August 12th - St. Petersburg, Russia

The day began with a visit to the Hermitage Museum. We were permitted early
entrance prior to the opening to the public. What a treat, and well worth
the additional cost. The museum is massive, boasting 353 rooms filled with
masterpieces of art. It is located within the Winter Palace on the Neva
River. Amazing place. We were leaving the museum as it was being opened to
the public and the lines to get in were staggering. Also, since the building
is quite old, there is no air conditioning, so very soon the museum was
going to be very warm and stuffy.

After the museum and a stop for a short lunch we headed to Peterhof with its
collection of palaces, fountains and parks. Here the crowds finally caught
up with us.

Took the hydrofoil boat back to the city center and headed back to the ship.


We were very fortunate to again experience temps in the low 90s and were
told that the weather was not expected to be as sunny and dry the following
day, and quite possibly we have had the only two days of real summer they
will have. The local's view of the promise of summer is: Nine months of
expectation followed by three months of disappointment. At least they have a
sense of humor about their weather.

Upon return to the ship we were greeted by some of our wonderful crew who
are taking such good care of us!

August 11th - St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia - I am finally here - so excited. I have wanted to come here since my
first (of many) viewings of the movie Dr. Zhivago. As the ship was docking
"Laura's Theme" was playing in my head.

The day began with a city tour, then a visit to Catherine's Palace in the
town of Pushkin , supposedly her favorite palace, a masterpiece surrounded
by beautiful gardens. The Delft fireplaces in every room were beautiful.

Stopped for a short rest and lunch at a mall that had previously been a
train station on Moscow Avenue.

Then it was off to St. Isaac's Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe,
capable of accommodating 10,000 worshippers, who unless infirmed, stand
throughout the services (anywhere from 2-6 hours).

Made a couple of photo stops, including the Church on the Spilled Blood,
with its colorful decorative elements.

There were six large cruise ships in port today, so all of the "must see"
sights were very crowded, but so worth the crowds and lines. If you want to
visit here, try to make it soon since they are expanding their cruise ship
terminal to accommodate up to twelve ships at a time. As one guide said,
they will have to have more museums, churches and sights!

According to our guide there are at most 60 sunny days a year in St.
Petersburg - the locals say that they do not have summer, only a green
winter. We were very fortunate to enjoy the sun and 90+ temps all day.