Excellent city sites
One of the many canals I ran over today
St. Isaac's Cathedral
The Bronze Horseman
Sites at the conclusion of my runMonday, September 6th
Another good day in St. Petersburg. The weather was much improved over the past 2 days - with sunshine for several hours in the afternoon.
I had to do a long run today. I've never done this before, but I decided to do a workout where I'd do 30 minute repeats. Repeat training is common, as many folks will do 400 repeats, or mile repeats. Ususally this is done with just a few minutes of jogging or walking between sets. I wanted to see more of the city; therefore, I decided that I would spread these out throughout the day - doing 5 sets total (about 15 miles). Maybe it sounds weird - but I was just about crawling home late afternoon. In addition to the running miles, I walked many miles between sets. An all-good workout.
I spent alot of time on the eastern half of the city. I went by the Bronze Horseman statue, ran through Alexandrovskty gardens, circled St. Isaac's Cathedral, and walked by the Mariinsky Theatre. I ran over so many canal bridges, I couldn't keep them straight.
Today felt similar to my first day here. Once you get off Nevsky Prospekt, the maps and English speakers reduce exponentially. At no point did I really know where I was for sure. I did know if I kept going in 1 direction, I'd get to the River Neva or to a canal that I could follow back to Nevsky Prospekt. I went in/out cafes for water, apples, powerade, pretzels, candy - anything to keep me going. I saw a ton more of the city and kept taking picture after picture.
A couple things I'll mention from my book - a very popular restaurant in town is the Nobleman's Nest. It's located very near the Mariinsky Theatre and is supposedly the place of choice for visiting heads of state. The oldest hotel in town in the Grand Hotel (1875) - off Nevsky Prospekt.
A couple of places I did not get to visit, but I'd like to mention are the Summer Palace and Petrodvorets. The Summer Palace is located 25 km south of St. Petersburg. It was built by Catherine the Great for her son Paul I. This place has been rebuilt over the years to bring it back to it's original design. Hitler's troops had used the place as Gestapo headquarters before setting fire to it and the gardens in 1944. Petrodvorets is often called Peterhof. This is Peter the Great's grand palace. It's often referred to as the Versailles of Russia. It's located 32 kilometers from St. Petersburg on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. It has 300 acres of gardens with 66 fountains, 39 statues, and 12 miles of manmade canals.
The Hermitage, the Summer and Winter Palaces, Peterhof, St. Isaac's Cathedral, and Peter & Paul's Fortress - these are often found on the must-see list when it comes to St. Petersburg.
I headed back to the hotel after an exhausting, but very good day. I had the buffet again tonight in a lighted hall. It was excellent. Fresh watermelon, bananas, a tomato/cucumber/onion/salmon salad, chicken, hot tea -- it was a great dinner. Few things in life are better than fresh watermelon after a long workout. I couldn't get enough of this stuff.
Tomorrow morning I leave for Moscow at 7am. Word on the street is that St. Petersburg is child's play compared to Moscow. All-righty then. Moscow is like the New York City of Europe. It's the #1 largest city and the #1 most expensive city in Europe. Major difference between Moscow and NY City - I won't be able to speak or read to get around.
Rocky said it best: "You know, sometimes I do get a little scared, when I'm in that ring and my arms are hurting so bad I can't even lift them anymore. (in a new city, lost and tired) I'm thinking, Man - I wish this guy would hit me on the chin and get it over with. But than there's this side, this side that wants to take more, wants to go that one more round, because, going that one more round, when you don't think you can, that's what makes all the difference in your life".
Here's to inner strength - in getting me to my destinations safely tomorrow.
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