Window to the West

St. Petersburg was built upon the Neva River, with the bascule Trinity Bridge. With Peter the Great’s victory in the Great Northern War, he intended to show the world a stronger Russia via westernization. Peter also replaced the title from Tsar to Emperor, influenced by Europe.

Winter Palace is one of the city’s icons. Peter the Great first regarded this Dutch-style wooden house as an imperial residence in 1708. After Empress Elizabeth’s renovation, the fourth was built when Catherine II replaced the Baroque interior with Neoclassical designs.

An interior courtyard accessible to 3 archways was designed in a square shape. The facades feature 2-level columns, and the parapets are richly decorated with statues and vases. Since the height of buildings were regulated by then, the 22m height made it the highest in the city.

Served as the emperors’ residence till 1917, it is the second-largest art museum in the world. Some highlights include the Peacock Clock, the Mummy of Egypt, the Return of the Prodigal Son, and the Madonna Litta. Barely impossible to go through 460 rooms in a day.

Another spectacular architecture must be the Peterhof Palace. Peter the Great was inspired by the French royal court, and sought to build his own “Russian Versailles”. The Grand Palace consists of Portrait Hall, Throne Room with fine parquet floor, and the richly gilded Ballroom.

The palace provides a perfect backdrop to the Grand Cascade, which was ordered by his daughter. The park comprises 64 fountains, namely Chess Cascade, Pyramid Fountain and Trick Fountain. The statue of Samson wrestling a lion even makes it more majestic than even.

Unlike her parents, Empress Elizabeth chose Tsarskoe Selo as her summer residence. It was completed in 1756, commissioned by Peter for Catherine. The modest facades took 100kg of gold to decorate the exteriors, decorated with gilded atlantes, caryatids and pilasters.

Several rooms draw your attention, such as the golden mirrored State Rooms; the jewel-studded Amber Room; and the Chinese Blue Drawing Room, which is covered with painted-silk wallpapers and featured with intricate Chinese landscapes.

The Catherine Garden is divided into 2 parts: the Old Garden on three terraces, with the construction of Mirror Ponds on the third one; and the Landscape Park along the exquisite Crescent Ponds. To commemorate their victory against Turkey, a Red Cascade was erected.

The city serves as a fortress of Russia, and Rabbit Island is the first place to establish. Some said a rabbit jumped on Peter’s boot when he was getting off the boat to this island. The island was named to commemorate the event and the establishment of a new capital.

Peter and Paul Cathedral is the second tallest structure in Russia after the Television tower. Different from the onion-topped Savior on the Spilled Blood, its design was influenced by the Protestant cathedrals. Today, it houses the tombs of all Imperial Russia's rulers.

Fun fact: alcohol is part of Russian daily life. The rock band Leningrad even composed a song called “In Piter We Drink”. Aside from Vodka, I was impressed by its inventive cuisine in Birch, as well as All Seasons. Not to mention the caucasian food in Restaurant Dolma.