St Petersburg

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After an hour on the Estonian Border we arrived at the Russian side. Turns out you have to carry your own luggae across the border before they forensically analyse your paperwork. However the guy with the rubber glove was surprisngly gentle......

We got into St Petersburg at 7am local time. We were all excited because we were supposed to have a guy collect us and bring us to our "Hotel". He didn't appear and one emergency phonecall and two hours waiting we were there. After more passport paperwork we got some sleep. Went for a pizza just off the main street in St Petersburg, Nevsky prospekt. In order to get our visa we had book through a travel agents but it does come with the perk of a guided tour. We therefore decided to wait for our tour the next day to sightsee.

Our guide Svetlana was a local (Thus hating Muscovites) and good fun. She brought us around all the major sights (Mainly the Peter and Paul Fort) and explained the Russian system of bribery. Basically apart from murdering someone you cab bribe your way out of everything. They even have a price scale for it. After a typically Russian lunch (As in meat, veg and potatoes) we visited the main cathedral where we saw the city from above.

The following day we visted the Hermitage Museum. 3 million pieces apparently and to walk around the 25km of rooms there and just glance at eveything takes 9 years. An hour an a alf later we emerged bleary eyed and happy we had seen everything. Some of the rooms were absolutely amazing especially the State rooms. After all that culture we visited the armoury museum.

Our Russian hasn't really improved but we are having a ball.

Next stop Moscow......

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Photos

Russian Breakfast
Not Quite the Fry-up we were hoping for

Peter The Great
According to our guide the artist thought him so awful he sculpted him this way

Comments

[Deirdre Healy]

Hey Ciaran!!
Hey Ciaran, finally checking out your blog, its brilliant! Sounds like you are having a really cool time. I can´t believe you have travelled so much already. It looks very cool where you are. Still over in Peru, less than two weeks left and then heading up to NY to Patrick and plan to drain him dry coz I am broke already! Well keep having a ball, ciao dee x