Day 9, Thursday Aug 3rd, St Petersburg Russia
Posted by Max Dunn Sat, 05 Aug 2006 10:11:00 GMT
(Suzanne) After leaving the kids on the ship yesterday, we decided to try taking them into St Petersburg so they could have a taste of Russia. We were also determined to get into the city once again so we could deliver the wine that we forgot yesterday to Eugene and Luba. But, as usual, I hadn’t booked any excursion yet so we were scrounging around the pier in the afternoon to see what we could get on. Nevertheless, we ended up going on a panoramic city tour which actually ended up being the best choice for the kids because they didn’t have to walk much and the weather was kind of cold and a little rainy.
We went to many of St Petersburg’s famous landmarks. Most notably, the Winter Palace & Palace Square, Peter and Paul Fortress, St Isaac’s Cathedral and The Church on Spilled Blood. We also went by many palaces (a lot which have been turned into office buildings), crossed many rivers and canals and through various parts the city (some nice and not so nice). I think I was most impressed with the Church on Spilled Blood because that’s what I think of as typical Russian style architecture and also the history behind it. But it looks more like what you would see in Moscow with the onion domes. St. Petersburg has more of a European flavor to it because a lot of people with European influence were brought in when the city was built. Overall, I think the kids enjoyed it too. They seemed a little bored at first but then started looking out the windows once we got into the city. Their favorite part was shopping for their souvenirs at every stop.
Unfortunately, we were unable to meet up with Eugene and Luba today…so I guess we’ll have to drink the bottle ourselves? :-)