On this cruise we had the option of starting in Moscow and ending in Saint Petersburg (SP from now on) or vice versa. We chose starting in Moscow to see the "European" side of Russia last.
Peter the Great's (PtG from now on) was a handsome dude in any era. He was both hated and beloved by people of his time. He could be cruel in order to accomplish his goals. He forced his constitutes to shift their mental orientation from "East" to "West." This was in architecture, formal gardens, fashion, and even eating habits and forced cutting of beards. He was also loved for his generosity.
PtG was keen on "modernizing" Russia more to the style of Western Europe. To accomplish this, he took extended scouting trips to Amsterdam to learn about ship-building. He also visited France and other European countries to familiarize himself with culture, architecture, and lifestyles there.
Russia had no seaside port other than on the Arctic coast, which wasn't usable much of the year. Upon PtG's return from his European fact-finding adventures, he conquered land from Sweden on the Gulf of Finland and on the River Neva (below), where he founded SP in 1703. He also formed Russia's first significant Navy and initiated his goal to bring Russia into the lifestyle of the West. Thus, SP is more European in style than Moscow.
Although PtG initially modeled SP after the city and canals of Amsterdam, he had Italian architects. So things turned out with a little different look than anticipated. Thus, a nickname became the "Venice of Russia." This pix taken from the windows of the Hermitage.
Because of the style of some of the palaces (Peterhof modeled after Versailles), at other times it is also called the "Paris of Russia." All in all, a lovely combination of culture and art.
In building this city, PtG also moved the capital of the Empire from Moscow to SP. He thought a port city was a better location for a capital. It remained there all but four years between 1712-1918. The capital was returned to Moscow after the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Over the years, the city has been officially renamed several times, often for political reasons--Petrograd (1914, because it sounded less German); then Leningrad (1924, after Lenin's death); and back to SP (1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed).
Today, there are energy (not nuclear) plants ...
and large and colorful, maybe more modern apartment complexes...
but a little less traffic than we saw in Moscow.
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If you have visited any of these places, we would love to hear your comments. Or send us recommendations of places we should not miss.