Day two in Russia's second largest city was a combination of decadent leisure and over-the-top fun! We had a nice morning lounging in our suite, and then headed out for one of our "see what happens" walks. We ended up back at the city's main drag, Nevskiy Prospekt, and enjoyed seeing all the set-up for what was apparently the biggest night of the year in St. Petersburg... a combination of Graduation Night for all the colleges and high schools in the City, plus the finale of the Euro Economic Summit. We even ran into two nice young men from Mesa, AZ... one wearing an ASU t-shirt.
While looking for the Russian Vodka Museum, we discovered this interesting restaurant overlooking the Nikolaevsky Palace gardens with a classic exterior, fabulous logo, and impressive entry way. I went inside and checked it out... an amazingly grand interior space that looked like the Mirror Room at Versailles! The gorgeous hostess didn't discourage my interest. I took their business card (terrific thick black card stock with silver printing) and said we might be back later in the evening. I checked it out on the Internet... "Gimnazya" is the English translation of their Russian name, and it sounded very interesting. Russian cuisine, combined with Italian dishes and tons of sushi! Talk about restaurant schizophrenia! We called and made 8 pm reservations.
Upon arrival, we found the place catered to primarily very large parties, but they had a nice table for two in the rear middle of the room. The main dining hall was at least 200 feet long, with grand pillars, chandeliers and marble everywhere. It was quintessential Russian "opulent extravagance." On the sides were private anti-rooms where food was also served, and perhaps more! At the far end of this grand space was a stage with a huge video wall with a DJ behind a podium. To the right, a crow's nest/choir loft lighting and sound center up near the ceiling that was reached by a ladder. High quality speakers were mounted along the walls every 10 feet.
We ordered dinner serenaded by a great sound-track of American light dance tunes. Suddenly nearly 100 young graduates and their dates descended upon the huge tables near the DJ stage, pre-covered with food, snacks and vodka. It was a parade of interesting Russian young people! Many young women challenged the laws of physics concerning how short a skirt can actually be while covering one's critical anatomy. In many cases their heels were higher than the length of their skirts.
As our excellent dinner progressed, the music tempo increased. Soon, a very talented young female vocalist emerged and began singing beautifully to instrumental disco tracks being spun by the DJ. Absolutely fabulous! The video screen featured appropriate generic montages of music groups and the volume started pumping. Guests started danced in various parts of the room, and it turned into a "dinner disco." My favorite combination!
But the only downside... the smokers started puffing away. No laws against it here. So we said goodbye at about 11 and had some great memories of old-school Euro dance places, this one in a spectacular room with tasty food. And all this just three blocks from our ship!
A great second evening in St. Pete!
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