Another early start to see the sights of Saint Petersburg. Of course one of the first stops was a shop for the tourists to buy souvenirs. And I did.

We then stopped on the banks of one of the river canals to see two Sphinx from Egypt and to make a wish on the lion headed figurine. It was a glorious day, one Boris our tour guide said was only seen about 30 times a year. He let us know the temperature in winter can be -20 degrees, the rivers freeze and sometimes he only sees 20 minutes of daylight in a day. Not my type of city!

As a young, recently married, 24 year old local with several degrees, Boris was able to give us lots of information on the history of St Petersburg and on living there today. He and his wife live with her parents as they save for their own home (US$60,000). Wages are lower, taxes are lower and costs are lower. We visited a local supermarket as well. It wasn't much different. Maybe a mix of Woolworths, Aldi and Big W.

It was also funny to hear his comments on the young educated people of the city who didn't want to take on low level, low paying jobs to start their careers and also didn't want a long career with one employer. He felt this was an effect from the Soviet time, but all the parents from various countries on board assured him that this was a universal attitude of his generation. The world is not so different at times.

Our next stop was the Winter Palace and the attached Hermitage museum. Home to Catherine the Great in times gone by (apparently she orchestrated the death of her husband so she could lead Russia and her son hated her). But, it was an outstanding site! I will have to read up on her.

With about 400 rooms, we spent just over 2 hours viewing around 30 (at a fairly reasonable pace too). We were lucky being on an organised tour as we were able to enter before the museum opened for the masses. Even then it was packed.

We saw so much and yet so little. There is so much to see! Spectacular rooms with gold leaf decorated ceilings, chandeliers, amazing parquetry flooring and then there is the artwork! Da Vinci, Reuben and Rembrandt to name just a few. And my favourite. The Greek marble statues. I could have spent a lot longer in that room. Then we ventured into the Egyptian room where the mummy of an Egyptian priestess was on display.

After viewing so many treasures, history and beauty I could understand why there was a revolution: so much opulence for so few. It was hard to comprehend that one person had owned so much. But how lucky we are to be able to visit and see just some of it today. For me, this was one of the outstanding places we visited. The buildings are enormous and the surrounding plaza can hold 100,000 people.

Our next stop was the Church on Spilled Blood. This was built in the more traditional Russian style, originally for the Tsar and his family to worship. A bomb was let off in the cathedral which killed the tsar Alexander II in the late 1800's. The site of his death has been marked with a structure and the flooring left as is. The walls are covered completely in mosaics that make up religious scenes (with obligatory gold leaf). This took 15 years to complete. The altar looks like wood, but is actually carved marble.

The cathedral is alongside one of the many canals that run through the city. Outside we came across a musician with a dog that barked along and a couple of tethered owls you could have your photograph taken with. Rather odd given they are nocturnal, poor things.

The next stop was lunch. We decided to have lunch with Boris and had a Russian pie. It was a cross between pastry and a bread casing filled with your choice of filling. Anthony and I shared one with meat and another with cheese, mushroom and potato. Really nice, but with a slightly sweet pastry.

After lunch we visited the Faberge museum. This was a private museum owned by a rich Russian dude and we were able to see 10 Faberge eggs. The rest have been lost to time. The eggs were intricate examples of fine jewellery and craftsmanship. The museum also held a variety of impressionist artwork, fantastic silverware and Faberge items, including snuff boxes, jewellery boxes, nail care kit, picture frames and other items.

After a tour of the main streets and the supermarket we returned to the ship, tired but sated. Saint Petersburg had so much to enjoy. While the lingering impact of the Soviet period can be seen in the general standard of buildings, housing and lifestyle, I felt I could see the beginnings of a renewed city. Given the politics, I think it may take a couple of generations though.

On the ship we joined a "sail away" party at the front of the ship on our deck (Lido deck 16). We shared (he he) a nice bottle of Princess 50th anniversary prosecco and fancy nibblies while we watched the ship navigate the harbour and narrow canal on its way to Finland. We sailed past the "historical area" which was filled with rusting war ships and submarines. Given the Russian propaganda, I'm sure they have a new spot somewhere!