We were up and at ’em early again in St Petersburg – continuing with Day 2 of our tour with TJ Travel. We have an amazing guide, Ksenia and driver, Aleksi.
Our day started at the canal. Remember Catherine’s fascination with Egyptian artifacts? 
Spires of St. Peter and St. Paul Church
Having been blessed with a second sunny day in St. Petersburg, we boarded our canal boat for a morning cruise.
We are about to go under a walkway that connects buildings of the Hermitage. 
After the canal ride, we visited Kazan Cathedral. 
Across the street we saw the Singer building (from Singer sewing machine fame.)
We walked a little ways downtown to get to the subway station. We weren’t going to ride the subway, we were just going to see it.
The subway system was fascinating to me. Maybe I’m easily impressed, but we don’t have subways in Tennessee, and my experience with them is limited. I have used the subway in Chicago, Boston, Barcelona, etc., but none are as amazing as this subway station in St. Petersburg.
Tickets can be purchased from a live person at a window…. 
or at a kiosk to load ticket/token value to a card.
Subway tokens – These two are the same value. One is just older than the other.
A steep escalator. We are going very far under ground.
Artwork in the subway
They even have marble tiled floors, columns, and walls.
But you either need to read Russian or know the stop you need before you board.
We left the subway and returned to our motor coach to go to St Isaac’s Cathedral. This cathedral was overrun by Soviets and used as the, “Center of Anti Religion.” 
The dove in the ceiling was covered by the soviet symbol and all the religious icons were covered by Soviet posters.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it became a museum. For one year now it has been used as a Russian Orthodox Church. Some people in the community are upset. They feel that it will be abused by the homeless if it is a full-time church instead of a museum with an entrance fee. There are no seats here. When they have a religious service, everyone stands.
Our final destination in St. Petersburg was the palace and grounds of Peterhof. The original palace was built by Peter the Great, and he wanted to pattern his grounds after Versailles. Other Russian Tsars expanded the palace and grounds, and it was heavily damaged during the war. Many statues were buried on the grounds and unearthed after the war. Some are perhaps still buried. It has been rebuilt and continues to be restored. We did not tour inside the palace, but the grounds are worth the trip!
It is hard to imagine that the palace above looked like this after the war. The restoration efforts are incredible.
This pathway leads to what Peter the Great called his Pleasure Palace, a smaller building by the sea. On this statue, the boots have a gap at the top. Today, children throw coins at this statue trying to land coins in the boots. No telling how much money is in the base of that statue now.
Peter was a practical joker. He had fountain sprinklers lining the edge of this pathway and he would trigger them to turn on just as his fancy lady guests were well underway.
The tree in the center below is actually a pretty life like sculpture of a tree, but it is really a fountain. Peter would spray unsuspecting guests from it, too. Today, children know to expect the water and parents bring them to the park to play in it and in another splash-pad area.
I can see why Peter called this one his “Pleasure Palace.” Just look at the view.
But of course, there are evidently some guests who come here who aren’t interested in the view.
We certainly enjoyed two packed days in Russia. Our next stop on this Northern Europe adventure is Helsinki, Finland.