Blahgoff: Bike Tour

This morning I went on a bike tour led by Peter Kozyrev. He founded an organization called Peterswalk in 1996. There’s more information at their web site: www.peterswalk.com. They give walks through the city in English that are very informative. Two years ago I went on three of their walks. The bike tour is something new. About ten of us set out on sturdy “city bikes” on a beautiful, sunny morning. Since the city is absolutely flat, the riding is easy. We stopped frequently for Peter to give us information about the city. For instance: St. Petersburg is built on forty-four islands interlaced with some fifty canals and rivers.

Our first stop was the Smolney Institute which houses the city government and was the place where the “Soviets” (counsels) gathered to start the Russian Revolution in 1917. Nearby we rode around the beautiful Smolney Cathedral.

Later we biked along the Neva River and stopped across from an old prison that held many prisoners during Stalin’s time. We crossed two bridges to get to the Cruiser Aurora. Then we stopped in front of the first house in which Peter the Great lived. When he decided to build a city here the place was just a swamp. People thought he was mad, but he was a strategic thinker who knew that this unpromising spot would give Russia access to the sea and be a window to Europe. Peter also told us that when the first ship sailed into the new harbor, Peter I, dressed as a sailor rowed out to the ship and told the captain that he was the navigator sent by the Czar to steer the ship into port. Peter I could pull this off because he spoke Dutch due to his time living and working in Holland as a young man. Apparently the captain of the Dutch ship was later surprised and delighted to learn that the navigator was really the Czar.

We rode on near the Peter-Paul Fortress and Cathedral. There was a naval holliday in process and the Rostral Columns were lit with flames. Peter told us that these flames are lit only about four times a year. I had never seen them lit before.

After riding on and off Vasilivsky Island (the largest island) we stopped briefly in front of St. Isaacs. Peter gave us some practical information: by city law any public building, like a hotel or restaurant, must allow anyone to use the toilet facilities. He pointed out the nearby Astoria Hotel and told us that the facilities are 5-star.

On we rode back to our starting place by way of busy Nevsky Prospekt on which I managed not to be run over by a bus.

In all we traveled 22 kilometers (about 14 or 15 miles) in four hours. Now my legs are sore, but it was a wonderful way to see the city and learn more about its history.

start of the bike tour with our guide Peter on the right

Smolney Cathedral

Majestic Smolney Cathedral

A new monument built in 1995 to remember those who suffered during Stalin's Repression. The side of the Sphinx's face toward a big prison across the Neva River is a scull. Some notable prisoners have inscriptions around the monument. One I read said, "Truth and fear are incompatable."