By: Marcia Abramson
These important personages were wined and dined on the Silversea Whisper on May 30.
Of course I questioned why this function was held in the harbor of the Neva River aboard ship rather than at one of the royal palaces in this imperial city. The answer was simple. There was no better security than the usual tight details of the Silversea Cruises to protect their passengers and the regal Restaurant of the Whisper could accommodate the large number of dignitaries. Sniper teams were stationed on the nearby rooftops. Needless to say, the food was superb and fit for royalty as well as the heads of state and our President.
I was also told that there was also no hotel grand or large enough for this gala occasion. The Russian President's staff conceived of the plan to use this luxurious ship as the ideal locale for this function. They also approved of the menu of Russian delicacies presented to their guests.
The dinner started with grain and Siberian salmon caviar in seafood and crayfish tails sauce and Old Russian style hors d'oeuvre. This was followed by roast hare with cep mushrooms in pot and hazel grouse in cowberry sauce with pears. Dessert consisted of fruits and berries in lemon jelly with whipped cream and Peter style cakes, tea and coffee.
Accompanying the food was Bollinger Champagne, Grande Annee 1996, Plantiers Du Haut-Brior 1999, and Nuits-St-Georges 1-er Cru, Faiveley 1995.
Silversea Cruises resumed their sailings with their usual exquisite features that earned them kudos from Travel and Leisure readers every year. I particularly enjoyed receiving previews of the next day's luncheon and dinner menus together with highlights of the next day's itinerary. This was a first for me.
On my first of three days in St. Petersburg, I chose the shore excursion of an evening at the Hermitage Museum. This was indeed a rare treat of having a private time to view the art treasures in the private collection of the Russian empress Catherine the Great who founded the Hermitage in 1764 as a museum for the royal court. An early dinner was arranged since we would only have canaps and cocktails during our private evening tour. But what a tour this was. We were in the Winter Palace, the main building of the Hermitage Museum which was once the main residence of the Russian Tsars. The collection has more than 3 million exhibits in five interconnected buildings. The most impressive for me is the Winter Palace.
It is a green and white Baroque style three-story palace on the bank of the Neva River. Imagine a building with 1786 doors, 1945 windows, and 1057 halls and rooms. There is nothing like going through some of these rooms in the quiet evening away from the huge crowds who frequent this most important Russian treasure. This treasure became open to the Russian masses after the Russian Revolution in 1917 and was no longer the private domain of the Russian aristocracy.
I also went outside the city limits to visit the royal village of Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin) to see Catherine's Summer Palace and the famed Amber Room constructed of breathtaking Amber tiles and enormous blue and white porcelain tile heating ovens. Catherine's Palace is also the locale for some awesome parks with magnificent pools, fountains and breathtaking sculptures.
After an afternoon of walking, I was ready for an 80-minute revitalizing hot lava massage at the Mandara Spa and another day of taking in the splendors of imperial St. Petersburg with a more sedentary evening at the wonderful Russian ballet.Copyright © by Marcia AbramsonE-mail:mascribe@aol.com
