride on the Neva River during the White Nights (For almost a month during June Saint Petersburg has what they call the "white nights," where it never gets completely dark at night) and seeing the drawbridge open was an experience we needed to have (and what can I say, she was right, though at the time I really thought I could have that experience some other time). After agreeing we would go on the boat ride Luda left to the comforts of home and bed. We walked around a bit more and came back about 12:15 p.m. We got on the boat and waited until about 12:45 p.m. when a few other daring individuals showed up and we left. The driver said since it was late the boat ride would be a little shorter (yeah!). It was still light out toward the north, but it was getting cold.
We slowly made our way out of the canal (with only one minor mishap, the driver ran into the canal wall) onto the river. We drove around slowly and joined the about twenty other boats out on the river. Then when I thought we should be heading back we just drove around the Neva. Finally about 1:30 a.m. the drawbridge opened up. This picture doesn’t capture the "white" sky, but some of our video did. Then the race was on as twenty boats tried to be the first ones through the open drawbridges and back into the canals. Our "short" boat ride lasted an hour and a half. Then after a half hour walk back to the hotel (the quietest I ever saw St. Petersburg) we went to bed around 2:30 a.m.