Chemistry, Vodka, bling and a famous assassination

Our last day here.

We finished breakfast and I insisted we had to pay our respects to one the greatest citizens of St Petersburg.

On our way I saw this extremely cute cat.

The cat didn't understand Tamil, and my Russian is non existent at best. So that was the end of a beautiful friendship 

And I saw a base from which a statue had been removed. 

And much to the OHs horror tried to copy the usual pose of the person this city used to be named for. 

Vladimir Iliyich must be rolling in his grave.

Dmitri Mendeleev, the famed Russian chemist who created the periodic table, is widely linked to vodka. 

Of course he is. Both are Russian Icons.

His 1865 doctoral dissertation explored the interaction of alcohol and water (notably discovering volume contraction when they are mixed), which later helped establish government taxation and quality standards for the spirit. 

And gave the world 40 proof vodka. Or so our guide claimed.

.. oh yes.. before I forget, he also gave the world the Periodic table.

Students from the St Petersburg university rub his foot for good luck before every exam. Or in thanks for 40 proof vodka.

We headed back to the hotel to pack and rest a bit before checking out and heading out to explore some more. 

Our first stop was a very famous name from St Petersburg in the time of the Romanovs. The Fabergé museum.

This museum displays a lot of the things designed for Alexander III and Nicholas II by Karl Peter Fabergé.

The famous Fabergé Easter eggs form the centerpiece of the display.

Faberge's silveware with their enamel artwork!!! 

The building where the museum is housed is a old palace that has been beautifully restored. The restoration artwork is a attraction by itself.

At Petersburg has some absolutely amazing museums. But each entry is expensive.

Unlike other major European cities, I couldn't find a common 1 or 3 day pass to the museums. There was one, details were sketchy and it was insanely expensive. 

I would have liked to visit a few more places but even buying tickets online is impossible.

Considering that Russia has been kicked out of the SWIFT banking system, everything is cash only.

And let's face it, we're not used to carrying cash anymore. And lack of access to credit cards is a problem. 

I learned that if one applies well on advance, you can get a Mir orSber bank card. But topups are again cash only.

Little bit of a problem there, what?

Public transport is great, but since Google maps doesn't work here, it's difficult to navigate. 

The country is gorgeous, it's very safe, people are lovely, food is bland, but it's absolutely worth a visit.

And I reiterate, compared to a few European cities I visited recently, I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable in. Every morning in Moscow I went exploring on my own while the OH was busy with work. I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe.

After the Fabergé museum, The OH wanted to go back to the hotel. I convinced him that we simply had to visit Yusupov Palace (also known as the Moika palace).

This was where Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin had his last dinner. Literally. In the basement at that.

By the accounts of Prince Felix Yusupov, he survived tea and cakes laced with cyanide. 

He then asked for, and drank, wine similarly laced with cyanide. He is supposed to have drunk 3 glasses, being none the worse for it.

Yusupov and his friends then shot him in the chest. One of the conspirators wore Rasputin's hat and coat and went tonhisnhouse, making it seem like he went home after dinner.

When they checked the basement post that, it's claimed that Rasputin got up and attacked them, and was shot repeatedly till they confirmed he had kicked the proverbial bucket.

(Total vibes of killing a cockroach. Whack the damn thing with a chappal, and by the time you get a broom and dustpan the damn thing's moving again!)

Then his body was dumped into the little Neva River.

Then found.

Then buried near Tsarskoe Selo.

Then exhumed by the Bolsheviks so that Rasputin's grave didn't become a rallying point of sorts. 

Apparently he was cremated and his ashes scattered or dumped.

Oh Those Russians!!!

Now the OH has many many questions. 

Where did 'Moscow chicks' come into the picture?

Rasputin was based in St Petersburg, the queen in Tsarskoe  Selo and St Petersburg.

Where did Moscow chicks come into the picture?  Moscow is 700 Kms from St Petersburg.

The man's very confused. Or so he claims.

We're now in the Pulvoko airport waiting to board our flight back home.

It's been a long and wonderful holiday, but everything has to come to an end.

Now I'm homeward bound, back to my home, my bed, my pillow, and that noisy cat (that is not mine) which yowls for food at ungodly hours of the morning.

I don't know if I will get a chance to visit Russia again,  but this was a trip to beat all trips.

Dasvidanya Russia.