Sunday June 28, 2015 - St Petersburg, Russia

We got up at 7 and went for a light breakfast.  It was another beautiful day – sunny but a little windy.  We went to the theatre to await our tour.  Then we had to go to immigration.  Tim had difficulty with his agent but I breezed through.  He kept saying “I told you I didn’t want to come back to Russia!”  He thinks they were picking on him.  I think it was a self-fulfilling prophecy!  We went to our designated bus but it was full so they put us on another.  Our guide was Anna and she teaches history in high school.  She was excellent.

We drove to the historical downtown district in St Petersburg.  We drove along the River Neva.  There is a marathon race today so many of the streets are closed for a while so they warned us to be patient.

We drove by the Hermitage – the Winter Palace.  We visited there when we were in St Petersburg before so we aren’t going back on this trip.  We drove by St Isaac’s Cathedral and stopped for a photo stop.  Beautiful golden-domed structure.  We went to the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood with its colorful nine onion-domed cupolas are covered in gold, enamel and mosaics.  This is the location where Alexander II was killed in 1881.  The church was located on a canal three blocks off Nevsky Prospekt, the busiest street in St Peterburg.  We hadn’t visited it on our previous visit to St. Petersburg.

Bridge towers in St Petersburg, Russia

The Hermitage - or the 'Winter Palace'

Churches all over but very few of the Russians go to church

Statue of Peter the Great, for whom St Petersburg was named

Yellow seems to be a favorite color of many buildings in St Petersburg

St Isaac's Cathedral

St Isaac's Cathedral

Peter the Great

St Isaac's Cathedral

A large museum near the Church of our Savior of Spilled Blood

The Church of our Savior of Spilled Blood

Beautiful canals throughout St Petersburg

 

We then went to the Peter and Paul Fortress built by Peter the Great.  We visited Peter and Paul Cathedral where many of the Russian tsars are entombed.  The tombs included all of the early and last Romanoffs, including Nicholas and Alexandra and Peter the Great.

The Peter and Paul Fortress

The side chapel to the main cathedral

Inside the cathedral - lots of gold and crystal

The tombs of many of the Tzars

Peter the Great Tomb

Our guide explaining the various tombs

A small chapel off of the main cathedral

More tombs of the Tzars and their families

Tombs of Tzars

Beautiful stones

Intricate ceiling paintings and beautiful chandeliers

The front of the main cathedral

More tombs of Tzars

 

We went to a shop for a “comfort break” and then had vodka and coffee.  We bought some babushka doll ornaments for the travel tree and post cards for the girls.

The last stop was along the Neva River for a photo shoot of the Hermitage Museum and the Flying Dutchman sailing ship which is now a restaurant and fitness center.

The Neva River

The Hermitage across the Neva River

The Flying Dutchman, a gift to Russia from Holland

Columns on bridge over the Neva

Egyptian statue along the Neva

Submarines in the Neva River

We drove along the Neva River and saw the ship yard, submarines, and an ice-breaker.  We then headed back to the ship.  Anna was a very, very informative guide.

We had to go back through Russian immigration.  What a pain!  We had lunch in the buffet and then relaxed for a while in our cabin.   I found a new book to read – “The Walk” – and started that, reading on our large balcony on the back of the ship.  It was a windy day but protected on the balcony.  I’m hoping this back balcony location will be okay.

I went for tea at 4 while Tim went to the gym.  I met Lauren from the show, one of the dancers and we enjoyed talking.  She told me that Gemma will be on our cruise from Rio to Miami in December!  Yeah!

We met Ray Solaire (real last name Hook), the cruise director for dinner in Prime 7.  Delightful evening.  He has a 22 bedroom home in the UK on 100 acres and the runs with his brother.  He told lots of good stories.  Ray is a ventriloquist and entertainer.  Please “do do enjoy your day!”  Two-thirds of the passengers are off tonight to ballet performances in St. Petersburg so it is quiet on the ship.

We went to the bar for a drink and then had a fun evening in the cabin.  Then off to bed.