The Glory of St Petersburg
There is only one statue of Lenin left in St Petersburg now. We pass it on the way to the Astoria. He is standing in front of a municipal building, hand outstretched, inspiring the workers to some heroic triumph of socialism. In 2007, the joke in St Petersburg is that he’s so appalled by what’s happened in Russia that he’s actually calling for a taxi to take him back to the Finland Station. The young citizens of this city must wonder if the revolution they talk about in school ever actually happened.
The Astoria
There are a small number of world class hotels in St Petersburg, and this is one of them. The Astoria has been around since 1912, when the unfortunate Nicholas II was still living in style down the road at the Winter Palace. Just about every world leader who has visited the city since has stayed at the Astoria. In the post-socialist era, it has been revived by the British Rocco Forte group, and they have done an excellent job. The interiors have recreated that grand early 20th century style, but with a light modern feel achieved through touches like wooden parquet flooring in the rooms and marble bathrooms. We dined in some style at the Astoria’s Davidov restaurant, and enjoyed late-night cocktails at the Kandinsky bar. Special praise must go to the concierges who, although besieged by demanding guests all day long, were able to do everything we asked of them. The only disappointing aspect of the Astoria is the spa and gym, which is pokey and not worthy of a five-star hotel like this.
History All Around
If you love dramatic history, St Petersburg is the city for you. It’s dripping from every corner. The difference with other great historical places like London is that the events of the 20th century here were so convulsive, so bloody, so earth-shattering that you can still hear their echoes all around as you move through the city. If you are heading out of town to visit Catherine’s Palace, make sure you stop at the great
memorial to the heroes of the Siege of St Petersburg of 1941-44, when the citizens and soldiers of the city held off the Nazis for 999 days. One million people died, mainly from starvation, before the Germans retreated, destroying everything they could on the way. It is truly a sobering experience to stand at this bleak, striking monument and try to imagine what a superhuman effort it was to survive.
Tsarskoe Seloe
One of the most impressive historical attractions is the Catherine Palace on the outskirts of St Petersburg at Tsarkoe Seloe, the town also famous for being the home of Pushkin.
What’s amazing about the Palace is not the mere fact of its Imperial Grandeur, but that much of it has been recreated in painstaking detail over the last forty years. The Palace was occupied by the Germans during 1941-44, then bombed and almost completely destroyed by them. The highlight is probably the recreated Amber Room, which was unveiled in 2003, and the world has marvelled at its astonishing craftsmanship ever since. I’m glad we were here in October, as I can imagine the crowds here become unbearable in the height of summer.
What’s amazing about the Palace is not the mere fact of its Imperial Grandeur, but that much of it has been recreated in painstaking detail over the last forty years. The Palace was occupied by the Germans during 1941-44, then bombed and almost completely destroyed by them. The highlight is probably the recreated Amber Room, which was unveiled in 2003, and the world has marvelled at its astonishing craftsmanship ever since. I’m glad we were here in October, as I can imagine the crowds here become unbearable in the height of summer.
The Hermitage
It’s one of the top five museums in the world, with incredible collections of Renaissance, Dutch, and French Impressionist art. It’s perfectly possible - as we did - to spend two days here soaking it all up. Once again, it’s much better to be here in the autumn when the visitor numbers are dropping. Given the priceless treasures in their care, I wish the keepers of the Hermitage would be much stricter in enforcing the rules on flash photography. Tourists were engaging in the kind of flash-frenzy which would have you locked up in the Louvre. I shudder to recall one mad tour guide from a neighbouring country pointing an infra-red beam at some of the most famous works of the Dutch masters.
Dining
We must thank the concierge at the Astoria for ensuring that we ate in fine style on most nights in St Petersburg. Highlights were the Old Customs House and the Noble Nest. The latter, dating back to 1751, is considered by many to be the best restaurant in the city. Tucked away behind the palace of Prince Youssupov, it offers a combination of traditional Russian dishes and modern French cuisine. The Noble Nest is also a very intimate setting, with only three or four tables in each room. Impromptu karaoke is definitely not advised. Needless to say, the wine list is excellent, although - like everything else in this city - extremely pricey.Great Art
Most people know that St Petersburg is home to one of the top ballet companies in the world, the Kirov, which has now reverted to the original name of the theatre which it calls home, the Mariinsky. Thanks to some advance planning, we were able to secure tickets for one of the most notable evenings at the Mariinsky this year. It was a special show from Diana Vishneva, one of the world’s great principal dancers. There were posters all over town for this performance, which was called ‘Silenzio’. Everything was kept under wraps before the show. It became a big talking-point in the city. What was it all about? Did the title hint at an evening of silent dance from Vishneva? Would it be too avant-garde for the lovers of traditional ballet in St Petersburg? What did unfold at the Mariinsky that night was a performance of amazing beauty, as this incredible dancer led us through her personal journey to greatness, with all of the pain, conflict, endurance, love, anger, and sheer joy which is necessary to become Diana Vishneva. I was close to tears at the end. You can read a full review of Silenzio here.
Also worth talking about was our wonderful evening at the Mussorgsky Theatre across town. It was the opening of the season, and on the bill was a performance of Don Quixote, starring the wonderful Denys Matviyenko, guest principal of the Bolshoi, in the lead role. We saw Denys performing exactly the same part for the Bolshoi in London a few months before. It was fascinating to see how much more exuberant he was in St Petersburg, and how much more he seemed to be enjoying dancing with his local co-star, compared to the terribly grand Svetlana Zhakarova, his fellow Bolshoi principal, who appeared with him in London.
Finally, I must also give a mention to the great evening we spent at the new Mariinsky Concert Hall, where the Mariinsky Orchestra treated us to a splendid evening of Tchaikovsky opera and ballet music. Sitting four rows from the front of this hi-tech acoustic hall, the Overture to ‘Romeo & Juliet’ sounded simply stunning.
The Verdict
How we got there
We flew Tyrolean Airways Business Class from Vienna to St Petersburg. For those of you who don’t know, the hot news is: ‘Tyrolean Airways ist der Gewinner des "ERA Airline of the Year Silver Award 2007/08"! ‘ Whatever that means, the title is well-deserved for this subsidiary of Austrian Airways. Standards of service were excellent. We stayed for seven nights at the Astoria.Our ratings for Astoria Hotel, St Petersburg
1-5 stars
Accomodation1-5 stars
*****
Service
****
Dining
*****
Location
*****