Friday May 22nd Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburgh was always going to be the highlight of this cruise and it has not disappointed! We arrive in port at about 6am, we are already up as we need to be ready for our tour at 6 50am! It is a dull and cold morning but we are hopeful it will improve.

So through the dreaded Russian passport control which was not too bad: our young lady actually smiled at us! Some folk took ages as the officers said they did not look like their photos! Then on to our coach for the hours journey through the City to the Catherine Palace, about an hours drive away.

The roads are wide and built on a grid system and most intersections have traffic lights: they seem to have very short green times and we are constantly held up. The drivers seem very impatient and carve everyone up all the time!

So when we arrive the Palace is not yet open so we stroll around the very impressive gardens

and then at opening time of 9 30am we are the third group to go through the Palace. There are only 2 ships in so our guide says it is not too bad. The newly build cruise terminal has berths for 10 ships and in peak summer season the attractions are deadly! By now the sun is out and it is becoming a very pleasant day.

The inside of the Palace is very grand with gold leaf everywhere. This is the ballroom

and this one of the many dinning rooms.

Time for the obligatory souvenir shop before returning via the 'M25' to just short of the cruise terminal: the last link which is a bridge across the harbour is not quite finished so we have a half hour slog through the city over the river Neva back to the ship 45 minutes late.

We have another afternoon tour booked and make it with minutes to spare but no time for lunch! Passport control back to the ship is less easy and queues are much longer and we choose a much more surly immigration officer: no smiles this time!

The afternoon tour is a walking exploration of the city. Off by coach to Palace Square to see the Summer Palace which houses the Hermitage Museum – which we will see inside tomorrow.



 

Then on foot past the end of Nevsky Prospekt, then main shopping street to see the Senate buildings and St Isaac's Cathedral where we see signs of World War 2 damage!.

Back in the coach to be let off at the Kazan Cathedral

for the short walk along a canal side to the Church of the Saviour of the Spilled Blood.

Then back to the coach for a souvenir shop visit where we actually bought some very good value items before returning to the ship past the Convent.

World record dinner in less than 45 minutes before an enjoyable tribute to Glenn Miller by the Arcadia Band in the theatre: The Great 'KL' would have loved it!

So another full on day on Saturday, IG is going the the Fabergé Museum in the morning while IB crashes and we are both going to the Hermitage Museum in the afternoon if IG gets back in time and we manage to meet up.