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Published: September 28th 2010
Tuesday 7th September 2010 Breakfast was at the respectable time of 8am today, giving us a chance to get a good night's sleep. The cabin has been very hot and stuffy, we having to run the air controls on the cool setting with the fan flat out. This was very noisy but at least it drowned out all other sounds which normally disturb us. While Rags was out taking a stroll around the deck before breakfast Judy looked at the window and found it could be opened! Fresh air!
Ed & Cathy joined us for breakfast and we spent the morning relaxing and watching the scenery go by. We did sit in on a lesson on Russian musical instruments for a short time before being fairly easily distracted by the ship entering a lock. Here we rose about 10m to the next lake level.
Late in the morning we stopped at a settlement named Mandrogi. Mandrogi, located in the middle of the first locks out of St Petersburg, is really more of a tourist attraction than a live-in village. It features a collection of old wooden houses but almost everything on the island is directed toward visitors. It
is a reconstruction of the original settlement which was burned down in the 2nd World War. It only has a population of about 150 people who live in a commune-type environment with the mandatory rules of no theft and no drinking. Ed commented that the latter rule was probably why none of the people were very friendly or smiling!
There were several buildings selling local crafts, local foods, as well as a vodka museum. After walking around all the shops and other buildings the two males left the ladies in yet another store, availing themselves to a 100 rouble vodka tasting session. This consisted of 4 shots each of different flavoured vodka and then the selling of bottles at 3-4 times the price we had seen elsewhere. Even so, several bottles were purchased.
After a late lunch we retired to our cabin for a rest before we went outside to admire the scenery, mainly of birch tree forests with an occasional small village. Judy attended a lesson on speaking Russian before we met up with Cathy and Ed for an other session of laughs and getting to know more about each other. A lot of the contents of
our previously bought Vodka were savoured by the 4 of us in the comfortable surrounds of Ed & Cathy's suite.
An 8.30pm dinner was a light-hearted affair before we retired to our cabin just after 10pm
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Russia
All sounds as though it was very different to home. I must say, "Yes, Rags does look a bit bored on the tour of the Churches." Like wise with Judy wearing the Russian head-gear !! Was glad to hear you met people on board the ship you were able to be friendly with. I'm sure they would have added to the enjoyment of the cruise. Bye now, off to the air-port to pick up Shirl and Fred.