Another trip down memory lane- St Petersburg versus Moscow

As we start to get closer to the end of our trip, we've grown a bit nostalgic for all the places we've visited over the last two years and I realised that although I was too lazy to write about them at the time, Russia's two greatest cities really do deserve a mention. 

St Petersburg is Russia's European face and its second biggest city with around 5 million people. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and modeled on Amsterdam (hence the canals); like Canberra or Brasilia it was an entirely planned city that is obvious in the architectural consistency of its original buildings, a style known as Petrine Baroque. 

Comparing St Petersburg to Canberra may well draw the wrath of many a proud and patriotic Russian down on me so I should qualify this statement by saying that is where the similarities end. 

We arrived in St Petersburg on the first of October and were treated to bright (but extremely chilly) autumn weather. We were also lucky enough to have our stay coincide with the first Thursday of the month- when the Hermitage Museum flings open her impossibly ornate doors and welcomes the public free of charge- thus saving us almost $40!! 

After four days exploring St Petersburg we agreed that although we both loved the city it's probably a place better suited to big budgets. We spied many a cosy bar and hip restaurant but the eye-watering prices meant most of our meals were eaten in our hostel kitchen. 

St Petersburg also gets a special mention for having the most hardcore sunbathing enthusiasts I have ever seen. I swear it can't have been more than about 7° when we saw these two girls sitting beside the Neva River in their bikinis. Those crazy Russians!!!

From St Petersburg we took an overnight train to Moscow- our first experience in a platskaart (third class) Russian sleeper!! We bought a few beers on board to celebrate the start of our Trans-Mongolian adventure. 

 

Moscow is Russia's capital and biggest city, with about 12 million people. Apparently it has the largest number of billionaire residents in the world and (we soon discovered) is rated the second most expensive city in the world. We arrived early in the morning, dumped our bags at our hostel and went for a coffee. Rather stupidly, we ordered without looking at a menu first and only realised when the girl brought our bill that we had just paid AUD$6 each for a tiny cup of black coffee. Welcome to Moscow. 

While St Petersburg seemed like a warm and welcoming place, Moscow gave us the cold shoulder. It's the kind of place where you really need a local person to show you its hidden charms. Our visit to the city coincided with the start of the Sochi Winter Games and sadly Red Square was shut down for the duration of our stay- the large police and army presence didn't really improve the overall vibe. 

 

Having said that, we had a great time checking out the standard tourist attractions- the Kremlin, St. Basil's and Christ Our Saviour Cathedral. Our favourite was the Garden of Fallen Monuments, where communist-era statues have been laid to rest in a pretty park that lines the Moskva River and is a popular place for Sunday strolling.

 

Our other favourite thing about Moscow is the metro, which is not only one of the world's most heavily used and extensive networks, but surely the most beautiful, with many stations resembling ballrooms more than public transport hubs. 

Moscow also enjoys the distinction of having the world's largest population of underfed woman on staggeringly high heels. Just how these girls stay upright is the source of some amazement, since most of them look to be damn-near starved and Moscow's cobbled streets pose serious challenges even for sturdy walking shoes. At least they weren't in bikinis.