On our way up Nevsky, we took some side street diversions along the way, first seeing this "live" statue of the Russian poet, Pushkin...
...and then later a statue of the man himself...
He is to Russia what Shakespeare is to England. He died at a very young age in a duel. This statue is in Arts square, which derived its name because there are several cultural institutions in the square...the Russian Museum which is housed in several buildings (including the Mikhailovsky Palace behind the above statue) with a collection by Russian artists only, the philharmonic hall, an opera/ballet theater, and I believe a couple of others. We walked on to one of the canals and again got a glimpse of the most famous church...the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood...more on that later, including photos.
To get to our destination, we passed through the arch leading from Nevsky Prospect to the Hermitage...
...and across the Neva River, where we encountered one of the numerous brides which we are seeing every day here in Russia....they seem to get married every day of the week, and have extensive photo shoots around the city, both here and in Moscow. There seem to be a lot of weddings these days. This bride and her groom were doing something unique thus far...riding horses around the park...
Onward to the Menshikov palace. Menshikov was a friend of Peter the Great, which is how he came to be appointed the governor. They had played together as children. Apparently, it was well known that he was embezzling money from the government, but Peter turned his eye from this because of their friendship. Menshikov used all of this money to expand and reexpand his palace. It was in a constant state of renovation from 1711 to 1727, when Peter and Catherine were no longer in power, and he fell out of favor and was exiled to Siberia where he died two years later. During Peter's reign, many of the government balls and state dinners were held in this palace...
...which was quite magnificent inside. Peter's residence was apparently quite modest by comparison, so he did most of his entertaining here.
Unlike the Hermitage, which displayed a fine collection of art, but not much about the building's inhabitants, this palace showed the actual rooms as they had been lived in by the Menshikovs, including the kitchen and their bedrooms. The foyer was magnificent with a display of several life size statues. It was mind blowing to think that Peter the Great and his wife, Catherine, who succeeded him as tsarina, had walked in these same hallways. Of course, only a small portion of the palace was open, as it will take years and billions to restore it due to its immense size. It also had an interesting computer exhibit where it showed the palace undergoing the various expansions.
After a couple of hours of exploring the palace, we headed back, grabbing a bite on the way, as tonight is opera at Mariinsky theater...
The original theater was built in 1783 and commissioned by Catherine the Great. This new building opened in 1860, at which time it had the largest stage in the world. With spectacular gold decor....
...it seats over 1,600 people...(this photo is of a model of the theater which was out in the lobby)...
...including the large royal box (surrounded by the blue curtain), from which many tsars and other nobility watched many performances. Note the seats. They are individual chairs, not unlike those in a dining room. It did feel quite large compared to the Sydney Opera House theater, which was intimate by comparison.
We saw the opera, Don Giovanni, which we felt was not great. The sets, costuming and stage direction seemed to be non-existent. The best singer/performer was the gentleman who played the servant to Don Giovanni--he was quite charismatic! Despite our disappointment in the performance, it was a night to be remembered in one of the most renowned opera houses in the world!
Time for some zzzzzzzzzzz's!
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some fancy architecture and interior decorating there
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