St Petersburg Part 1 of 2 - Russian Venice!

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24 June

After an uneventful train journey with our 2 Russian men, woke up fresh in St Petersburg and met by our guide Helen, who whisked us all off to breakfast at a nice cafe just near our hotel. We then embarked on a driving tour of St P, which we discovered is a beautiful elegant city, they call it the Venice of the North. A series of canals run through the city as well as the large river and their are beautiful buildings and churches everywhere you look. Took a nap in the afternoon before venturing out to the Singer Cafe (inside a huge bookstore with a view over Kazan Cathedral) for tea and yummy cake. St P is the kind of city you can just wander around for hours, which we did! Made our way eventually to a nice Georgian restaurant for stroganoff. Had to try a vodka to finish off the night, it is cheap as chips in Russia.

25 June

Met Helen in Palace Square and spent several hours at the Hermitage Museum which is massive, and stuffed full of treasures, art of all kinds including many famous paintings, and lavishly decorated rooms. This was the royal winter palace and no expense spared! Quite overwhelming really. Took a rest in the cafe, then climbed up the bell tower in St Isaacs for a view of the city. Tried out some borsch which was quite nice ( beetroot soup, a traditional Russian dish) - food here has been surprisingly good - then home for a few hours sleep before embarking on a night canal cruise. Because St P is so far north, just across the water from Finland, it doesn't really get dark at this time of the year, which is called White Nights. So the cruise started at midnight! This was so we could see the lifting of the bridges which happens in the early hours so bigger ships can navigate along the river. Cruise was great with bridges and buildings lit up, and even a sax and clarinet player to entertain everyone. Back to the hotel at 3 am, tired but happy!

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Photos

Canal views - Church of Spilled Blood
Tsar Alexander I blood actually

View from Singers Cafe, Kazan Cathedral
Nice cakes too!