Palace of Pavlos (Paul)

This palace was truly magnificent, set amidst vast and a bit surrounding parks.
The building was heavily damaged during WWII by the Germans, yet today it has been lovingly restored.

Peterhoff-the Park of fountains

Near the end of our stay in Russia we visited the magnificent park where Peter the Great and royalty after him spent many of their summer days.
The setting and layout of the grounds was so overwhelmingly beautiful, that only words as "vast", "splendid", "sparkling", and "over the top" come to my mind.

We rode kind of a speedboat down the river Neva in order to reach the sea-bound shore of the property. Since the weather treated us to a sunny afternoon we were truly blessed.

Many of the Statues show a man fighting with a lion and opening the lions mouth, which should symbolize the victory over the Swedish army from which, the land St.Petersburg sits on was conquered.

Here a few snapshots!

Ines & Carlo in St. Petersburg

O.K. this city is just amazing! And wherever you look a great location for a photo!
Of course the summer provides a bit warmer setting than last November, but even then the city was incredibly beautiful...

Peter & Paul Fortress-A walk to remember!

We visited the "rabbit island" that houses the Peter & Paul fortress - named after the Zars that are buried in the cathedral. It also houses many smaller buildings with museums and historical sculptures. The view of the river Neva and the fountain display were just amazing! The clouds created a very special light, which made everything look like it could have been painted!

A colorful affair!

Flora Micali's (Carlo's Mom's) 60th Birthday was the actual occasion of this family gathering in St. Petersburg this year. It was a colorful affair in every sense of the word! We dined at an Azerbaijanian Restaurant with the craziest-most colorful interior I've ever seen, which could only be topped by the variety of dishes and courses of food we were delighted with!!!

Russia - Differences and Similarities

We are back from our 10 day trip to St. Petersburg, Russia and I wanted to share some impressions and snapshots from our time there. Carlo's brother Luciano lives and works in St. Petersburg where he married his russian wife Anna last November. (See earlier posts.)

This trip marked our second visit and just as the first time, this time we also were fascinated by the 24-hour hustle and bustle of this very lively city.

Upon our arrival at Pulkovo Airport at 1 AM in the morning we were glad to meet up with our hired driver who struggled to load all of our luggage into a very old Lada. I ended up sitting in the back with one of the suitcases next to me. The very first thing I saw - gleaming like a beacon in the night- after leaving the airport was a KFC sign! Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken next to the airport!
Just as in America, one big box store followed the other... The very wide highway was flanked by gigantic, beaming & newly built car dealerships sporting names like Volkswagen, Land Rover and Volvo.

This part of Russia is undergoing a building and economic boom which you can see and feel on every corner.

Huge cloverleaf style overpasses recalled driving on Houston's or Dallas' busy highways.

Once we checked into our hotel next door to Luciano's house, we decided to go for a snack at one of the 24 hour Sushi Restaurants which recently opened on Nevsky Prospect-then main drag of the city. By the way-almost in any restaurant or cafe you will find extensive selections of sushi and sashimi...at very good prices.

There we were: 2 AM in the morning, drinking draft beer, eating sushi and being waited on by waiters who were attentive and quick!!!
From our upstairs vantage point we could take in the flow of people strolling along the sidewalks on their way home or to another restaurant or club.

Around 3 AM we finally decided to turn in for the night and give our tired bodies some needed sleep. Our minds and hearts were teeming with life and anticipation for the days to come though...

Below some signs on Nevsk Prospect...

Olympics in Russia...

Dear Friends!

Greetings from Russia!
Currently visiting with Carlo's brother in St.Petersburg, Russia we cut off from any English language coverage of the Olympics... a bit weird to wake up in the morning and listen to russian news and coverage of the events in China.

The city is full of light and life though - with many great restaurants serving sushi at all hours of day and night.

A definite highlight so far has to be the ballett performance of "swan lake" at the Hermitage theatre on Monday night.

Russia is so much more like America than many other European countries and we are always amazed at the feeling of an "anything is possible" atmosphere and impression of spaciousness here.

Big cars, big streets, big beautiful buildings and lots of women in high heels. Lots!

We don't have access to the internet during the day, so I will write more once we are back in Munich. :)

All the best, Ines

Gearing up for Oktoberfest!

O.K. to so some it might be silly, but if you live in Munich you can't help but love the 18 days of Oktoberfest - which actually take place mostly in September due to the "lovely" German weather... :-)

After having experienced our first time in 2007, Carlo and I decided to not be caught in jeans and T-shirt at the festivities this year!

Carlo got a head-start with a bargain-priced super nice buck-leather pants (Lederhosen) and a nice pair of suspenders!!! (See photos)

A few days later I followed suit and purchased my first dirndl! Some of those outfits were priced at 900EURO!! I have to say that's a bit extreme and mine was much more affordable.. Pics to come!