St. Petersburg ...and Moscow (?)
Feb 22nd, 2015, 09:04 PM
#22
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"I will change my plans to 9-10 days."
Make it 10 days if you can! (or longer ;-) )
"I was in Stockholm at the beginning of July....it was an experience!"
I was in Stockholm at that time of year, too, and it was decidedly vibrant during those shortest-night days! That said, IME, it didn't have quite the extended hours that St. Petersburg did, nor quite the celebration of the longest nights.
I was fortunate enough to be in St. Petersburg during one of the longest days of the year, and had the disorienting experience of seeing the sun set in a position that seemed more like the north than the west, and then to see it rise a a few hours later just a bit further east. It never got completely dark - there was just a prolonged period of dusk merging into dawn. People were out enjoying themselves and their beautiful city well into the early hours of the morning. And there was some kind of fluffy white seed-like thing (I've learned since that it was probably from a poplar tree that is common in the city) that burst out almost like dandelion around that time. Youngsters and teenagers and even some older people were gathering it up and then setting a match to it -- it would vanish with a POOF.
SO special!
BTW, and just FWIW, when I visited Russia (in 1994), residents of St. Petersburg had just recently been given the opportunity to call their beloved city by its original name, rather than calling it Leningrad. It was something that meant a great deal to them. I was told they would HATE to hear it called "St. Pete" -- that's a place in Florida, not THEIR beloved city. Maybe that has changed....
Make it 10 days if you can! (or longer ;-) )
"I was in Stockholm at the beginning of July....it was an experience!"
I was in Stockholm at that time of year, too, and it was decidedly vibrant during those shortest-night days! That said, IME, it didn't have quite the extended hours that St. Petersburg did, nor quite the celebration of the longest nights.
I was fortunate enough to be in St. Petersburg during one of the longest days of the year, and had the disorienting experience of seeing the sun set in a position that seemed more like the north than the west, and then to see it rise a a few hours later just a bit further east. It never got completely dark - there was just a prolonged period of dusk merging into dawn. People were out enjoying themselves and their beautiful city well into the early hours of the morning. And there was some kind of fluffy white seed-like thing (I've learned since that it was probably from a poplar tree that is common in the city) that burst out almost like dandelion around that time. Youngsters and teenagers and even some older people were gathering it up and then setting a match to it -- it would vanish with a POOF.
SO special!
BTW, and just FWIW, when I visited Russia (in 1994), residents of St. Petersburg had just recently been given the opportunity to call their beloved city by its original name, rather than calling it Leningrad. It was something that meant a great deal to them. I was told they would HATE to hear it called "St. Pete" -- that's a place in Florida, not THEIR beloved city. Maybe that has changed....
Feb 22nd, 2015, 09:33 PM
#23
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"Make it 10 days if you can! (or longer )"
kja,
My " problem" is : I like good hotels...the.cost is a consideration.
Your experience in SP sounds wonderful.
I am still deciding on options for 2015...
(BTW, we did not eat in famous restaurants in SS...not a " must" )
kja,
My " problem" is : I like good hotels...the.cost is a consideration.
Your experience in SP sounds wonderful.
I am still deciding on options for 2015...
(BTW, we did not eat in famous restaurants in SS...not a " must" )
Feb 22nd, 2015, 10:02 PM
#24
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"the.cost is a consideration"
How I wish -- <b>really wish</b>! -- that I didn't know how much costs can factor in to trip planning! ;-)
I trust that you will take what I say, in conjunction with lots of other info, and use it to make the choice that works best for YOU.
ANY chance to visit these wonderful cities should be a good one!
How I wish -- <b>really wish</b>! -- that I didn't know how much costs can factor in to trip planning! ;-)
I trust that you will take what I say, in conjunction with lots of other info, and use it to make the choice that works best for YOU.
ANY chance to visit these wonderful cities should be a good one!
Feb 22nd, 2015, 11:29 PM
#25
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<<I am interested in art ,architecture and history.., imagine that Moscow offers all.>>
Yes, of course, Moscow has it all. Tretyakov Art Gallery, Pushkin Museum, St Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin inc the Diamond Fund, the Stalin skyscrapers eg the Hotel Ukrainia, Moscow University, All Russian exhibition centre (the previously named Exhibition of Economic Achievements, the architecture of the pavilions is interesting) Novodevichy, estates such as Kolomenskoye, Ostankino (& the tower), several parks, old areas of Moscow eg Kitai Gorod, the Arbat, several metro stations are not to be missed for their impressive interiors, to name a few of the interesting sights. You can take a trip on the Moscow River.
Your plan of 4 nights is about right, the Sapsan fast train is a recommended one to take, but if you can squeeze in one night in Novgorod, you might find this very old city extremely interesting but you will need to take a different train service that stops in Novgorod on the way from St Petersburg to Moscow.
Yes, of course, Moscow has it all. Tretyakov Art Gallery, Pushkin Museum, St Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin inc the Diamond Fund, the Stalin skyscrapers eg the Hotel Ukrainia, Moscow University, All Russian exhibition centre (the previously named Exhibition of Economic Achievements, the architecture of the pavilions is interesting) Novodevichy, estates such as Kolomenskoye, Ostankino (& the tower), several parks, old areas of Moscow eg Kitai Gorod, the Arbat, several metro stations are not to be missed for their impressive interiors, to name a few of the interesting sights. You can take a trip on the Moscow River.
Your plan of 4 nights is about right, the Sapsan fast train is a recommended one to take, but if you can squeeze in one night in Novgorod, you might find this very old city extremely interesting but you will need to take a different train service that stops in Novgorod on the way from St Petersburg to Moscow.
