Home of Peter the Great- son named after

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Geo: 59.939, 30.3158

Up early and off the ship. 10 of us in minibus with Russian guide. First stop the Catherines Summer Palace. Sumptuous building bombed in the war and carefully restored. Next stop a lvely old church on the way back to town. A funeral with open casket was going on but tourists still allowed in-very bizarre, but lovely music at the funeral. We stopped at the usual souvenir shop of the company to buy the usual assortment of russian dolls, shot glasses and laquered bowls etc before being taken to a local restaurant for a pretty awful meal. No Russians to be seen in the place.The afternoon was spent hurtling round the sights followed by a trip inside St.Isaacs cathedral which is well worth seeing. The city is beautiful. No high rise buildings and plenty of canals and the Sea.

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