Church of Spilled Blood Interior -- All Mosaics
Connor and Carri in front of the Church of Spilled Blood
St. Isaac's Cathedral Interior
The boys in front of the Doors at St. Isaac's Cathedral
Waiting to get in the Hermitage MuseumToday was a day of touring St. Petersburg. We started off at the Hermitage museum. Our guides Elena and Dimitri lead the 2 groups through the many elaborate and ornate rooms of what used to be the Winter Palace. Besides looking at the architecture and decor, there was an extensive art collection. The guides told us that to look at every piece of art or artifact in the Hermitage for 30 seconds each would take 10 years and you would have to walk 24 miles. 1,100 rooms and 3 million works of art! Whoa! In our 3 hours we barely scratched the surface. We saw works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Picasso, Cezanne and many, many others.
Following a great lunch in downtown St. Petersburg, we went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Another beautiful church that is very ornate and opulent. This church has pillars that surround the entire building that are solid granite, about 20 meters tall and that weigh 60 tons. There is a display in the church that shows how they raised these monstrosities upright. They still have scars from the shells of WWII.
The next stop was The Church of Spilled Blood. This church is exactly what you would picture in Russia. It has the onion shaped domes that are really colorful. The inside was even more impressive. The entire interior is covered with glass mosaics depicting different biblical scenes. I think all of us were in awe.
The highlight of the day was the open air market across the street. The boys had a great time bargaining for fur hats and hockey jerseys, while the parents bought Christmas decorations, trinkets, jewelry, and STUFF! We got back on the bus, cold and happy shoppers. It took us a long time to get back to the hotel. The streets are still full of snow and buried cars making the passages narrow and slippery. Moving the coach buses through this was quite a feat.
Following a great lunch in downtown St. Petersburg, we went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Another beautiful church that is very ornate and opulent. This church has pillars that surround the entire building that are solid granite, about 20 meters tall and that weigh 60 tons. There is a display in the church that shows how they raised these monstrosities upright. They still have scars from the shells of WWII.
The next stop was The Church of Spilled Blood. This church is exactly what you would picture in Russia. It has the onion shaped domes that are really colorful. The inside was even more impressive. The entire interior is covered with glass mosaics depicting different biblical scenes. I think all of us were in awe.
The highlight of the day was the open air market across the street. The boys had a great time bargaining for fur hats and hockey jerseys, while the parents bought Christmas decorations, trinkets, jewelry, and STUFF! We got back on the bus, cold and happy shoppers. It took us a long time to get back to the hotel. The streets are still full of snow and buried cars making the passages narrow and slippery. Moving the coach buses through this was quite a feat.
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