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Published: June 29th 2017
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Geo: 59.939, 30.3158
Today was our last day in Russia, and it was a long one. We were off the boat bright and early, around 7am for a 9 hour guided tour. We piled into the bus for an hour drive from the port, through the city centre, and drove an hour to Tsarskoye Solo. Here, we had a tour of the royal summer residence; Catherines Palace. Following the revolution, the palace had since been renamed the Pushkin, after Russia's most celebrated early 19th century poet and writer Alexander Pushkin.
Unfortunately, at least 20 buses of tourists had the same idea. Whilst todays tour itinerary was excellent, it was one of the most painful 'group' expeditions yet. The demands, winging and requests just kept coming; Can I have a toilet stop, my headset receiver isn't very clear, you re walking too fast, I need a rest, when can we buy souvenirs, and so forth. Not to mention the average age of todays busload was somewhere between 50 and 170.
We were greeted at the palace by a brass band playing traditional Russian music. Afterall, it is tradition to greet guests this way. Is it also tradition to request tips and sell Cds for
$15USD? I'm not sure. Once our group of the shuffling and stumbling elderly got inside the palace, the tour wasn't bad. The palace interior was grand indeed. We started in the great hall, and slowly shuffled from Stateroom to Stateroom. The most impressive of which was the famous Amber Room, completely decorated inside with pieces of Amber. It was fascinating to learn just how well the palace had been restored after it was all but destroyed near completely in the second world war.
After the palace, we enjoyed a walk, or shuffle, through the grounds gardens. There were plenty of green fields, French and English decorated gardens, monuments and flowers. Eventually, we looped around to get back to the bus and begin our journey back towards the city of St Petersberg.
The next part of the tour was a boat ride on the river Neva, but first, lunch at a local restaurant. Three courses, all included with a vodka shot and champaign. A cold meat entree, sloppy chicken and orange stuff for the main (weird but tasty) and a berry tart for dessert. I even managed to stick to tradition and try a local beer.
After lunch, we headed towards our river
cruise. It was nice sitting on the back of the boat, enjoying the sun and views of St Petersberg from the river that runs through the city centre. We drifted past various points of interest; Peters Summer Garden, the Aurora cruiser, various palaces, the Chamber of Curiosities and the Admirality and University embankments.
The boat ride lasted about 90 minutes. Back on the bus, and time enough for a souvenir stop on the way to the boat. As we reached the port, the sun disappeared, replaced by clouds and strong winds. Before clearing customs, I picked up a cheap Russian vodka flask. We were back on the boat about 5.
Id been feeling sick again today, so I rested up for a few hours before our 8.45 dinner. We say goodbye to Russia then, as we sail west bound for Finland.
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