Day 7 - St. Petersburg

Friday, 11/28 -

My last day in St. Petersburg and I had to make it over the the Peter and Paul Fortress. First, I walked around looking for the Museum of Political History which is housed in the former home of prima ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. She happened to be Nicholas II's first love before moving on to two of his cousins. This house is also famous for being taken over by Lenin after he arrived in 1917 on a sealed train from Germany to Finland Station. Again, I didn't purchase the photo permit and frantically took photos when the room guardian wasn't watching me like a hawk. Those babushka's sure do take their jobs seriously. I managed a photo of Lenin's study before moving on to other sites. In the neighborhood, I stopped at the mosque, the memorial to the victims of Stalin's Gulag, and Petrovskaya quay to see Peter the Great's cabin. Then, it was time to move onto Peter and Paul Fortress.

It's a fortress alright. A huge one with tons of things inside, including a wonky statue of Peter the Great that's supposed to be a cast from a mask made of his real head placed onto a disproportionately sized body, making him look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. I carried on to the Peter & Paul Cathedral which is the last resting place for the majority of the rulers of the Romanov dynasty. It was odd seeing the tombs of all those I had read about, especially the little kids. Seeing Nicholas' mother, Marie Feodorovna's tomb still dressed with flowers since she was reburied here from Denmark, two years ago, was nice, especially knowing that she would be happy to be resting next to her dear husband Sasha (Alexander III) again. It was what she had wished for in exile.

I then went to pay my respects at the room that held the last Tsar, his wife, their children, and the family's retainers, who were all massacred together that fateful night in Yekaterinburg. To tell you the truth, it was the oddest feeling in the world knowing how close in proximity I now was to them all.

The remains of both Alexei and (presumably) Maria were discovered last year. They will soon join their parents and siblings once DNA is confirmed by several different teams. Until that time comes, their epitaphs on the wall will remain incomplete.

I spent the remainder of my time walking around the fortress, taking in the views of the city. Once back in city center, after stopping to admire Smolny Cathedral, I purchased souvenirs at a place behind Church on Spilled Blood and pretty much got smothered by one of the vendors who was intent on me purchasing his entire inventory. It was okay considering I waited till the last minute to do my souvenir shopping and was momentarily defeated to see almost all of the stalls shuttered for the night. In hindsight, our exchange was hilarious. Afterwards, I stopped for a minute on the bridge nearby, pausing to take in all that was in front of me. Muttering sweet nothings and blowing silent kisses to the city, I swore on my life, like Marie Feodorovna, I would one day come back.

I said my goodbyes at the hostel and headed via metro to the train station, finally holding my own among the crowds with heavy luggage, for my overnight trip to Moscow.