We arrived at the airport in St. Petersburg about 11 PM and then after customs we were bused to the boat. We got to the boat quite late, although it was still daylight. We were then served little dried up sandwiches, and we could purchase a coke from the bar. After traveling all day on a miserable Air France airplane and getting to bed really late, we were then expected to be out on the bus, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and ready for the city tour at 8 AM. Well we made it, but we were really tired. I must say things vastly improved in the following days.
The first picture shows the airport
in St. Petersburg and the arrival at the boat at about midnight; notice
that it's still daylight.
A couple of scenes around St. Petersburg
The first day's tour consisted of a
brief city tour and a stop at the Peter and Paul Fortress (a museum). Here
we see the lady turning the crank on a machine that makes little wooden
medallions. We had the afternoon free (for sleeping).
The next day a bus trip to Peterhof,
Peter the Great's summer Palace. The inlaid floors were incredibly
fascinating.
This place has been pretty much fully
restored after being destroyed by the German siege.
The last time we were here in '92,
these fountains were still in disrepair. I just happened to have
taken this photo 11 years ago from the exact same spot, or almost.
This green area was part of
the estate, Shirley wondered if the camera could pick up all this green.
It did, and this is what it really looked like.
In the afternoon we spent 3 hours in
the Hermitage Museum. It was the winter palace of the Czars.
It consists of the four buildings you see here. It's a fascinating
place. They have the best of everything. You'll want to go
to St. Petersburg just to visit this museum. Some of the paintings
are behind glass but most are not and you can go right up to them within
a few inches and really have a close look.
They have 24 Rembrandts in the collection
and 2 by Leonardo de Vinci, and thousands of others.
After returning to the ship that evening
we started our journey SE toward Moscow. Here are a couple of pictures
along the river.
Our first stop along the river was
Mandrogy, a cultural village with many colorful houses and a handicraft
center. We had an outdoor barbecue here put on by the locals.
The next day's stop was a long walking
tour of Kishi, an outdoor museum of some very old churches and other old
buildings, some brought in from other parts of Russia and reassembled here.
