Travels of Russia and Northern Europe II: St. Petersburg, a floating city.

St Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia, named after Peter the Great. It has been the political, economic and cultural center of Russia for more than 200 years since Peter I moved to the capital. The total stay in St. Petersburg is no more than two days. My impression of this city is elegance, nobility and elegance. The charm of St. Petersburg comes from water, and the famous neva river passes through the city. Countless tributaries and artificial canals are surrounded by gentle arms, dividing the whole city into small islands, which are connected by countless bridges of different shapes, making the city smart and romantic, and it has the title of "water city" like Venice and Amsterdam.

Along neva river, there are many classical buildings and sculptures with historical background. Those well-known or unknown buildings, after centuries of war baptism and years of infection, still glow with simple and elegant atmosphere; Look at those sculptures standing by the river and the city bridge. They are either out-of-print works by famous artists or real cultural relics purchased from overseas. Each bottle is exquisite and priceless, and the whole city is like a huge museum. All these constitute the noble and charming temperament of a city.

Xiagong garden

On the afternoon of arriving in St. Petersburg, the bus took us directly to Peter I's Summer Palace, without worrying about the fatigue of the journey. I didn't feel tired on the way from the airport to the Summer Palace. I took a street view with my mobile phone. It's fast, the weather is cloudy and cloudy, and the streets and figures are a little blurred, but it won't get lost.

The Summer Palace was built on the order of Peter the Great, and later became the place where emperors held court dances and large-scale celebrations. We visited the Summer Palace, but not the Forbidden City. The Summer Palace Garden covers a large area, with spectacular waterfalls and fountains, exquisite statues, striking green boulevards, wide lawns and flower beds.

The fountain is the most beautiful scenery in the Summer Palace. I really want to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, in the sea of people, I can't find a suitable angle to present its beauty, so I have to take a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery and take a few more distant views. Q and I found another way, strolling on the boulevard, strolling on this green land, posing for photos. Crossing the boulevard, my eyes suddenly opened up and the sky was vast. This is the Gulf of Finland. There are many locals coming here to relax and take wedding photos, just like on the river beach in Wuhan. On the way back, we opened the first rouble 1000 yuan at a food sales point and bought something like burritos. The stuffing is cold sausage, cucumber and cabbage, and the taste grade is "edible". I spent a leisurely afternoon here.

Leave the Summer Palace, drive downtown and enjoy the first dinner in Russia. Dinner is Chinese food, and the taste level is "OK".

A room with a view

The only hotel we stayed in Russia is on the Neva River. Q: I got a nice room with a beautiful view of neva river. What is even more commendable is the design of windows, two large French windows, which are very suitable for viewing the scenery. We ate cherries, tasted special sausages and enjoyed the scenery outside the window, which was particularly satisfying. To this end, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to this little girl, the tour leader, for arranging such a beautiful room for us.

The next morning, Q and I got up early, strolled in neva river in the rain, and personally felt the mother river praised by literati. After crossing the nearest bridge, we photographed the hotel on the other side. The buffet breakfast in this hotel is good, and the food is fresh and rich, with many varieties. The evaluation of breakfast is "not bad".

"free travel" in the rain

The morning trip is to visit the bronze statue of Peter the Great, which looks like a famous church and St. Petersburg city government. After reading these slightly boring places, there is still some time before lunch. Little girl, the leader, let's stroll around a seemingly suburban town for an hour.

Q and I found a market, mainly selling agricultural and sideline products, including fruits, vegetables, milk, fish products, all kinds of sauce products, bread and so on. When we walk through it with curiosity and inquiry, we like to walk around and look around to see the price of fruit and the appearance of daily food in Russia. A young shopkeeper greeted us in a friendly way and made a "V" for me to take a photo.

The market is not big. After a while, Q began to say, "Let's find a coffee shop!" " "I went shopping for a while, didn't find a coffee shop and found a fast food restaurant. We each ordered a hot drink and French fries. I didn't expect Russian French fries to be really authentic, big, of good quality, well cooked and delicious. After tasting this delicious French fries, I feel that Uncle Mai and Grandpa Kaifeng in America are weak.

After eating Chinese food, I will visit the most famous Winter Palace in the afternoon. In front of the Winter Palace, we braved the cold wind and rain to admire the Poseidon Column by the Neva River and overlook the Winter Palace across the river. I didn't wait until four o'clock to line up at the gate of the Winter Palace.

A winter palace with treasures.

When I arrived at the gate of the Winter Palace, I found that the people in line had turned and turned. That battle was similar to the 20 10 Shanghai World Expo. The local escort said that this is the case all year round, and you need to make an appointment in advance to visit. We waited in the rain for about an hour and were finally summoned to the palace.

The Winter Palace is a part of Al mitas Museum, and Al mitas, together with the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum in new york, are called the four largest museums in the world. The appearance of the Winter Palace is magnificent, the palace is magnificent, and all kinds of sculptures and murals are magnificent and beautiful. The overall momentum is quite shocking.

There are many art collections in the palace, including ancient Roman sculptures, paintings by top European painters, China porcelain, enamel and lacquerware. There are many rare treasures. In my opinion, each exhibition hall itself is a masterpiece of well-made architectural art. Looking at the exquisite paintings on the dome, the elaborate colonnade and the beautiful lights, I was dazzled.

When we visited the oil painting, there was a commotion in front of the team and the tourists were crowded. The tour guide said it was Leonardo da Vinci's oil painting "Madonna with Flowers". Although I don't know much about painting, I still yearn for it. I followed the crowd to the front to pay tribute to the true face of this famous painting. Leonardo da Vinci has two paintings collected in the Winter Palace, one is the Madonna Rita and the other is the Madonna with flowers. These two paintings have become treasures of the Winter Palace.

Leave the team

After visiting the Winter Palace, I followed the crowd out. One of them didn't notice. Q and I got separated and followed the other teams out of the door. That's the back door of the Winter Palace. I stood at the back door and waited for a long time, but I didn't wait for a familiar figure. I'm going to contact Q on WeChat. When I found the mobile WIFI on her, I called, but I didn't answer it three times. Is this deliberately making me lose my rhythm? At this time, a compatriot of the other team looked at me in a hurry and asked me what I had met. I asked him if he could lend me his phone. I'm afraid there's something wrong with my phone. He regretted not opening international roaming. He quickly turned to his guide for help. The male tour guide didn't even stop. He said indifferently, you go to the coach. I asked him where the bus was parked, and he was in a hurry to leave, saying that there were two parking lots, so you can find them yourself. It suddenly occurred to me that I still have the number of the group leader. It's really useless It's not calm when things happen. In fact, even if the phone is disconnected, I have another way, that is, go back to the staff inside and they can contact me.

After the trip to the Winter Palace, I visited a shopping spot, then went to the railway station and took an overnight train to Moscow.