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Published: June 29th 2017
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Geo: 59.939, 30.3158
On Anzac Day, we flew out of Melbourne bound for Singapore. Today, two months later we arrived in the port of St Petersberg in Russia. Rather than paying to obtain the required visas and deal with the strict border security of Russia, we opted to take the easier alternative. For our three days here, we've booked a shore excursion with Royal Caribbean, our cruise line. That way, you are covered by a blanket tourist visa, and getting through customs proved to be relatively easy.
Who would have thought, the hottest day of our trip so far would come in Russia. The weather today was clear blue skies and 30C. Our first day here and first tour of Russia kicked off around half past eight. After a quick breakfast on board we got off the boat to clear customs. It wasn't all that intimidating. Dubai was worse really. They gave our passports, tour tickets and immigration cards a look over and sent us through. My Dutch passport got its first stamps.
Todays tour was a walking tour of St Petersberg to get a feel of the city. Generally speaking, Russian architecture is sterile, structured and plain. The port is overlooked by grubby
block highrise apartments. The streets are long and straight. People seem quiet and stern. Everyone seems to smoke. The traffic is terrible everywhere. Whilst many buildings are plain and square, there certainly are some exceptions. One such example was the Russian Orthodox Cathedral St Isaac's, which boasts the fourth largest dome in the world. We walked by the cathedral after arriving at the St Petersberg monument of Peter the Great. According to a 19th century legend, enemy forces will never take the city whilst the bronze statue stands, the statue depicting hero Peter the Great on his horse, trampling on a snake, to represent the foes of Russia.
We walked from the cathedral through the park to the Palace Square, a great space flanked by military barracks and the Winter Palace building of the Hermitage museum. In the centre towered the impressive structure of Alexanders Column, dedicated to Alexander the first, it is made from a 600 tonne granite column.
We had a bit of free time from here to explore, try some Russian vodka and sweet liquor, and buy a few small souvenirs. From here, we were dropped at the Cathedral of our Savior on the Spilled Blood by the Nevsky
Prospect. This church was the most impressive building we had seen today. This old Russian-Style church was built on the spot where Emporer Alexander II was assassinated on 1 March 1881. Built between 1883 and 1907 the church was designed in the spirit of sixteenth and seventeeth century Russian architecture. From here we enjoyed a short walk before boarding the bus, and were back through customs and the boat by mid afternoon. Who would have thought my first swim in the outdoor pool would come in Russia and glorious warm sunshine. According to the guide, Russia gets a mere 30 to 60 days of sun a year. He also suggested St Petersberg is the most cultured, social and friendly city of Russia, especially compared to Moscow. The currency here is the Rubel which is basically 1/30 to the Australian Dollar. Things are quite affordable in Russia. With so many people off the ship, dinner tonight was at your leisure, anytime. We got in early at 6, and snuck in a bottle of wine from Sicily. We even had time to watch a movie, the Number 23, before bed. Tomorrow, a morning trip to hermitage.
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