Early start today as we head to Pushkin to see Catherine's Palace. As we left St. Petersburg, we learned about the siege of Leningrad when Hitler tried to starve out the city. Over 1 million of the 3 million people died during this time and they lost 1/3 of their buildings, words can't describe the many atrocities of war. As we entered Pushkin, the scenery changed and it became very wooded, and thoughts of Peter and the Wolf entered my head. We drove past a monas...

Church of Our Savior of the Spilled Blood - is a Moscow-styled church with a richly colored onion domes. It was built on the spot where Tsar Nicholas Alexander II was murdered in 1881. It is also known as the mosaic church because the interior is covered with magnificent mosaics, each wall with a particular biblical theme. After driving by it in the morning, we then took a 1/2 hour walk from our hotel in order to take some photos (although our guide said it would...

Peter and Paul Fortress - was the first settlement in St. Petersburg and is now the State Museum of History. It houses the Cathedral of the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul. The fortress is on one of the smallest islands in a city composed of 42 islands. This island is also called the island of rabbits or Hare Island. The cathedral is full of tombs, many of which belong to royal families because they have a double eagle on each corner of the tomb. Tsar Nicholas and...

Palace Square is presided over by the sea-green winter palace, which is the Hermitage Museum. Although it is just around a mile walk from our hotel and it's three layered arch leads to Nevsky Prospect, the street on which our hotel is located, we are going to see it today on our bus tour of the city. Nevsky Prospect is an elegant avenue which anchors the city. It was named for Prince Alexander Nevsky, so basically if we get lost, all we have to do is find this st...

Gary and Evelyn celebrate their anniversary again, 53 years. When they checked into their room today at the Radisson Royal Hotel, they were surprised to see a bottle of champagne, Bride and Groom truffles on a stick, and fresh berries. Lucky us, they are sharing it with Steph and myself so we will all sleep well tonight. Previous to today they received a bottle of champagne in Vilnius along with a card. Oh I forgot to tell you, they were also upgraded to a sui...