Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge St. Petersburg

The next two days we were in St. Petersburg, Russia. Having spent two weeks in Russia, I knew what to expect. The city itself sets itself along a river. We visited some of the famous palaces and parks. The dome churches are something to admire, many of them are plated with gold. St. Petersburg is an international city filled with ...

... pictures taken. The many couples getting wedding pictures sparked some interesting conversation between Julia and me about the differences between wedding traditions in the US and in Russia. One of the big traditions here is to get your picture taken in front of all the major memorials in St. Petersburg or Moscow which is why it looks like everyone in town is getting married in the spring and summer!  Yesterday my Japanese roommate returned home and when I came ...

... one of the best things about being in St. Petersburg. I spent only an hour or so there in my favorite rooms and then came back to the dorm. I couldn't believe how tired I was! I've been trying to walk as much as possible and avoid using the elevators here. It doesn't seem like I'll have much time to go to the pool and it is a huge hassle to actually get in. I have to tell them exactly what time on what days I'll be swimming and then pay about $5 each time I want ...

... at the entrance to any of the sites and was always waiting with the door open when we arrived back to the van. Helen was a delight. She is an English teacher and knows all there is to know about Russian history - our heads were spinning - especially when she would periodically quiz us on what she had told us. The first stop was at the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral - one of the oldest in Russia. This was just a little something to break us in easy. A little gold ...

... worst hit. I didn't think Mosquito's liked cities or the cold! Day 123. Petrodvorets 15/8/08 Photos 30+ Dispensing with the idea of taking a package to Peterhof (palace 30 kms west) I did it alone. The packaged tours used a bus and seemed to have an overinflated price for English. Secondly I wanted to take the hydrofoil at least one way. The hydrofoils looked like a cross between something from thunderbirds and a tool box. They all appeared to have a handle in the middle ...

... dance instructors. Yeah, we're cool. So we danced for a while, and then about 1:30 Louisa and Will and I decided to leave, so we could make it to Vasilevsky Island before the bridges went up. Note: The bridges over the Neva River open every night between 2 and 5am to let cargo ships through. Unfortunately, the subways and buses all stop running long before that time, and if you're trapped on one side of the river, there is absolutely no ...

... impact on the rest of the world. We were still sleeping when the train left Siberia at the milepost indicating that we were 2'100 km from Moscow. We were wide awake when we passed the Asia-Europe border: an obelisk marked 1'777 - kilometres to Moscow. We had crossed the dividing line and had travelled, overland this time, from one continent to another. But we had not changed country. Unlike the many other borders we have crossed during this one-year trip ...

... and much forgiveness. Getting around was much easier than in Moscow as there was some sense put into the street planning. Walking down the main road (Nevsky Prospect) is all you really need for entertainment in any night. The restaurants, stores and other activities are plentiful. Within a few short blocks, we were able to see the heart of the city as there are amazing Cathedrals (St Isaaccs, Church of the Spilt blood) as well as fold shows, and museums.

... animal...the collection was compiled by Alexander, the great Tzar who founded the city and it is quite unique... Another tzarina, Elizabeth was unfond of her body, so she use to have cross dressing parties so she could show off her one attribute, her legs... Another wee fact is that a painting of Danae by Rembrandt was attacked in 1985...apparently the man was mad at Russia for it's occupation of his country and so he asked a person sitting nearby in the museum what the best ...

Hey, The Chinese firewall (country firewall) has blocked my blog so until I figure something out, it's going to have to be email updates for now. Pictures to follow soon. Apologies for taking so long to produce my next update, I've been so busy in Mongolia I haven't had chance to get a decent amount of time on the net. But here it is, update four, Mongolia, so grab a coffee, sit back, and enjoy (I hope you will). Well I finally made it through Russia without any ...