The Neva & Svir Rivers

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On Sunday we left our ship, still moored, for a tour of St. Petersburg. Viewing the sights by coach was much easier on the feet and during the morning we visited the St. Peter and Paul cathedral where all the Russian tsars have been buried since Peter the Great. This includes the remains of the murdered Nicholas II and his family, although apparently they are buried below ground and not in their white sarcophagi. Some of our group thought the gold and highly ornate decorations in the church were beautiful. Something I found beautiful was the acappella, four-part harmony hymn we were treated to, sung by four male members of the choir in black gowns. Their cd's were selling like hot cakes.

After a buffet lunch, we had a 2 1/2 hour tour around the Baroque-style Winter Palace, which also houses the Hermitage Museum. We traipsed through imperial apartments with huge vases of green malachite and blue lapis lazuli, intricate mosaics, and Mahogany floors inlaid with floral and geometric designs that I was surprised we were allowed to walk on.

Here we learned that St. George was also the patron saint of the Romanov family, which explains why we've seen St. George depicted around the city.

We also looked at art work by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and many others. It was hot in the Hermitage and by the time we reached the impressionists I had sweat running down my face, and tired legs. Having seen plenty of impressionist art work in the galleries of Paris the previous week, we peeled off and made our way to the café for a cold drink. I had to admire our guide's stamina as she was still going strong and was no spring chicken.

We were driven back to our ship in time to change for a dinner that was a definite improvement over that of our first night on board. At 7 p.m. we untied our moorings and set sail up the Neva River. We passed an old fort as we reached Lake Lagoda and by morning were progressing along the Svir.

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Photos

Church of the Spilled Blood
Frances was more interested in the market.