Russia, Day 28

 

Day Twenty-Eight 

Our plan was to go to the Peter and Paul Fortress.   We took the metro to the station closest to it.  We walked across the street and got coffee at Coffee House.  After the coffee, we walked through park that had several amusement park rides.  I was impressed with the park and then surrounding areas.  I noticed apartment blocks that were nice.  We also walked past the huge Museum of Russian Communist History.  That, and the Kirov Museum were two places I wanted to see, but had to scratch due to the lack of time we had and the fact we were very tired.  We were at a point in the trip where we were having to really pace ourselves.  Of course, we had two more days. 

We stopped off at a little café near the Peter and Paul Fortress entrance.  We ate a Norwegian salad and some borsht for lunch.  It was going to give us some needed energy.  We also bought some souvenirs next door.  

 

The next few hours were spent at the Peter and Paul Fortress.  We went through a Russian history museum which mainly focused on progress in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  The miniature exhibits were really exceptional. We also paid an extra fee to tour a torture museum.  It was one of the most harrowing things I have ever seen.  I left the museum feeling despair at how evil humans can be to one another.  After that experience, we walked to the church where we could view the tombs of Russian greats.  We saw the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, the Romanov family, Alexander II (the one murdered on the site of the Church on Spilt Blood).  Perhaps with only the exception of the Novodivichy cemetery and the Kremlin burial grounds, this burial site is the premier place to be to see the tombs of the legends that built the Russian empire.  Being there was a humbling experience.

 

Before we left, we walked up to the highest point, which gave us a panoramic view of St. Petersburg.  It was a sight to behold.  As we were walking out, we stopped at a couple of kiosks to look at some souvenirs.  We bought a few.  Then, we walked back into the information center and opened our locker and got our bags.  It was time to go.  The Peter and Paul Fortress is truly a first-class place to visit. It’s very tourist-friendly and there’s a wealth of history waiting for you. 

We left the fortress grounds and walked the street looking for something to eat.  I was feeling a bit delirious due to not having any food in my system.  I took a chance by recommending we stop in a little café.  When we entered the small, quaint café, we noticed a plethora a fresh foods in the display.  We ordered a few salads and an entrée.  It turned out to be a vegetarian restaurant.  We had to work through not being able to communicate with waitress and the manager. With some persistence, it all paid off.  We had a fabulous experience.  We tried numerous dishes.  The coffee I ordered was also very good.  I had a second cup.  I also ate some sour cream cake and a strawberry tart.  They were very delicious.  One interesting facet of the place was that they weighed everything.  You paid by the gram.  This is actually done throughout Russia.  Although it seems time-consuming, I guess you literally get what you pay for.