To St Petersburg

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Not all those who wander are lost - J. R. R. Tolkien

June 7, 2009, Sunday, Novgorod to Tsarakoe Selo (Pushkin), to St. Petersburg, Russia, 170 km.
As we started to leave Novgorod, there was yet another flat tire!
Pushkin: The vast baroque structure of Catherine the Great’s Palace was created between 1744 and 1796. After being devastated by the Germans, it has been carefully and accurately rebuilt.
The original magnificent Amber Room was created from engraved amber panels given to Peter the Great in 1716. (Amber was more precious than diamonds!) It was plundered by the Nazis in WWII and somehow the panels went missing? In 2004 Putin of Russia, and Schroder of Germany, presided over the re-opening of the new Amber Room restored exactly as it was. It is an amazing room, photographs are not permitted.
Around Catherine’s Palace extends Catherine’s Park a lovely place for a walk, but no time today.
Winding through the streets of St. Petersburg was a slow process, but we all arrived and settled in. It is a stadium and we do have electricity, however, we my guide book warns not to drink the water in St. Petersburg. It could contain Giardia lambia, a nasty parasite that can come and go for years, not responsive to antibiotics. So bottled water it is!!
One last comment about this stadium parking, it has a loud speaker, used by the Russian Soviets for propaganda purposes, but it is still active and plays (very loudly) a radio station until 1AM. The campground from Hell!! And we will be here for 5 nights.

June 8, 2009, Monday, St. Petersburg, Russia. The bus is ready for us at 10 AM and we are off to Peter and Paul’s Fortress. Dating from 1703 it is the oldest building in St. Petersburg, planned by Peter the Great as a defense against the Swedes. Its baroque interior is the resting place of all Russian pre-Revolutionary rulers from Peter the Great onward.
Our next stop, the golden dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral dominates the St. Petersburg skyline. The lavish interior is open as a museum. The mosaics are absolutely beautiful! It appears to be a painting, then as one gets closer… it is tiny, tiny pieces of colored tiles. It must have taken years and years to create.
After a pleasant lunch, we enjoyed a boat ride along the many canals. Although it was drizzly we got some nice photos.

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