A Day in the Country
Trip Start
Aug 01, 2006
1
11
14
Trip End
Aug 13, 2006
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St. Petersburg,
Russia
Thursday, August 10, 2006
St. Petersburg, Russia
(Completed after return to Chicago)
Dear Readers:
For the second time on this tour I have to admit that a mistake has been made in the itinerary. We intended to visit Peterhof today, the Summer Palace of Peter the Great. I have always heard it called the "Summer Palace," and that is what I wrote in my itinerary when preparing the tour. The booking agency, however, took this literally and booked us to visit the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg, a much less impressive place than Peterhof.
Our guide noticed this discrepancy in the itinerary and mentioned it to me when we first arrived in St. Petersburg, so I immediately had her get to work on changing the reservation to the what I had originally intended. We learn that the only way our group can get admittance to Peterhof is if we flip today's itinerary with tomorrow's, so I announce the change and we head out to the countryside.
Our first visit is the Peter and Paul Fortress on an island across the river from the city. Peter the Great built the fortress in the early 1700's, and it's founding is considered the very beginning of St. Petersburg. Today the ornate cathedral in the middle of the island is the last resting place of the Romanov family dynasty. We tour the cathedral and enjoy some free time to wander and take photographs.
Next we head to the Kirov Islands just outside the city to visit the Yelagin Palace and have a walk in nature. The palace is relatively small, but beautifully restored with several rooms we can visit.
01 Cathedral in Peter and Paul Fortress
The islands are primarily parklands, and a fantastic place to escape the busy life of the city. We are fortunate to be there on a workday, and the place is nearly deserted.We stumble across an amusement park with several rides. I get excited by the Pirate Ship ride, and ask if they will run it for us even though there are no other people in the park. They are definitely open for business, so several of us clamber aboard for a ride that progresses from exciting, to thrilling, to nauseating. I think the hunky young man running the ride is taking pleasure in seeing us turn green.
After regaining our bearings, we go to a place for lunch where you can catch your own fish to be cooked and eaten on the spot. Realizing that this process will take up the rest of the day, we simply order dishes that can be prepared quickly and enjoy the beautiful setting. Returning to the city, we have a little down time before taking a cruise on the canals. I take the metro (all by myself!) to pick up our ballet tickets for tomorrow night.
This evening Svetlana, our guide, has organized a cruise on the canals and across the Neva River, past the fortress we visited this morning, to see the Cruiser Aurora. On October 25, 1917, a single shot was fired from this ship to signal the start of the Revolution and the storming of the Winter Palace. The canals are stunning in the late evening light, and the palaces that line the canals are marvels. The city was laid out to dramatic effect, and is truly one of the most lovely I've ever seen in all my travels.
After the cruise several people go out to dine at one of the finest restaurants in the city, while Eva and I escort another group to a Spanish restaurant around the corner from the hotel. The food isn't great, but there are excellent musicians who add to the atmosphere. I return to the hotel and work on the awards for the farewell dinner until late.
Hugs,
Dan
