Day Seven–St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad–So Good They Named it Thrice!

We arrived in St Petersburg in the early morning sunshine. Soon people started leaving the ship to embark on the various tours that were taking place today. We had booked on a panoramic city tour which involved no interior visits but plenty of photo stops and although we didn’t need to leave the ship until 9.00am the queues at the immigration post were growing by the minute. Russia is no longer a communist state but have very rigid rules regarding visas which means you cannot enter unless you have been booked on a trip, it was just like entering the USA!!

Eventually we joined the coach and made our way out of the cruise port and through various blocks of flats towards the city. The first stop by the river started to show the magnificent buildings of this former capital….

…with spires and domes dotted through the skyline.

Everywhere you turn are signs of the opulence of the Romanovs with various palaces built to house the rich and famous.

What was also impressive was the wide open areas of parkland which are dotted throughout the city.

The city is built on forty-four islands along the River Neva, and bisected by canals and is known as the “Venice of the North”. Although thee are certain similarities to the Italian city the views along the waterways are not really comparable.

The magnificent golden dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral is one of the largest domed structures in Europe and certainly attracts the crowds….

….but it is a great spot for a photo.

The view that all the guidebooks give of the city are the bright colours and intricately patterned cupolas and arches of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ “On Spilled Blood”, a beautiful sight.

Another great photo opportunity…….

…….before a touch of retail therapy before returning to the ship for a spot of lunch.

The afternoon was going to be spent with a spot of sun bathing but it was too HOT!! The temperature was around 27C with bright sunshine, far too much for our delicate skins, so we retreated to the shade for a rest before our evening trip on the river.

We joined our coach outside the terminal, no hanging around for visas this time, still in bright sunshine at 7.00 pm. The short trip to the river boat giving another picture opportunity, the golden dome glistening the evening sunshine.

The river cruise took us past many sights that we had only a brief glimpse of  during the morning trip so it was good to get a different perspective.

Firstly the cruiser “Aurora” from which a blank shot was fired towards the Winter Palace at the start of the Revolution.

The beautiful Hermitage museum home to over three million items of historical significance, only a small proportion of which is on display.

Also some sights of more recent Soviet history such as the KGB Building, which they say goes down as much as it goes up and every floor has a view of Siberia!!

Now, I’m not one to complain but this boat trip was not the best thing that we have experienced on this cruise. Firstly the boats weren’t ready when we got to the quayside, apparently with three large cruise ships in port there was a shortage of pleasure craft. This lead to a wait of around 20-25 minutes standing around in the hot evening sun.

When the boat was eventually ready, it was less than a 5 Star experience, in fact I doubt whether it would have been allowed to take passengers in the UK. We were supposed to be treated to a folkloric show but there were not enough seats downstairs for all of us to see. We will be making a complaint.

We journeying back to our 5 Star ship past the blocks of flats …

…and other signs of civilisation….

….in time to watch a superb performance in the theatre of a real folkloric troupe.

At midnight it was just beginning to get dark but with dawn only a few hours away we decided to go to bed. I am writing this at 10.30 on Sunday morning laying on deck in bright sunshine, more later.