July 12th and 13th

Sorry the updates have been slow, but our Internet access was pretty hit or miss for several days. It seems to be working well today. I have almost 500 pictures to sort through for St Petersburg, so they will follow later.

All I can say about St Petersburg is WOW! What an amazing city. To visit St Petersburg you Need to be on a ship excursion, have a Russian visa which costs $450, or use a private tour company. Pam and I joined ten other DISers for a privately guided tour through Denrus. In my opinion we saw and experienced far more than anyone that took the ships tours. Since their were only 12 of us we moved much more quickly than a bus full of people and our motor coach was driven by a pro, Igor, who could teach NASCAR drivers a thing or two about squeezing into tight spaces. Our tour guide Nadia was great and did everything she could to keep us comfortable despite the record breaking heat. It was over 90 degrees both days in a city where the typical summer high is 68.

Needless to say our tour hit all the high points in the city: Catherine's Palace, Peter's Fortress, a ride on the canals and one on the subway (the stations are like museums), the fountains at Peterhof, the Church of Spilled Blood, the Hermitage, and St Isaacs Cathedral (plus any I forgot). Without a private tour we would have seen only half is much in our two days. The ships excursions weren't efficient since you had to return to the ship after pretty much each location. Plus this was less expensive than taking several of the ships tours.

I will not give a detailed description of each site, but they frequently went like this: here is a room full of Monets take a look around...thirty seconds later: please step into the next room which you will find filled with the work of Renoir. Your mind can only process so many gilded palaces and masterpieces in a day. To quote one of our tour companions "I am palaced out"

We're in the middle of what the locals refer to as the White Nights. Last night at midnight you could sit on the deck and read a book without any extra light. It never really get completely dark even though the sun goes just below the horizon for about four hours.

Last night at midnight there were people all over the deck and in the pools enjoying themselves like it was four in the afternoon.

I will upload the pictures as soon as I have a chance. Helsinki and a trip to Santa's Summer House tomorrow.