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Postcard#1

MONDAY | August 8, 2006
Cruising through Germany's Kiel Canal

Some 300 years ago, Peter the Great ordered the construction of a new capital on the Baltic Sea to orient Russia towards the West. He brought architects from Italy and Holland to construct a grand city, one that would rival Paris and Rome. On a sunny, summer day, the heart of Peter's city, St. Petersburg, stuns visitors with the grandeur it presents along the shores of the Neva River, that bisects the city, and its palace-lined canals.

After our beautiful weather in Sweden and Finland, when we sailed up the ship canal into the St. Petersburg early last week, it was cold and blustery. Never mind; we soon met our local guide, Nellie, and drove through the city and into the surrounding countryside to see the magnificent summer palace of Catherine the Great. From the outside, the vast facade impressed every visitor. Thanks to our local contacts, we entered the museum about 35 minutes before the doors were opened to the public. Once inside, we found the magnificent ballroom and the long series of reception rooms overwhelming. What grandeur, what wealth!

The Grand Ballroom at Catherine's Palace

Russian Musicians

Howard and Tamra Feuerstein   enjoy  the music

Peterhof, the Summer Palace of   Peter the Great

After a morning visiting Catherine's Palace, we were ready for lunch. We stopped, not far away, at what appeared to be ruins of an old palace. (This areas was largely destroyed by Nazi soldiers during the 900-day siege of Leningrad that lasted from 1941 to 1944.) We walked into a-cozy brick-lined room where our tables were set with borscht soup, pickles, pickled garlic and heavy dark breads while a chef prepared delicious "Shaslic" (tender beef shish-ka-bobs) on the grill outside. Also waiting for us were bottles of ice-cold vodka and red wine. As we sat down Russian musicians clad in colorful costumes burst in to entertain us, at full voice, with lively Russian folk songs. After all the good food, chilled vodka and soulful music, we hated to leave.

Monday afternoon we drove over to the magnificent summer palace of Peter the Great, a Baltic Sea version of the grand palaces at Versailles. Though the palace itself was closed, it was delightful to stroll through the magnificent, forested grounds with all of its canals, parks and fountains.

The following morning we joined Nellie once again to visit the Winter Palace of the Tsars, now home to the legendary Hermitage Museum of art. Thanks to our "early opening" arrangements, we were almost alone in the Hermitage as we walked up the grand State entrance with its white marble staircase, red carpets and elaborate gold decorations. Until later in the morning, when the Hermitage became flooded with visitors, we had most of the museum's magnificent rooms virtually to ourselves as we examined the artistic masterpieces on display.

Church of the Spilled Blood Smolny Convent after recent renovations

After lunch in one of St. Petersburg's trendy restaurants, we boarded a riverboat to cruise through the city's palace-lined canals. Next we stopped by the "Church of the Spilled Blood", a classic onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. Magnificent on the outside, the interior also amazed us with its brightly colored mosaics, which cover every conceivable space.

We've been coming to St. Petersburg for many years. We used to say that this was a run down city with beautiful treasures. Thanks to massive investment by the Russian government (President Putin comes from St. Petersburg) we can now say that this is, indeed, a beautiful city along the lines of San Francisco, Venice or Paris.

Few of us were prepared for the sights the following three days. Our first stop after St. Petersburg was Tallinn, Estonia. The old, historic center of Tallinn delights every visitor with its handsome buildings and energetic, enterprising people. Though our ship remained in port only about 6 hours, we all wanted more time.

If it's Thursday, we're in Riga (capital of Latvia). Though Riga, too, offers many architectural treasures, Riga has not developed nearly as quickly as the Estonians since gaining their independence in 1991.. Not to worry, however, for our port of call on Friday, the walled city of Visby (on Sweden's island of Gotland) enchanted everyone with its picturesque medieval center, little shops and markets and friendly Swedish people. Dave and Sue Fisher even took a cycling excursion through the resort island's pretty countryside.

Today we're cruising through Germany's Kiel Canal from the Baltic into the North Sea. This scenic waterway saves us several hundred miles of travel that would be required if we sailed around Denmark to enter the North Sea. Tomorrow we dock in Europe's massive port of Rotterdam and look forward to a full day excursion. It's also our final day together since our cruise concludes on Wednesday in Dover, England. We'll try to send another note before we return home.

Meanwhile, we're all healthy and enjoying our journey. Wish you were here!

Best regards,

Paul and Christine Niskanen