Russia - St Petersberg

Day 9


Midnight Sun

Prior to arriving in St Petersberg you had to book on to a organised tour if you wanted to visit the city. The russians are very tight on visas and they dont let every tom, dick and harry into the country, that is unless you are willing to pay £100 for a visa. Anyway, the whole familiy was booked on a walking tour of St Petersberg. After negotiating customs we all headed to the tour bus.

Military Building

On entering the city we were greeted with typical eastern european high rise flats, that looked very dodgy and somewhat intimidating. As we entered the heart of the city it was getting more and more beautiful and you could see why the city was known as the jewel of the baltic. There are lots of wide open waterways and palaces on every corner.

We began our walking tour at Palace Square . The place was litterally filled with newly married couples in their wedding gear. Apparently it is good marital luck to walk round the various mouments of the city. However, our Russian guide said it was a load of nonesense, because in all marriages there are three rings, the engagment ring, the wedding ring and the suffering!

The Bronze Horseman

　
St Isaacs Cathedral ( Gold Dome)

　
The next place we visited was the Cathedral of Spilt Blood, quite magficicent building full of colour.

　
Not far from the Cathedral was the local flea market. As well as selliing the usual tourist nonesense, it was also full of weaponary ( knives and replica guns)

　
The final place we visited was a old Russian Warship, unfortunately we had just arrived too late to have a look round it.

　




As we headed back to the ship, we thought that th days fun was over however we were wrong. All of a sudden a voice from the middle of the bus (i was sat on the back seats, because I am seriously cool! or more likely the back seats were a far walk for all the elderly on board and they where the only ones left when I got on the bus) said we are on fire!!!! Sure enough there was black smoke billowing from a water machine. My mum was in full blown panic mode and was ready smash the back window of the bus with a hammer. The driver quickly sorted the problem out and we were on our way again, with all the bus windows intact.


During the summer months Russia basks in daylight pretty much all night. Here are some photos of the mdnight sun
　

A couple of hours later here it is rising again.



　

I can honestly say that St Petersbergh is one of the greatest cities that I have ever visited. I just wish I could have explored the city more, I get the feeling you could spend weeks looking round and never getting board. It is definitely somewhere I would like to come again.