Day 12
Well, what a difference a night makes - clear, but cooler day with a bit more wind than yesterday. Our pickup time is not until 9.00 today and thankfully the MDR opens at 7.00, so we had a leisurely breakfast before heading ashore. This time immigration were not really interested in us and we were through in less than half a minute.
Right on 9.00, Ivan the punctual arrived and we headed back into town, this time back to the waterfront, but on the other side for some more photos and history lesson. I forgot to mention that Konstantin is, apart from other things, a history teacher. It was time then to move once again to a multifaceted Shakespeare stop to meet the lovely Tatyana, the owner of TJ Travel - mainly so that we could pay our bill. Yes, we had made no payment until this second day, which is pretty impressive. It really was too early for vodka however.
Following this we drove over to the Hermitage museum, which is closed on a Monday, so no crowds like we saw yesterday. The museum is only open to TJ Travel groups, of which I estimate were about 30. However it did allow us a far more leisurely and uncrowded view of the treasures stored there.
Once again, words fail to describe the Hermitage and the treasures. One interesting point was that Russia purchased all the items, particularly the antiquities - whereas the likes of the British museum are generally from UK explorers. We spend a good 2 hours going through and of course it would be impossible to see everything, but we had an excellent overview. Konstantin was particularly taken with the various Madonna paintings.
Lunch was at our own expense today and by consensus we agreed no one wanted a big meal and we were not keen on pies (which was another option), so we settled for pancakes - the others of course had not had pancakes. The pancake place we went to was quite different to last night, this one was more like McDonald's - where you order and wait for your pancake to be made in front of you. The pancakes themselves were different, in that last night they were rolled but today they were folded. Still very delicious and only cost NZD18, along with 2 green teas (not as nice as last night, just tea bags).
Following lunch, we "strolled" Nevsky Prospekt, which is the main shopping and eating area. While doing this, Vivian & the other women were accosted by a cartoon character, who wanted his/her photo taken, but then of course wanted money. We didn't have any, and he wasn't overly happy. Just to clarify in case anyone want to challenge how we had no money ey but had just had lunch - credit card for everything. Works like a treat and I can immediately check the NZ amount via internet banking.
I digress (again). Just after the above encounter, we entered what we considered to be the "Harrods" of St Petersburg, and this was where a gang of pickpockets almost got Cecil. They crowded around the shop entrance and suddenly he felt someone in his trouser pocket, they had already unzipped it but he yelled out and made a bit of a fuss and suddenly there was no-one around. I was even more vigilant after that, just shows how quick they can be. And no, we didn't spend anything in the shop!
Next stop was the Metro, where we entered and took escalators down 100s of metres to a level well under the river. Very impressive and clean and reputed to be the deepest underground system in the world and were also designed as bomb shelters during the cold war. Lovely mosaics once again, and it only now that I read that photography is not allowed - oops, too late. Trains run every 2 minutes and are high-speed. We boarded and went just 1 stop, probably 4 minutes to the sports stadium on the other side of the river. Although the train reasonably full, we were most impressed at the locals who stood up to give our ladies a seat (are you listening Auckland?).
The escalator up seemed to be even steeper, and everyone looked to be leaning at a funny angle. However we made it back to the surface, just as Ivan the magical appeared. This time a short drive to the Peter and Paul Fortress, which is really the foundation of St Petersburg. At lot of military museums etc. are still located in the area, but we were visiting the Cathedral, where most of the Czars and families are buried. Certainly although they had the opulence and wealth, it was a pretty risky "occupation", with the majority meeting and untimely and brutal end. Yes, of course it was impressive, but by now it goes without saying.
Finally we headed off for our final Shakespeare stop, but on the way pass by many locals sunning themselves (and in some cases, quite a bit, if you get my drift), as although the wind was cool, the heat was in the sun in the shelter. So, final shot of vodka and opportunity to buy souvenirs then sadly we headed back to the ship, saying a fond farewell to our magnificent guide & driver. Certainly could not have asked for a better tour and we really feel that we got to know St Petersburg and the Russian people a lot better. Oh, immigration coming back was under 20 seconds.
Thankfully tomorrow is a sea day.
Photos may/may not follow - Blogger issues
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