Travelogue st

Christoph Albrecht, one of the two Managing Director of SKR Reisen, traveled to St. Petersburg and Moscow to see for themselves the charm of these two cities. In his travelogue St. Petersburg and Moscow he tells of Russian evenings, delicious soup creations and a place in St. Petersburg where you almost feel like you are in Hamburg.

Travel report St. Petersburg: What fascinated you about St. Petersburg and Moscow in advance and why did you choose the two cities as a travel destination??

Christoph Albrecht: I’ve always wanted to go to Russia because I just wanted to go to the country. But you also have to say that St. Petersburg and Moscow are two cities that do not represent the country 100%. Russia is huge and these two metropolises show only part of the diverse culture. But the basic idea was to get a first impression of Russia through these two cities in order to get to know the country bit by bit.
The pictures I had in mind in St. Petersburg in advance were, for example, those of the Hermitage or the Catherine Palace. Both buildings convey a picture of a “high-gloss St. Petersburg ". But I wanted to find out how much gloss the city really exudes. My conclusion in this regard: The city shines very much. Since my trip I can confirm that St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world for me.

St. Petersburg has countless picturesque buildings, is located directly on the sea, has a distinctive music scene and combines some Scandinavian-style bars with real Russian authenticity. It is also not a classic tourist city. Around 5 million people live there and the tourists are not so noticeable.
About Moscow: In my opinion, you simply have to see this city. We only know the Kremlin and Red Square from television. That is why I think it is all the more important to get our own picture of Moscow and the whole country and not to let politics perceive it.

Travel report St. Petersburg: What was your highlight on the trip to St. Petersburg?

C. Albrecht: St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 on an island in the Neva delta. The Neva is a river that flows through Russia and flows into the Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg. The magnificent Peter and Paul Fortress, which is the founding stone of the city, stands on this small island. In front of it is a small city beach, which has to do with a highlight of my trip and should therefore not be missing in my travel report St. Petersburg.

On one of the evenings in St. Petersburg we sat with a coffee on this city beach, the sun was setting and we were looking at the Winter Palace on the opposite side of the Neva. In this perfect mood, you could quickly be seduced into thinking that you actually want to stay here forever.
The nice thing was that very different people came together on this city beach. Students sat next to tourists and old people next to young lovers. Everyone enjoyed the evening sun and the view of the surrounding city. If you want to make a comparison, you could call the Elbe beach from Övelgönne in Hamburg. Here come everyone together and just enjoy the time by the water.

Travel report St. Petersburg: What did you take away from the local people and the culture? What particularly impressed you?

C. Albrecht: In my experience, you are initially greeted a bit soberly in Russia, even in hotels. This objectivity is not strange to us Germans. And I noticed that when I visited St. Petersburg and Moscow: the two cities have not yourself strange, so not extremely exotic to the touch. Whether on foot, by car or on the city beach mentioned above – all of this seemed very common and normal.

Even though Russia is always portrayed as very different, I think that we – especially Moscow and St. Petersburg – are actually not that strange.
But there were also moments like this one evening when we were in a bar with a piano. Then a Russian sat down at the piano and began to play an old Russian children’s song. A short time later, the entire bar sang this children’s song full of pathos. It was really very impressive.
It is precisely this symbiosis of extraordinary evenings in an otherwise very familiar environment that has made St. Petersburg very special for me.

Travel report St. Petersburg: Which country-typical food you can recommend?

C. Albrecht: I’m a big soup fan! That’s why I had at least one soup every day in Russia. The Russian stew "Borschtsch" or a soup called "Soljanka" tasted fantastic, for example.

There are many different types of meat in a solyanka, e.g. Smoked pork, chicken, Viennese sausages and smoked ham. In addition, there are pickled cucumbers, onions, tomato paste, olives, pickled gherkin brine and broth. Russia is known for its hearty cuisine, and so are the salads always with a lot of mayonnaise enriched. I tried once across Russian cuisine: For example, beef tongue in horseradish sauce, caviar or a breaded chicken schnitzel that was filled with butter. The high-fat diet in Russia is also related to the cold winters. If you like it a little less fat, you can also enjoy the variations of the soups. There is a large selection here, both with and without meat.

Travel report St. Petersburg: Would you travel to St. Petersburg and Moscow again and if so, why?

C. Albrecht: I definitely want to travel to Russia again and especially to St. Petersburg. During my short trip there was not enough time to visit the Hermitage – one of the largest and most important art museums in the world – in detail. I would like to take this time on my next trip. I’d also like to see more of the city’s art and architecture overall. It is also important to me to linger when traveling. I like to let myself drift, sit down and watch the locals do their daily work. I definitely want to give more time for that on my next trip to Russia.

If this St. Petersburg travelogue made you want to visit this beautiful city, you will find several St. Petersburg city trips in our portfolio. However, as described in the travel report St. Petersburg and Moscow, we also have a combination trip from Moscow and St. Petersburg in our program.

In small groups and with a well-trained tour guide you will experience top organized trips to Russia.

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