WEATHER: Still cold MAX 5C – MIN 0C – bring on some double digit weather!
HIGHTLIGHT OF THE DAY: Hot chocolate purchase with breakfast – it was awesome
BUMMER OF THE DAY: Not being able to get into our rooms till 2pm
BUYS OF THE DAY: Phone mataurushka’s for $1
WORD OF THE DAY: - ‘civilized’ or ‘uncivilized’
We arrived into St Petersburg at 6.45am. We have now completed the Trans Mongolian and I cannot tell you how great it was. To travel the length of a country as BIG as Russia (and China and Mongolia), is just amazing and it really has surprised me along the way. Even though we had cold weather, and it was the first departure of the season, I could not imagine doing the trip in summer; I think it would just be too hot and super busier. In saying that, to see some of the places in summer, green and with flowers would be magic. We had a group of 6, Julia’s next departure is early May and there are 12 on that trip. Good-luck Jules and I hope they are as nice as us!!!
We couldn’t check into our hotel till 2pm. So we went for a quick breakfast, as we had our walking tour at 9.30am. Nothing like keeping us on the move, but I think it was a good thing to keep us busy, as we would have just died in the arse, after not having a hotel room from noon yesterday and only 5 hours sleep on the train, it is quite tiring!
Our guide Michael was great. Born and breed in St Petersburg he took us around his beautiful city on foot for 3 hours. St Petersburg really is a Venice of Russia. Over 350 bridges and canals it really is pretty. We got Michael to take a group shot of us doing the ‘Bernstar’ jump – and I think I am going to get my groups on all my tours to do it. I wonder how many of my Contiki people will do it? There are up to 40 people in those groups! How awesome would that look! We saw the Neva River, the outside of the Hermitage (we go back tomorrow), Church of the Savior of Blood (the St Basil in Moscow look-alike) and just crossing the many bridges and waterways. I didn’t know that St Petersburg was made up of so many canals. It really does look like Amsterdam or Venice on drugs.
After our walk we had lunch. All we seem to be doing is eating, walking eating, walking, resting, eating and sleeping. I think the amount of food we eat is compensated for the amount of walking we do, well I am banking on that, as it seems like all I have been doing is eating. But my clothes still seem to fit, so I will keep working with my theory until my clothes don’t fit then I will be in a world of hurt!
Our afternoon was to ourselves. With the temperature dropping outside along with my energy levels, I went back to the hotel to complete some more of my blog, Facebook and also managed to get in an hours sleep to re-charge the batteries that really were running on empty.
Welcome to St Petersburg – I think we’re going to make great friends!
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