OUR TIME IN – RUSSIA
What do you do if you have 5 hours, 11 minutes between your overnight flight from the U.S. and the time you board your flight in a Russian airport? We decided to try to learn the Moscow metro system and make a quick trip to The Kremlin and Red Square. And this, after we misunderstood the flight attendent asking "where is your passport" as "what is your favorite country" while boarding the first plane. For the record, we were sure it was either supposed to be Russia or the US but not positve which one. With this poor understanding of anything remotely sounding Russian, we somehow made four correct train decisions and one wrong one that put us in OTP Moscow before we successfully made it. We had time to stroll the square, grab a quick pic but unfortunately no time for real visiting. Either way, it was better than sitting in airport trying to check your phone while the coffee shop charges nine dollars per plain medium cafe americano (fun fact: Moscow has the most expensive coffee in the world). One of many reasons it was good we chose to spend so much more time in St. Petersburg than the capital city.
St. Petersburg is a beautiful European city with the canals of Venice and Amsterdam and the squares of Paris but the main reason for the huge upgrade between cities is the fact that Sean and Annemarie Mulkeen, cousin’s from Erinn’s side of the family, joined us there. We spent the last few days visiting amazing sites like the Peterhof Palace and Garden and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood while cracking jokes on how we should all have a picture of the Russian President in our bathroom… Think about it… Get there…. Your there. A visit to the Peterhof Palace is amazing and definitely worth the boat ride across the St. Petersburg harbor and the church makes you feel like Russian Christianity was influenced by Walt Dinsey’s Fantasia, but the truly great thing about the experience was to get to kick off the big trip with family. Thanks for joining us guys, we had a blast. And Annemarie deserves a special shout out – she is nine weeks from giving birth to a little baby girl and led the group in walking around the city. Pretty sure their baby will be born with her passport in hand!
The Louvre is on every Parisian vistor’s list of top things to do. We learned that The Hermitage deserves similar must-do status in St. Pete on our last day in town. We allotted a little over two hours for our visit and ended up closing the place down with half left to see after four hours inside. This place isn’t just the Louvre. It is the Louvre crossed with Versailles’s residence with an Italian architect on standby. Erinn was so impressed with Peter the Great’s private quarter’s that she said, "See, this is why you buy nice furniture." Yikes…
TAKEAWAYS
Socialism, Stillettos and Stroganoff
His:
Walking around the immense wealth displayed during and after Peter the Great’s time in The Hermitage and Peterhof Palace, I realized how Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto was received so openly there. It is only natural that a reactionary doctrine grew in popularity during such obviously disproportionate circumstances.
Hers:
I am always interested in city girls shoes but Russian girls rock some super impressive heels. My feet were hurting from touring in my Toms, take a look at what are considered everyday shoes. Stilettos are to Toms what Vodka is to water. Gotta love Russia!!
Theirs:
We would have never known Annemarie was pregnant by how she tackled the city but it was her cravings for beef stroganoff that gave her away. Some were better than others, right Annemarie? š
SEE AND BE SEEN
The Kremlin and Red Square *
Peterhof Palace and Gardens *
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood *
The Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace *
Peter and Paul Fortress
St. Isaac’s Cathedral
Mariinsky Theatre
Nevsky Prospect *
The Metro *
* Must dos
passportpearson 