Russia! From the ship there’s little to see apart from
high density housing behind the piers. The Queen Victoria is in port as well.
So how do I describe the most amazing day in St Petersburg?
I was up at 5.00 because it was important to get to the Lido breakfast early;
after checking my documents 10 times, I thought I’d head down early: a good
thing I did! The queue to get off the ship bunched up the stairs for a couple
of decks. Finally I was off and then joined the queue for Russian immigration.
We’d had all sorts of stories about how easy it is to get into trouble at this
step, but after waiting only about fifteen minutes on one of the 20-odd queues,
I was through. AND! The best thing! I got a stamp in my passport – no-one does
that anymore! They give you a landing permit in the passport as well and when
you return they remove the landing permit and give you another stamp.
My guide, Elena, was waiting at the exit and we were soon
in the van. Yes, just me for 45 minutes: I had got through so quickly that it
was too early to pick up the other two guests. So she took me to a church close
by – sorry, I’ve seen so many Russian Orthodox churches, the names are all a
blur. We went inside and again there was a Mass being celebrated; the voices
were so heavenly and again it was a holy place with a sacred Presence,
regardless of the tourists wandering around looking at the icons. Some of these
are exquisite: the work in them is so beautiful.
Next we went down to the river to take some pictures and
have some landmarks pointed out. Then off to pick up the American couple I
shared the day with. Mike and Liz are from Ilinois and are seasoned travellers
who came across from Helsinki by the Russian overnight ferry: another way to
avoid buying an expensive visa! We had an introductory drive around St
Petersburg, stopped at another church and had a look, again had many landmarks
pointed out. Our guide has an incredible knowledge of local history and was very
informative. We had a comfort stop at a souvenir shop and I bought a book about
St Petersburg, very cheap, as well as a couple of little things.
Then we set off on the drive to Pushkin town, about an
hour. Driving? Make your own rules! Our driver, Alex, was amazing; I was glad I
was sitting in the 2nd row behind him, so I wasn’t distracted by the
scary stuff he was doing! Pushkin is the location of Catherine Palace. Being
summer, there were lots of people but because we were with a guide, we jumped
queues; they let us enter in bunches, to avoid over-crowding each room. Before
you go in, you put on disposable “slippers” over your shoes, so you don’t
damage the floors. We walked through room after opulent room of incredible gilt
and silk decorations, the Golden Gallery, the great Hall of Mirrors, the
Picture Hall, Dining Room after Dining Room, the Amber Room. Elena talked
non-stop, pointing out every detail.
One of the many dining rooms
Next was lunch at a cafe which specialises in “pies”:
more like a filled sweet bread but very cheap and good food. Next we drove to
Peterhof, about half an hour away and saw the Summer House of Catherine and
Peter where you can’t enter the house but you tour the gardens – the most
incredible layout of trees and plants, and hundreds of fountains. Apparently
Peter the Great had a good sense of humour and built some trick fountains to
entertain (and wet) his guests.
The fountain above comprised an innocent looking garden bench
with a pebble surround. An operator sat behind the bench and when a couple of
kids would come and walk on the pebbles or sit on the bench, he hit the button
and the four sides of the pebbled square became a sprinkling fountain, wetting
the kids thoroughly. The gardens are open to local families who picnic there
and kids play.
Twice each day there is a fountain where lots of people
stand waiting for it to be turned on from both sides of the wide path and they
get soaked, which resulted in delighted screams on a warm day. At the edge of
the park is the Gulf of Finland and being such a clear day, we were able to see
the ship in St Petersburg across the Gulf.
It was a long day and we walked miles but an extremely
enjoyable outing; tomorrow we will have two additional guests and go to The
Hermitage Museum. Elena said that as it would take six years to see everything in
the museum briefly, she will concentrate on where our interest lie; I can’t
wait! We will go to the Winter Palace, a city tour, St Isaac’s Church, the
Spilled Blood Church (Church of the Resurrection), the battleship that
signalled the start of the Revolution, and other stuff, of course!
The key is doing this with a guide – not only do you hear
so much history but you get priority entrance to attractions.
Tonight many people are ashore at The Hermitage or the
Ballet or Folklorico, so dinner was casual.
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