What a weekend this was! We returned with greasy hair, tired feet and big smiles on our faces.
This weekend was the most awaited one, not only because we were going to St. Petersburg but we were going to THE St. petersburg. After reading about it in every travel guide book, to having all our Russian friends rave about it, to having Pranjali exclaiming about its beauty and charm, it was safe to say we were super excited about this trip to the city of St. Petersburg.
This is Russia's most 'European' city, with its network of canals to its neoclassical architecture, wild nightlife, edgy galleries, underground pubs, an extraordinary history and rich culture . This is Russia's most popular tourist destination ; which means a lot more people spoke English, and the prices in cafes were much cheaper than Moscow! Woohoo. Also the metro network is much simpler, and all the station names were also written in English ( which, by the way doesn't happen in Moscow)
I confess that at first, as charmed as I was by the city somehow the awe felt superficial, just how you would feel when you visit a new place. But when you travel, your goal is not to admire
a place for the photographs and Facebook updates, it’s to soak yourself with its soul. St. Petersburg took some time before I , like so many others fell prey to its beauty.
Before I start about this trip, I really need to give a huge shout-out to Pranjali (AIESEC MUMBAI) who after spending almost a week in the city, had so much trivia and info to tell us! Where, What, Who, How - she answered all these questions and more! Thanks a bunch, Pranj and damn, i wish we could've done a trip together somewhere (Fret not, we'll make major plans in India, ok?)
A big hug for all the help, woman.
Now! Where was I?
RIGHT! So three of us (Me, Zara and Anuj) arrived at St. petersburg around 10pm in the night, after a whole day of traveling (It took us 9 hours from moscow; the fastest train takes about 3 hours)
Just before we boarded our train, I happened to check my couch surfing inbox and to my shock, I found out that our hosts had some sudden emergency and they wouldn't be able to host us for the weekend . That meant that we would have no place to go when we reached St. petersburg! We decided not to worry about this and after we reach we'd find out a reasonable hostel to stay at.
First 30 mins, was so confusing . We didn't know where we were, where to go and worst of all, NO ONE SPOKE ENGLISH (ugh, just wait for my rant!) . Finally, Google translate came to rescue and we were able to figure out how to reach Nevsky Prospekt.
Now, Nevsky Prospekt is a broad and really, really long street which begins at Palace Square and runs through the heart of the city, ending at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. From restaurants, to souvenir shops, to bars, to nightclubs, to impressive historical sites, to both the metro and the central rail station, to hotels to beautiful bridges; everything you could want is here. No visit to St. Petersburg can be complete without a stroll along Nevsky Prospekt!
TravelTip #4: I would strongly recommend buying a nevsky prospekt guidebook. (cost me about, 119 rubles only) . This way, you won't miss out on the any place of significance on the street.
After a quick dinner at Pizza Hut, we decided to go looking for a place to crash. I'd heard of a hostel somewhere close to Nevsky which was supposed to be quite cheap, called "Old Hostel" , so after getting its address from the internet we began walking. And it took us so long to figure out that we've been walking in circles , and finally after 2 hours of walking we reached . Thankfully, the staff was friendly and they checked us in even at 2:25am. We were put up in a dormitory with 8 other people, and we were so tired that we went off to sleep immediately.
#TravelTip #5 : Experience the hostel culture, atleast once. It much more cost-effective, fun, you meet more people, random plans get made, you observe a lot more quirks.
After taking our time, and getting up peacefully by 10:30 am we decided we are in no hurry since St. Pete's functions all night long . Anuj decided to explore the city all by himself (something he always wanted to do!) ,
So me and zara had brunch at this extremely cute place on Nevsky that served typical russian food, when the most curious thing happened. We were approached by two ladies, Ira and Lena who spoke to us so sweetly , but who were Jehovah witnesses and who wanted more foreigners to attend their church's bible meet. As politely as we could, we declined making excuses. Then, Ira pulls out the bible and quotes a passage from the bible and blesses our souls.
Umm, Okaaaay!
(and they gave us this!) 
We had just about the sweetest waiteress at the cafe, who spoke english (IT IS A MIRACLE!) since were so lost, she drew us this :
And directed us to the end of the street where stood the world-famous Hermitage. (On the way to hermitage, we saw loads of other attractions, but later more info on that! )Hermitage is also known to the world as the winter palace, is Saint Petersburg's prime attraction, a massive palace-museum boasting a collection of over 3,000,000 pieces spanning the globe. This is everything you imagine it might be! If you go, try to choose a time when the crowds will be smaller. Despite the size, the place is packed with people, which make viewing the art a challenge. It is 300 rubles for Russians and 400 rubles for foreigners but students of all nationalities get in for free, but don't forget your student card with photo. Entrance is free on the first Thursday of every month.
Right outside Hermitage is the Palace Square (Dvortsovaya Ploshchad). This place is so happening! You will see a lot of activities going on around here at any point of time, whether its day or night. Horse carriages, young people on roller skates, markets, people dressed up in grand costumes who let you click pictures with them for a small fee, and lots of people just sitting on the square without a care in the world! Me and zara, cutely sat there and ate lemon cupcakes and drank water while debating who'll be the first biker to hit his head on the concrete and cry (You should see them!!! Such daredevils!). Great place to people watch :)
While walking to the hermitage, we passed a lot of other attractions of the city. The first of them all, was Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood. This Cathedral is wonderful from the outside with its onion domes (It is what to us, seems typically Russian.) This church was built in memory of the czar who was assassinated after abolishing serfdom in Russia. But tragedy!
We chose the wrong day and couldn't get inside the cathedral :(
After walking away from the cathedral, we made a short visit to Mikhailovsky gardens, Art Square, Statue of Alexander Pushkin and Russian Museum.
In Mikhailovsky gardens, we saw one of the most stunning scenes! A bride and groom having a wedding photoshoot! And oh my, she looked wow.
(Looks unreal, innit? I know. It was! :')
Another stunning cathedral is, The Kazan Cathedral. This is a fully operational church where visitors are allowed in but women need to cover their heads while entering. One may enter the church, or may simply take a seat outside and enjoy the sun. It is difficult to miss, even if you are just strolling along Nevsky prospect.
And, NO! I didn't talk to him, of course.
Anyways, for dinner we went to this gem of a place which served Indian food called Tandoor (at Admiralteisky Prospekt) . I can't explain the wave of joy when we heard Hindi music playing and even better, the place smelt of Indian spices and masalas. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! The food was great! We were craving spicy food and the place did not disappoint.The hotel itself was very ornately done, with a Taj Mahal background :
That night we decided to go and watch the draw-bridges of St. Petersburg open to let the ships pass by (One of the things, pranjali told us we cannot cannot miss!) The bridges only open for 15mins, after midnight. So we whiled away our time by talking to this Russian-american couple who helped us figure out the right bridge, then we went and watched some guy perform at the Hermitage.
We reached early and were rewarded with a super view of the bridges opening! It was just wow. Imagine a road you were walking upon a few hours ago suddenly makes way for ships to pass!
The nightlife is so crazy in st. petersburg! We happened to watch this :
And while we were watching yet another (Of the many!) performances on the Nevsky prospekt, This lanky dude in rollerblades come up to me and sara and says, 'Naaamaste, Indi? You from Indi?' And then he proceeds to tell us about a girl he knew from India called "Krithika" who broke his friend's heart! Initially, I was a little wary because of the whole morning scene with the ladies but it soon turned out that he's just a goofy guy with an Indian story! He made us laugh so hard, with his hand actions and accent! What a character.
After an extremely fun day, we eventually reached home at 4am and dozed off peacefully.
Next day, after coffee's at a cute cafe (p.s thats where my whatsapp dp was clicked!) we headed off to Peterhof. When Pranjali told us that she cried at Peterhof, because it is so beautiful i was surprised. But after visit the place i can tell you, it is difficult not to be over-whelmed at the beauty of this place!
a little way out of St Petersburg to get to, you can take a boat ride from St. Petersburg (costs about 700 rubles one way) or you can do what I did! Just go via the Metro and then take a mini bus. Travelling this way, we saved upto 1200 rubles each, because the bus tickets costed us only about 100 rubles! Hooray! :D
TravelTip #6 : Do your research well, there is no better way to save time and cash! Find out your what's, who's, how's and where's and then proceed.
Well, plenty to read up about this palace and too much to describe, but this is a must see attraction in St Petersburg. This palace has lots of fountains, gardens, benches, tulips but . . . the highlight of this place for me will be the walk to the sea, sitting on the rocks and talking to my best friend while dipping our feet in the water. It really was the best time everrr!
TravelTip #7 It can be tempting, but please find out what is permitted by the management and the authorities and what isn't! Trust me, you don't want to get into trouble in another country!
Peterhof :
SIGH! :') This place is a must for all the people who love romance, PDA and all that.
ALSO ALSO ALSO! When in st. petersburg, do not hesitate to dress up and look your fabulous best! This place is full of gorgeous women who walk around in skirts, dresses, heels, make-up, pants and looking like million bucks! And the men are not very far behind, either ;)
Well, all in all..
Expectations were high ; and I am happy St. Petersburg did not disappoint. It was everything people said it was, and more.
Promise me you'll visit? Ok :D
Till then, KEEP GALAVANTING! :D
p.s Thank you for all the feedback, guys! Keep letting me know what you think of my blog! :D
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