We woke as the sun rose, ready and prepared to start our day. Becoming a tiramisu, we wrapped layer upon layer upon ourselves, setting up a barricade. Cold air, you shall not pass. We step out the door and are greeted with a fresh breeze, my layers were not enough!
The morning light promised us caffeine, so off to a cafe we went. Yet, something side tracked us. A gentle glow was just around the corner, calling us to come and see. The Hermitage was a beautiful sight at night time, but seeing it in the day was different. It seemed to have a personality, like a queen waving her hand and smiling. The windows shone and the gold sparkled, the bold blue of the walls seemed to reach out to the sun as if seeing an old friend. She was remarkable. I can't say the same for the courtyard out the front. The sun had not reached it yet so it was trying to suck out any warmth that we had through our finger tips. My hands ache as I remember how cold they were this morning.
Nothing that a cup of tea and a swirly pastry could not fix. We had the sweetest waitress in the most stylish cafe I have ever been in. Our finger tips could feel again, and our insides were warm with the tea cuddles, time to face the cold. Back past The Hermitage, where there were now princess carriages, towards the Admiralty Building. This building is a sunflower; tall, strong, and a shining shade of yellow. Out the front is a precious little park, all covered in snow. We waltzed our way through the park towards a giant statue of a horse. There was a bride and groom taking some photos, she looked like a real princess. They were the first of many wedding parties that we saw today. A few steps further and our breath was taken away, the view across the river was spectacular. A mixture of old and new buildings, bright colours contrasted with matte greys, all on the other side of a frozen river.
We rushed to the river side as fast as our sensible walking feet on icy ground could take us. Feeling daring, we stepped on to the river. A quarter of the way across was as far as my bravery took me. Further down the river, outside a fort were hundreds of people walking on the ice - A winter footpath. In the shadows was cold, very cold, and with the grand scale that the buildings are built here, there is plenty of shadow.
Then comes to the next breath taking view of the day. We come around the bend of a make shift fence to see the collection of baubles that is The Saviour on Spilled Blood, the famous Cathedral. The sun was hitting it from behind making the golden parts in the mosaics sparkle. The colours shimmered and swirled as if the were dancing, the patterns were almost moving. We moved around to the front. The sun was tunnelling down the stretch of road, not seeming to touch anything but the church at this point. Even though it has stood there since 1855, it's looks as if it was a brand new treasure found under the sea. The inside did not disappoint. Each panel retelling parts of the bible, with such detail and precision. The tiles were in colours from every spectrum of the rainbow. As mum pointed out, the tiles are so small. This means that they would have spent a long amount of time putting them up, as well as that fact that they could create much finer detail in the pictures by using more shades. It was a treat for the eyes, but a treat that you do not want for too long or you will hurt your neck by looking up for a lengthy amount of time.
Out the front was a market. All the Matryoshka dolls that you could want, even some with Harry Potter on them. They are all so beautiful lined up in a row, the smallest doll getting to be no bigger than my pinky finger nail. And I have small hands. They have wooden statues of the cathedral that are actually music boxes. There is a stall that has more fluffy hats that I could think of, I patted so many, just not the raccoon. We had been on our feet for hours, so another cafe stop was required. This time it was another swirly pastry with a cup of hot cocoa. Mainly because I couldn't figure out where the tea was on the menu. I must say that cocoa needs to be in my life far more often than it has been.
The sun was dipping its toes in the horizon as we sauntered down the Main Street. We got to a different part of town that was definitely too touristy for my liking. We had a look in a mall called Vladminirsky passage. It was interesting to see what they sell here compared to London or NZ. It's all fur.
The Beef Stroganoff was screaming out to us again, so we found ourselves in a Russian Pub. Siberian Beer and a Pozharsky Cutlet was my dinner of choice. I did not know quite what I was eating at the time, but it was delicious. We trotted off home, looking for anything interesting to eat as a treat. We came across an amazing shop that looked like an equivalent to Harrods, and cost the same price.
We eventually found some sweet unknown treats and had just as much satisfaction in eating them as last night. None. I seriously judge the sweet taste buds of this country.
