Dobry Dyen!

I slept pretty soundly, just not long enough. Ran through the whole breakfast routine thing again. Haven't really been eating a whole lot, but I have been eating. Meals I don't normally eat. Breakfast for one. After girls and I parted for our separate tour day, I headed towards the gangway.

No issues this morning with letting people off. I just headed on down the stairs and out. The customs lines weren't as bad today as they were yesterday. Thank goodness! Wizzed right on through and headed out to the bus. Lana had on this cute little outfit today. It looked as tough it was woolen, but it could have been polyester. The brown plaid print was nice also. The dress matched the coat and both matched the purse. She almost reminded me of Mary Poppins.

Since everyone knew the routine, we all said good morning, boarded the bus and we were on our way, promptly at 7:30. As we passed several famous attractions, she'd explain to us what they were and their meanings.

We passed the Strel'na Palace and Park complex which is 27kms from St Petersburg on the way to Petrodvorets. Peter I had a summer residence here. In 1707, Poputnye Khoromy - a mansion - was built on the spot where Strel'na's small river flows into the Gulf of Finland and this is where he lodged. In 1711, a wooden palace was built and from 1716-1720, Rastrelli, Le Blanc and Machetti worked on the foundation of Strel'na's diagramatically laid-out park. The complex's main attraction is the Grand (Constantine) Palace built under Machetti between 1720 and 1730, with contributions from Meier, Voronikhin, Rouscault and others. In 1797, the complex came into the hands of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich (Paul I's son) and was passed on to Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich (Nicholas I's son) in 1831. It suffered considerable damage during the war years. Strelna can be reached by trams no. 36 & 60 (Sat only) or by minibuses no. T-300, T-103 & T-424 going to Petrodvorets from Avtovo metro station. Alternatively, take the elektrichka from Baltic station in the direction of Oranienbaum.

Of all St Petersburg's attractions, the country estate of Peterhof is perhaps the place that inspires the greatest pride among the city's population. Extravagant and bombastic in parts, elegant and relaxed in others, Peterhof's palace and grounds are a more than ample testimony to the crazy opulence of Tsarist Russia. The steps leading down from the palace to the lower gardens run next to the Grand Cascaden, a large area comprised of nearly 150 fountains, glittering golden statues and checkered ceramic.

I know we passed the Bronze Horseman (Mednyi Vsadnik) which is probably St. Petersburg's best known monument to Peter the Great. But i think I fell asleep. But, it rears above a huge stone, the horse and its rider seem set to conquer the city. The dynamic sculpture was created, in 1782, by E. Falconet. It rests on a roughly polished slab of stone eight meters high and weighs 1,638 tons. The monument is illuminated at night and is a popular meeting place for young lovers.

10:45 and we arrived at the Peter and Paul Fortress. This is the historic heart of the city. Tsar Peter I built the fortress in just six months in 1703. Situated on the Zaiachii (Rabbit) island, the fortress faces the Winter Palace and is one of the city's historic symbols. The fortress houses an assembly of interesting monuments such as the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Trubetskii prison, Peter's Boathouse and the The Mint . Peter and other Russian Tsars are buried at the cathedral. Hidden behind a cluster of trees on the banks of the Neva is the oldest building in St Petersburg. This is a three-room log cabin, which was home to the city's founder, Peter the Great. He lived here in 1703 while supervising the construction and development of the city and the nearby Peter and Paul Fortress . It is a timber cottage that resembles a Russian farmhouse—with the exception of its large windows. It was erected in fewer than three days. Although the cabin houses some of the tsar's personal items as well as furniture, it is hard to imagine a leader of any country living in such a tiny dwelling. This was a short tour that lasted just about an hour, then Alexander wisked us off to a stop on the Neva River at the Old Stock Exchange. The Old Stock Exchange is sited to fill the majestic sweep of the Spit (in Russian Strelka) of Vasilievsky Island, just opposite the Winter Palace. Thomon's design called for a peristyle of forty four Doric columns resting upon a massive stylobate of red granite and supporting an entablature of triglyphs and slotted metopes. A monumental sculptural group similar in form to a quadriga featuring Neptune, and symbolizing maritime commerce, is mounted above the portico. Both inside and outside the Bourse, a motif of the semicircle is recurrent. The interior features a large colonnaded trading hall, now divided into eight exhibition halls. The central rooms are illuminated by an oblong skylight. The surrounding ceiling features double-sunk coffers. We took photos accross the Neva and of the Rostral Columns. Opposite the exchange building on the Neva, de Thomon designed a semicircular overlook with circular ramps descending to a jetty projecting into the river. This formal approach, is framed by two rostral columns centered on the portico of the Stock Exchange. The Doric columns sit on a granite plinth and are constructed of brick coated with a deep terra cotta red stucco and decorated with bronze anchors and four pairs of bronze ship prows (rostra). Seated marble figures decorate the base of each column each representing the major rivers of Russia — the Volga and Dnieper at the northern Rostral Column, Neva and Volkhov at the southern one. The Rostral Columns were originally intended to serve as beacons and originally were topped by a light in the form of a Greek brazier and lit by oil. The braziers have been removed and the tops of the columns refitted with gas torches that continue to be lit on ceremonial occasions. There was a little park area here, along with a few street souvenir vendors. We even saw a couple that looked to be just married, coming to have photos taken here. St. Petersburg was built around the point where the main channel of the majestic Neva empties itself into the Gulf of Finland. Flowing about 75 kilometers from Lake Ladoga to the east of the city, the river achieves a romantic grandness as it sweeps before the city's classical riverfront facade and historical hotspots. In winter the river ices over for four months or more, and one can take a chilly stroll from the Peter and Paul Fortress straight across to the Winter Palace.

We also stopped for another photo shot across the street from the Academy of Fine Arts. The academy had been located in Shuvalov's palace on Sadovaya Street until 1764, when Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned its first rector, Alexander Kokorinov, to design a new building for the academy. It took 25 years to construct the Neoclassical edifice. Konstantin Thon was responsible for the sumptuous decoration of the interiors. He also designed a quayside in front of the edifice and adorned it with two 3000-year-old sphinxes, which had to be brought from Egypt. Ivan Betskoy reorganized the academy into a de-facto government department which supervised matters concerning art throughout the country, distributing orders and awarding ranks to artists. The academy vigorously promoted the principles of Neoclassicism by sending the most notable Russian painters abroad, in order to learn the ancient and Renaissance styles of Italy and France. It also had its own sizable collection of choice artworks intended for study and copying. In the mid-19th-century the Academism of training staff, much influenced by the doctrines of Dominique Ingres, was challenged by a younger generation of Russian artists who asserted their freedom to paint in a Realistic style. The adherents of this movement became known as peredvizhniki and, led by Ivan Kramskoi, publicly broke with the Academy and started its own exhibitions which traveled from town to town across Russia. Ilya Repin, Mikhail Vrubel and some other painters, however, still regarded the academy's training as indispensable for development of basic professional skills.

We then stopped across the street from The Vaganova Ballet Academy, which is one of the most famous and influential classical ballet schools in the world. It has also been known as the Imperial Ballet School and the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute. There are other variations of the name, however Vaganova Ballet Academy is the official title used in English speaking countries. Established in 1738, the academy is based in St. Petersburg and is named after the renowned pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova, who cultivated the method of classical ballet training that has been taught at the school since the late 1920s. Graduates of the school include some of the most famous ballet dancers, choreographers and teachers in history and many of the worlds leading ballet schools have adopted elements of the Vaganove method into their own training. The Vaganova Ballet Academy is the associate school of the Mariinsky Ballet, one of the Worlds leading ballet companies. Students of the school are successful in achieving employment with ballet and contemporary companies worldwide, such as the Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Mikhailovsky Ballet. Since 1836 the academy is to the address 2, Street of Architect Rossi. Famous graduates include:

• Altynai Asylmuratova
• George Balanchine
• Mikhail Baryshnikov
• Vakhtang Chabukiani
• Alexandra Danilova
• Natalia Dudinskaya
• Mikhail Fokine
• Yuri Grigorovich
• Tamara Karsavina

• Nicolai Legat
• Ulyana Lopatkina
• Natalia Makarova
• Galina Mezentseva
• Vaslav Nijinsky
• Rudolph Nureyev
• Anna Pavlova
• Olga Preobrajenskaya
• Farukh Ruzimatov

• Marina Semenova
• Konstantin Sergeyev
• Olga Spesivtseva
• Galina Ulanova
• Diana Vishneva
• Rostislav Zakharov
• Svetlana Zakharova
• Igor Zelensky

We stopped to visit the 2 Statues of Grefon. Lana told us that we had to stick our hands in his mouth and that would bring us good luck and whisper a wish to him at the same time. Of course, I took advantage of this opportunity. After such a great photo opportunity, we were wisked off to enjoy the Canal Boat pier for our Neva River Cruise.

St. Petersburg was built around the point where the main channel of the majestic Neva empties itself into the Gulf of Finland. Flowing about 75 kilometers from Lake Ladoga to the east of the city, the river achieves a romantic grandness as it sweeps before the city's classical riverfront facade and historical hotspots. In winter the river ices over for four months or more, and one can take a chilly stroll from the Peter and Paul Fortress straight across to the Winter Palace.

We boarded with another large group, from the other bus. Glad we were on the less crowded bus. The group along with myself were very happy that the skies had opened up to sunshine, but the air was still a bit brisk. i don't like to really sit in a tight space, so I elected to head downstairs (inside). When I wanted to take photos, the windows easily slid open. Another young British couple and Lana sat down there also. The river cruise was very nice, could have been a bit longer, but it was still very nice. As we cruised along the river, we passed the Kreiser Aurora. The history of the cruiser Aurora is firmly intertwined with the 20th century story of St. Petersburg. During the communist period it was proudly revered as the ship that (allegedly) fired the shot that (allegedly) signaled the start of the October Revolution. The 7600 ton ship has been a museum since 1956, moored before the Nakhimov Naval Academy on a tributary just to the north of the Neva itself. Inside there is a reasonably interesting selection of photos, maps and uniforms as well as information about the ship's history. Admission is free.

Stuart, I do have some shots of this one for you. We were so close, I had to take photos of the cruiser in parts. This was a nice and easy river cruise, saw a lot of historic sights from the river. The ride was only about an hour.

Then we were wisked off to the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood. This church is an impressive sight when seen from Nevskii Prospekt jutting out onto Kanal Griboedova. It has numerous stunning cupolas in the "Russian" manner, some of which are multi-colored or constructed like from geometric patterns. It is one of those places you really have to see to believe. The mosaic interior was created by over 30 artists and covers an area of 7000 square meters. The church was originally built in memory of the assassination of Alexander II, killed by a bomb in 1881 on the exact spot the cathedral stands today. Inside were remarkable artifacts. The cathedral boasts a luxurious and rich decor, ornamental architraves, frames, corbels, ceramic tiles, and colored glazed tiles. Five cupolas of the church, some 1000 square meters in area are covered with jewelry enamel. I wished I had the inlaid mosaic enamel flooring right inside in the church. This area was roped off as not to step on it. It was just beautiful. Looking up in the ceilings were paintings of Jesus as a man and as a boy. Someone in the group asked me, "I wonder how they painted that?" All I could add was, that I thought they were hoisted up there and laid on something flat to paint it, I couldn't imagine that they stood on an extremely tall ladder with their head tilted backwards for hours and possibly days, weeks, months or years. There was a nice gift shoppe there, but really no time to shop, as Lana was walking fast. She led us through more rooms with more disctinctive artwork. through the belfry which is decorated with mosaic coats-of-arms of cities and regions of the Russian empire. Pretty impressive. We'd only spent about an hour and 15 minutes here and were led outside to the Open-Air Souvenir Market. i didn't buy anything here, looked like a lot of junk. But we were given about an hour here, so I walked across the street to take a few photos of the church there and a few of the passers-by. The market area was loaded with people. And again, Lana stressed, to mind our wallets and bags. After the hour or so here, Alexander wisked us off to "The Russian Club" restaurant for lunch. We arrived a bit early and had to sit and wait. Several people had smoke breaks. When it was time for our lunch, we were led in by the host. The front waiting area offered no justice to the restaurant inside. It was beautiful. The overhangs were curved and red brick. The place was huge. They did accommodate large parties and wedding receptions. The restaurant was elongated. We were lead to a room where the other tour group had already started eating. There was a huge fish tank on the back wall, with some nice fish in it. I think I even saw an eel. The tables were set-up family-style. We all just found a seat. I took a photo of everyone eating. I tried to get a clear shot of Lana and the other tour guide, but the room was not condusive to phototaking. Our meal started with breads and butter. Of course, I had to try the green butter. The daughter of the Asian couple I'd sat near and her brother thought the taste was dill, but I still believe it was cucumber. It had absolutely no taste of dill, to me, but it was good on the country bread they served. Then came the cucumber salad, which was good and then onto the Beef Stroganoff. I don't eat Beef Stroganoff, but this stuff was good. I was a bit hesitant because it was red. I've only seen it with a brown color. It was served with rice and green beans. Pretty tasty, to my surprise. I guess it's sort of like the orange colored pasta sauces in Italy, compared to the red sauce here in the States. Then we were offered a dessert that looked like a poached egg, but actually tasted like whipped topping with a sweet clear jelly over it. It was small so I just went ahead and ate it. After our meal, I asked the host, "where's a mailbox?" He went on to explain that there was one near the restaurant, but not to put my mail in it. That's all the warning I needed. We boarded the bus to head over to the Hermitage and Winter Palace.

It was Catherine the Great who was responsible for creating the celebrated Hermitage museum within the walls of her glorious Imperial residence, the Winter Palace. At the time of her death the collection contained nearly 4,000 paintings. Today there are more than three million items making the Hermitage one of the largest and most prestigious museums in the world. Visitors can be forgiven for being unsure where to begin, coronation carriages, the Malachite Room, centuries old porcelain and antiques, Faberge, Rembrandt, Raphael, DiVinci, Michelangelo, and Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir, Degas, and Rodin, and all that just for starters.

Lined by the imperious Winter Palace and the sweeping majesty of the General Staff building, this square is one of the world's most impressive inner-city expanses. Like Red Square in Moscow, this open area has been a witness to the turmoil in Russian history. In 1905, the square played host to Bloody Sunday, when confused palace guards opened fire on peaceful demonstrators. During the Revolution of October 1917, the alleged "storming" of the Winter Palace was launched from the square.

Doric column is cut from a giant granite monolith with a bronze base, cap, bas-reliefs and a sculpture on top. It was put on Palace Square in memory of victory in the war of 1812. The huge granite monolith weighs 704 metric tons. It took 2000 soldiers and 400 workers just one hour and 45 minutes to complete the construction of this monument. The column itself has a height of 25.58 meters. It is the highest triumphal column in the world.

We said our goodbyes to Lana and Alexander and thanked them tremendously for a wonderful 2 days. I had quite a few Rubles left and wanted to spend as much as I could, so I tipped them in Rubles. I'd not had a chance to mail my postcards and asked Lana to mail them. She stated that she would, but it may take a couple of months to get to me. First all the stamps everywhere are overpriced, then she tells me this. I couldn't believe it. I head into the souvenir shoppe at the port and realize I hadn't asked for the souvenir tickets from our trip. I rushed back and Lana remembered just then also and handed me a pack and asked if I would hand them out to the other tourists. "Of course," I said. I walked back to the souvenir area and stopped in the shoppe with the most customers. I purchased a few trinkets. I guess the clerk didn't want to make change and gave me back 100 Rubles ($3). That'll just have to be a souvenir, since I didn't need anything else from Russia. I headed back through customs. This is the easy part, going back. Today was a beautiful day, no rain. Still quite dark and dreary. I headed in, dropped my stuff off at the cabin and Ellen and I headed up for an early dinner. There's so much good food in the "Windjammer" it's actually hard to make a decision. I walk and I walk and I walk, until the essence of something falls upon my palate. By that time it's usually good choice. Ellen and I eat and of course, my lazy self heads back to the room. Ellen's off to see the "Extreme Vegas" show. Now my feet were throbbing. I sat down for a while to collect my thoughts and rest myself. I got myself a shower, washed and set my hair. The rainy weather yesterday was disaterous my my head. Then I started reading over my itinerary for tomorrow. I really could use a sea day tomorrow, but I must go forth. I was a bit cold, so I climbed into bed. Turibio (cabin steward) knocked, came in and we talked a while. After I saw that he was from Honduras, I asked him about several employees, I've met upon my travels. It was just a coincidence, that he knew them and the ships they were on. We talked about his family back home and other stuff like that. I asked if he ever saw them again, would he please send my regards. He left and I went back to my reading. I got so sleepy after a while , I crawled under the covers, with the papers all over my bed. I couldn't hold my eyes open another second. I was summoned to dinner. I really don't want to go, but I'll make an effort. The dinners in the dining room aren't really that great. I can't even remeber what was on the menu. I think it was pasta. Hmmm. Got back to that cabin, assembled my clothes for Tallin tomorrow and called it a night.

Nakemiin St. Petersburg!