Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

I first saw this church a few years ago at the end of my Trans-Siberian trip. I hadn't read anything about it before the trip. I had seen St. Basil's in Moscow which is a well known and easily recognisable landmark, but this was something I was not expecting. I was blown away...we turned a corner looking for the market to buy some souvenirs and up pops this onion domed beauty! It is quite different from St. Basil's with it's enamel domes and elaborately ornate mosaics and tiling...and in the competition for my favourite onion-dome Russian church, this one is the winner so far!
This Church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. There is a small gazebo over the place where his blood was spilt. On March 13, 1881 (Julian date: March 1), as Tsar Alexander's carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded. The tsar, shaken but unhurt, got out of the carriage and started to remonstrate with the presumed culprit. Another conspirator took the chance to explode another bomb, killing himself and mortally wounding the tsar. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace where he died a few hours later.

Borscht...what girl doesn't love a soup that turns pink!

We got lucky in St. Petersburg with a great recommendation for a restaurant close to our hostel. Zoom cafe was AMAZING! Delicious food, menu in english, selection of russian cuisine with a twist and a dessert named 'call your parents cake'! So we basically stalked them, going for 2 meals a day a couple of the days we were in the city. Oh, I almost forgot to metion that they have teddy bears there too! So you can sit with your fluffy friend and have your cold borscht with sour cream, or a million other dishes all served with a sprinkling of dill (they just love that stuff in Russia!)

Marry me on Nevsky Prospect...

Our first day in St. Petersburg we were introduced to weddings Russian stylee...this is the main street in the city and it is BUSY! But don't let the traffic whizzing by put you off getting your perfect wedding pic :)

On the road to Ruski...

I always prefer a train journey to a bus journey, but you haven't got this option when travelling from Tartu to St. Petersburg...so to brighten up my journey Flip Flop bought me chocolate with a pink wrapper AND Hello Kitty...yum! The little pink purse you see peeking out is one of my best buys in Estonia and is big enough to hold my camera...much prettier and less clunky than the generic camera bags!

Visit Tartu

Tartu is a lovely place to visit if you are in Estonia...beautiful river with man made beaches along it for swimming and sunbathing, gorgeous architecture, sculptures and city fabric, friendly people, wonderful bike paths reaching all the country villages which couldn't be cuter! A limestone exhibition and castle tower in a neighbouring area which are interesting to visit, but what would be the main draw to me would be the limestone lakes in the area that look so tempting to swim in.

Looming Hostel, Tartu

In Tartu I stayed with the Beau in Looming Hostel. I have to say it was one of the nicest hostels I have ever stayed in. I loved the design, ethos, staff and vibe. Most of the furniture is free-cycled from people who were throwing it out or donating it. I had my concerns about that, worried that it might be a bit grotty, but in fact I would be happy to move in there and make it my home! The rooms are so comfy and clean, they have hammocks and couches in the sitting room and a lovely new sun terrace where you can have your food during the day or sunbathe. The only thing I didn't like was that the showers were in the basement which didn't make me feel very safe when I was showering alone. But all in all, I would definitely recommend it and would love to go back, ASAP!

Street Art Tartu

Some more nice Estonian Street Art, this time from Tartu.