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Published: October 3rd 2017
My nautical being is well at home here in St. Petersburg. Criss- crossed by canals, rivers and bound by the Baltic, this place has been called the Venice of the north. And like the canals of Venice and Amsterdam there is much boat traffic and life on the water. Last night I took a dinner cruise on board a small river boat. Met a beautiful young couple celebrating their engagement and a pair of ladies from Siberia here on a work trip. Immediately on introducing myself to the young lovers, I was offered a toast of Vodka; it's that kind of a place. The buildings front the water and at night are lit as are the many bridges. The pictures do not represent the beauty of the lighting (phone camera) but give an idea of the effect.
H. G. Wells once wrote, "So utterly at variance is destiny with all the little plans of men". And so it was with me today. My plan had been to spend the day in Peterhof, the suburb home of the Kings and Czars of Russia. After arriving I discovered the place was packed with rude obnoxious Asian tourists. Not the place for me;
I couldn't enjoy it, why stay. And just like that I was on my way back on the next boat. Pardon the racism but I call it as I see (and feel) it.
However, the hydrofoil ride down and back was a hoot. The effortless and unnoticeable lift to the boat (and return) didn't even form a ripple in my coffee cup. In 30 knot winds it was the smoothest ride imaginable. I have a short video but don't know how to attach it to this medium. Upon returning to St. Petersburg, I immediately booked a cruise on the boat-restaurant "Gala Petersburg and Gulf of Finland" tour. This covered much of the same waters as my dinner cruise last night but in daylight. Here was a chance to see modern parts of the City and new construction of bridges.
I ended the day roaming around the headquarters of the Russian Navy and Russian Army (Russia's answer to the Pentagon). They were impressive structures. I made friends and chatted with a couple members of the Russian Army on our way to the subway (hope Donald J doesn't read this).
As usual, there are a few samples of the
pictures I took and the sights. These people are true artisans.
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