Day 13: Last day - on our way home

Sylvia 

It is customary to give gratuities, or tips, to the staff of the Viking Kirov. The management suggest $10 - $12 per guest per day which is distributed amongst the staff. They also suggest a separate tip of about $5 per guest per day for the guides. Then you can tip the bus drivers, the porters, the crew etc., Patty and I tipped the bus drivers separately because they were the ones who handled the wheelchair every day.  So, after 12 days on the boat you should allocate about $144 (about R1000) for the staff and and $60 (R455) for the guides.

(We jokingly said that if we offered Mikhail $5 for every time he helped with the wheelchair he would have got an empty envelope!) They give you envelopes to put the tips in and Patty and I put our tips in envelopes for the staff and guides and handed them in at the reception desk.
Over and above that, you can give individual tips to individual staff members. Last night we gave envelopes with tips to our favourite staff. In the dining room our favourite was Benz - a wonderful man who looked after us from day one in the dining room. Always pleasant and welcoming, never impatient with the wheelchair and POC and never in a hurry to get us out of there. He is married with two children and spends six months of the year away from his family working on the Viking boats (as many of the staff from the Philippines do). Mateo, also one of the waiters, made us laugh every day and called Patty's chair her 'Ferrari'. Paul - a waiter with an elegant, charming manner carved flowers in a cake of soap for Patty and me. One of the Filipino waitresses went the extra mile and we gave her an extra tip too. Joy - the Panorama Bar hostess, always willing to fetch an extra cup of tea or hot chocolate. "You sit down and relax" she'd say with a smile, "I'll bring it to your table."
 Dieter, the Hotel Manager, was excellent - a caring man, always willing to listen and to please, who managed to chat to every passenger on board and did the rounds every night. He very kindly arranged with the chef, Thomas, to keep every menu for me. Thomas compiled a little booklet of menus in a cardboard cover and personally brought it to the cabin yesterday. I was so thrilled I gave him a hug!  This morning we had to put our suitcase outside the cabin by 8h30 so we did most of the packing last night. We managed to get all the souvenirs and gifts into Patty's cabin bag which I hung over the back of the wheelchair. At 9am we boarded our bus for the airport (there are 5 airports in Moscow). Vitoria - one of the guides - accompanied us. She thought the trip might take two hours but the traffic wasn't too bad and after 1.5 hours we arrived at the airport. The airport looked like a gigantic hot house - a long tubular structure made of glass panels.

The bus driver made a sharp turn to get to a boom and scraped the front of a car that was in that lane.  The driver got out and there was much shouting and waving of arms.  We all had to get out and drag our luggage through the booms to the airport building.  There are no porters at the Moscow airport and, we found out later, no toilets for disabled people.  When we asked for a toilet for Patty they ended up taking us through to the train station arrivals lounge where there was a special toilet for wheelchair users. 

Our plane only left at 14h40 so we bought a few gifts in the Duty Free - including two beautiful bottles of Vodka.  The bottles look like the Matrioshka dolls and cost about R250 each.  At Zurich airport we had an even longer wait but the assistants took us to a special lounge for passengers needing assistance which was close to the Duty Free shops.  We bought a lovely jacket for Emily, some t-shirts for the Leaver boys and more fridge magnets.  I was able to send an email home from the Internet cafe and we had a sandwich and a cold drink before going back to the lounge.

When it was time to go through the boarding gates, I was stopped and they searched the bag with the gifts in it.  I was told that I couldn't take the Vodka Bottles through.  He said they would have to be discarded but when I told him I'd bought them mainly for the bottles, he offered to empty the Vodka and give me the bottles.  So our children received gifts of empty vodka bottles from Russia!  He told me that Russia was not a Schengen country and that was why (even though they'd been bought at a Duty Free shop and were in a sealed packet) we couldn't take them through.  He also said that if they had been bought at a place like Singapore, he might have allowed them through but he couldn't let anything like that through from Russia.  It might have something to do with the fact that there is a huge Russian Mafia and they don't trust anyone - not even a couple of old grannies! 
Our flight left Zurich at 22h45 and dinner was brought around at 12h45.  I watched 'Valentine's Day' until my eyes closed and I couldn't concentrate anymore.

We arrived in Johannesburg at 9am and there was an assistant waiting with Patty's chair.  He took us through the customs and to the carousel to collect our suitcase.  Gail (sister-in-law) was waiting for us at the arrivals and we went upstairs to have a coffee and eventually lunch as our Mango flight to Durban was only at 13h20.  We were helped by Mango staff and were the last to board - our seats being right in the front. 

It was great to land in Durban and see Finn waiting for us at arrivals. Tammy soon arrived with Emily and it was lovely to hold her again.  We took Patty home and helped her unpack and then went home ourselves.  Carling and Jenna were really pleased to see me and it was great to be home.

Patty:

I couldn't believe that we got everything into the little black cabin bag, including the big winter jacket Finn had lent me. The bag only weighed 8kg when we left but was 14kg when we checked it in at Moscow airport. After breakfast, Syl and I stood on the deck looking at the river and the buildings on the Moscow skyline. I'd brought one of the Pips from Shaun's navy jacket to leave in Moscow and this seemed a suitable time and place to let go of the Pip. "Well, Shauny" I said, "We brought you to Russia and now we are going to leave a memento here." Syl threw the Pip as far as she could into the water and we watched as the ripples spread across the water. Then she smiled. "I can just hear him laughing" she said. He is saying, "Are you f........ crazy? I wouldn't come here with you two. No way! You'd drive me crazy." I laughed too. "I can hear him saying, " and why did you trow my bloody Pip into the river? How can I wear that jacket if I come back?" We hugged each other, knowing that we had done the right thing.

(Dieter, Nadia and Maria)

On the way to the airport, I was struck once again by how clean the streets are. There is no litter and no graffiti - not even on bare walls along highways. The Russians must be very strict about littering and defacing buildings. One thing I've learned is that they are not interested in making their cities accessible for the disabled. There were very few ramps off pavement or at intersections, most of the buildings are not accessible and don't have ramps or lifts. And, when they told us that there was no toilet for disabled people I felt like strangling someone. I'm not usually in a wheelchair but my nephew is and I can imagine how frustrating it would be for him to visit Russia. My feet and ankles had started swelling by the time we got on the Moscow to Zurich flight and when we got into the special waiting room at Zurich airport, Syl made me put my feet up. Eventually I lay down across three seats to rest awhile. It was a long wait for the 22h45 departure.

I find the seats in aeroplanes very uncomfortable.  I want to sit upright but they make you lounge over and I felt as though I was squashing my ribcage and my lungs.  The best way to sit was to lean on the folded down tray and rest my head on the TV on the back of the seat in front.  About an hour before landing I was gat-vol and wanted out of that plane!

When I got off the plane in Johannesburg, I looked as though I had elephantitis, my legs were so swollen.  It felt like the skin wanted to crack. It was great to have Gail's company at the airport.  On the Mango flight they put us right in front so there was lots of room to stretch our legs.  Finn was waiting for us at the new Durban airport and I was so grateful to be home, all I wanted to do was put my head down and sleep.  Syl unpacked everything and sorted things out on the dining room table.

It's hard to process how I feel.  I can't believe I did it - I went to Russia! After all the years of saying that I wanted to go, Shaun putting money aside for me, my health deteriorating until I thought I might never go, and now I have finally been.  And, the best thing of all, I went with my sister!  How special is that?

Day 12 - The Kremlin

Patty:

We had a free morning so could lie in a bit this morning - YAY!!

I got up dying for a wee but Syl was in the bathroom so I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her to come out. I waited and waited and started getting desperate. I started to sweat and got up with crossed legs to knock on the door and asked her to please hurry up but she didn’t answer. I opened the door and there was nobody there! Phsew – I nearly didn’t make it. As soon as I sat down she came into the cabin – she’d been up and dressed and was back from breakfast! She brought me some fruit and yoghurt and tea for breakfast.
We saw Richard in the reception and told him we were going out for a walk in the park. He joined us and took us on a wild goose chase looking for an obelisk which wasn’t there! He was convinced that the bus driver had told them yesterday to look left at an obelisk in the park when they returned from their excursion. We walked up one path and down the other, all the way out the other side and back again but no obelisk. 

The word for 'ticket' in Russian is 'Kacca'.  We thought it was hysterical when we saw this sign for Kacca No.2 so Richard took a photograph of me straining in the chair and Syl pointing at the sign!  (OK - it seemed really funny at the time.  OK - you had to be there!)  After our walk we returned to our boat. 

After lunch we joined our bus and tour guide for a visit to the Kremlin. "There are many cobble stones" warned Mikhail.  "We will manage" said Syl, and we did.
My gosh, what a surprise behind those red brick walls! No razor wire, no dark dungeons (that we could see) no goose stepping soldiers. There were policemen with whistles and we were told that they blow a whistle once if you walk in a restricted area, twice if you didn't move right away and on the third whistle you would be sent to Siberia!
The Kremlin is open to tourists but as some of the buildings are still being used by the Mayor, the Police and security services, there are places that are off limits. One has to walk exactly inside the demarcated areas and if you stray, they police blow a whistle. We all jumped when we heard a whistle blow the first time even though we knew that we hadn’t strayed away from our group. There are cathedrals and churches inside the Kremlin walls. I went inside the church of the Archangel Michael.  Its hard to describe the inside of the orthodox churches, every inch of the walls are painted with bible stories and icons, even the ceilings. There were concrete tombs lining one of the walls and ancient iconostas hanging on the pillars. It’s JUST amazing. There are gardens and flowers and it seems so peaceful inside - nothing at all as I’d imagined it to be. We were taken back to the boat in time for cocktail hour at 6:30pm with a farewell dinner at 7:30pm.  Everyone was swapping business cards and email addresses.
I can't believe that this is our last day!  I have been thinking of this trip for so long and planned it for so long and now it is over. I'm just really grateful that I was fit enough and well enough to manage the trip - at last.
Sylvia

Yesterday was pay day - pay your money over the counter!  We found our bill in the cabin when we got back from breakfast and could settle it between 10h30 and 12h30.  This is a cashless boat so you sign for everything and pay at the end. They use Units - one unit being equal to one euro.  Our bill didn't come to very much but its amazing how it adds up.  Those extra drinks at cocktail hour, gifts bought from the gift shop, extra excursions.  I used my travel card to pay so that we could keep our rubbles for the airport duty free shop.  R1 = 4 Rubbles so we just divided everything by 4.
Patty told you about our morning in the park. The old bus and marine terminal building is a wonderful example of Soviet architecture with round tiles showing pictures of workers on railways,  ships, iron and steel workers, railroads, etc. 
At lunch more people gave us their cards or contact details.  If we took them all up on the invitations to visit them we could travel for 5 years and have free accommodation from Shanghai to Canada! 
After lunch we joined bus number 21 for the last time for our tour of the Kremlin.  This is actually a fortified, walled city containing gardens, museums, churches, cathedrals and the seat of the government.  You hear the expression "OY!" a lot in Russia and I must say that "OY!" doesn't come close to describing our surprise at the Kremlin.  I'm not going to try to add to Patty's description.  Instead I'll just add a few more photos that ususal.

Day 8 - Yaroslavl

Patty

This morning I decided to go to breakfast and then come back to the cabin for a shower and rest. It is much easier for me to do it this way than to try and get up early enough to shower and dress before breakfast. I don't know why I haven't done this before - it would have made life much easier for me than trying to rush to get ready every morning.

After breakfast I had a rest and later on Syl took me up to the Panorama Bar before lunch. From time to time various people come and sit with us and chat. The majority of American’s are unhappy with President Obama and we’ve heard lots of complaints about his policies and administration.

Others want to know more about South Africa but most have never heard of Durban.

After lunch we had a brief rest and then had to be on the buses by 3pm. There are 6 buses and ours is No.21 (they go from 21 to 26). Our guide, who has been sick for a couple of days, was back today but he didn’t have to do much as there was a local guide to tell us about Yaroslavl – the 20th largest city in Russia and once the capital when Moscow was occupied by Finland.

Our first stop was at an art gallery with a large exhibit of the lacquer boxes that are made all over Russia. I wasn’t able to go inside the building because of the steep staircases that lead to the rooms upstairs but Syl told me that the art was mostly by amateur artists from the city and that I  hadn’t missed much.  The next stop was the church of Elijah the Prophet – with another long flight of stairs - and I decided not to go inside. Syl said that it was breathtaking so she took lots of photographs. At the next stop, in the city centre, we had an hour to meander along the pedestrian avenue with small shops and restaurants and also through a pedestrian flea market. We weren’t really tempted to buy anything although there were lots of stalls with really nice shoes, bags and a few stalls with interesting hats. We also went into the fresh food market and I bought a kg of big red cherries. The last stop was at the riverside but I stayed in the bus.

Getting in and out of the bus and in and out of the wheelchair is a bit of a mission so I decided not to get out again until we got back to the ship. Sylvia bought me a nice mug so that we don’t have keep smuggling a mug into our cabin and hiding it in the safe!

Tonight’s dinner was International Cuisine and I ate too much – again. We sat with Greg and Kathy from the US and Mary and John, the American and Australian couple. Tomorrow we arrive at Uglich and can join a walking tour of the Kremlin. Only problem is that is starts at 8h15 which is really early for me. So, it is now 10pm and I’d better get to bed.

Sylvia 

 We didn’t have to get up early this morning as the shore excursion was only at 3pm. We could have joined an early Qi Gong exercise class from 8am to 8:30am and then a lecture on “Gorbatchev and Perestroika’ in the Sky Bar at 9am or 10h45 but I decided to chill out in the Panorama Bar instead while Patty rested. It is so interesting to cruise down the river, passing small villages and spying the occasional onion dome church in the trees. Lunch was at 12h30 and our boat arrived in Yaroslavl at 3pm. We passed numerous small hamlets and communities along the banks of the reservoir. It was hard to imagine that this area once consisted of 4000ha of arable farmland, 700 villages and pristine forests – all submerged when Stalin decided to flood the area and create the reservoir. People living here had to make their way to unknown destinations and the reservoir and canals were built by Gulag prisoners. Yaroslavl is one of the oldest and best known Russian cities founded by Prince Yaroslavl in the 10th century.

It became on of the most prominent mercantile centres of the upper Volga Regions. Russia’s first national theatre was established here and the first major national newspaper was also started here in the 18th century. In the 1930’s Yaroslavl produced the countries’ first heavy-duty trucks, trolley buses and its first diesel engines.  It is connected to Moscow – about 280km away- by river (in summer) road and rail.

There are numerous churches in Yaroslavl, most of them heavily decorated with wall paintings, frescos and iconostas. We visited the Church of Elijah the Prophet which survived by the skin of teeth when the soviets planned on blowing it up. We also visited the 13thC Spassky Monastery assemble built alongside the river. The town has an 18th century arcaded shopping area with goods from all over Europe and the east.

We didn’t get back to the boat until 6:45pm and the boat sailed at 7pm. There was a daily briefing before dinner. We had an 'early' night - 10:15pm.     

Day 7 Matushka Volga (Dear Mother Volga)

Patty:

I decided not to go to breakfast yesterday. Syl fetched me later and we sat in the Panorama bar watching the scenery as we floated by until lunch time. It was great to bask in the sun, cruising down the river. After lunch I had a lie down while Syl visited the monastery on Goritsky. The event manager suggested that the cobbles and stairs would make it impossible with the wheelchair. I decided to take a walk down to the library and met Richard and he took me up to the restaurant for tea. As we arrived, Syl was coming down to fetch me. It was a Russian tea with a wonderful spread of cakes, pastries, biscuits etc and Richard collected a platter each of different cakes for us to choose from. We scoffed the lot! After tea we returned to the Panorama Bar and I had my first whiskey. And then we went dinner!! And guess what we did then? Ate, ate and ate some more! We went through a few more locks and during the night we had some rough water as we crossed the Rybinsk reservoir. This morning we went through another lock before breakfast.

We passed under the bridge of the town of Rybinsk during breakfast and then continued sailing down the Mother Volga. I went back to the cabin for a little zizzz and returned to the Panorama Bar before lunch.

Sylvia                                                                                   

Today we cruised along the Volga-Baltic Waterway, an extended system of rivers, lakes and canals that link the Baltic Sea with the Volga River. Its total length from St Petersburg to the Rybinks Reservoir is about 1 100km.  We disembarked at Gorinsky for our shore excursion to the Kirrollov-Belozersky Monastery founded in 1397 by St Cyril. Set on an inland lake – Siverskoye – this is the largest monastery complex in Europe. It was fortified in the 15th and 17th centuries and now houses a museum with precious Iconostas and frescos. The boat berthed at a newly built dock with wooden buildings still under construction. There is the ever present souvenir shop, a small restaurant and wooden boats on display depicting typical Russian small boats used by the locals since they first settled here.

When we returned to the boat we were invited to a Russian tea with a buffet of cakes, pastries, pancakes and biscuits. The girls were all dressed in typical Russian folk dresses. At dinner we joined Greg and Kathy – an American couple we had met at the airport on our first day. Another couple – an Australian married to an American joined us for coffee. When we went to bed we entered another lock but this time we dropped down instead of rising up a level.

Day 6 - A wooden church with no nails!

Sylvia:

Last night we sat with a different couple from Germany. Richard joined our table and there was a bit of banter about the England team losing 4-1 to Germany.

Once again we had an excellent meal and didn’t get to bed until after 10:45pm. Patty decided that she wouldn’t go to breakfast in the morning.

We were woken by a 6h30 wake-up call and I made Patty a cup of tea before going to breakfast. We had to be ready early for our excursion on the island of Kizhi.
Dieter, the boat manager, offered to send a sailor with us on Kizhi as there were cobble stones and gravel paths.
 At breakfast I sat with a lovely Southern Lady from the USA.  We have been sailing about 150km northward on the second largest lake in Europe and at 8h30 our boat berthed on Kizhi island, one of the most ancient inhabited sites in Russia.

This small island – 6km by 1km - is now an open air architectural museum and UNESCO heritage site.  The magnificent wooden church of the Transfiguration and the nearby wooden church of Intercession were built in the early 18thc completely of wood with no nails.  The Transfiguration Church has 22 timbered onion domes. We were allowed into the Intercession Church and whilst there, three black robed monks sang a special chant. The walls are lined with magnificent Iconostas. I asked one of the monks to point out the Apostle Jacob and he showed me the Apostle Iakhov (fourth from left) and another Icon of Jacob, the father of the people.

The whole structure of the Transfiguration Church is under repair and the inside is held up by scaffolding. Our guide told us that without appropriate treatment the entire structure could be lost within ten to fifteen years. Other typically Russian wooden structures like windmills, bathhouse, chapel, bell towers etc have been brought here from other parts of the Onega Lake.  People living there wear peasant clothing aand demonstrate traditional farming, sculpting, carving etc. Patty and I managed fine on the boadwalks and Richard helped us when the path turned to gravel.
We went back to the boat for lunch and set sail again down the Neva. From 2pm to 3:30pm we could visit the Captain’s bridge and at 4:45pm attend a lecture on the Romanovs in the Sky Bar. This was a fascinating talk and many of the slides she used, showing the various Romanov’s, were taken in the palaces we have already seen.

What sad, tumuluous and in the end, violent lives they led.

I fetched Patty from the room at about 5:45pm and we sat with two Australian couples in the Panorama Bar until supper time. It was a Russian evening and the male staff members were dressed in red tunics with floral trim and the females in Russian folk dresses – rather odd for people from the Philippines!

Today we left Lake Onega and joined the waters of the Vytegra Canal via a lock, rising about 13m into the Vytegra reservoir. The 2nd lock, at the Belousovskiy Hydroplant took us up another 13m into the Belousovskiy reservoir. After dinner, at around 9pm we went through the 3rd lock at Novinkinskiy into the Novinkinskiy reservoir. We will rise from sea level at\St Petersburg to over 150m at Moscow. It is interesting that these rivers and canals are frozen during the winter months and are used by vehicular traffic. It’s hard to imagine trucks and cars zooming down the rivers!

Patricia

 I didn’t go to breakfast because I needed to wash my hair and showering, drying, dressing and doing the hair takes forever. We had to leave the boat at 8h30 to visit Kizhi Island. Last night at dinner, our new best friend Richard offered to push me around the island to give Sylvia a rest. (We didn't need the sailor Dieter offered us).
He was there at 8h30 and so I had a new driver today. We saw the most incredible wooden Churches - but nothing like you have ever seen in South Africa or anywhere else for that matter. It was interesting that the larger church was the summer church and the winter churches are small. They can’t heat the large church in summer and the winter church – easier to heat - doesn't

have so many attending in winter. It get to -30oC in winter.
Syl has been taking photographs of all sorts of things that I can use for my painting - strange fences that I’ve never seen before, roofs on houses with very different styles, scenery as we cruise along the waterways – all very exciting! There were farm workers using scythes to cut the grass today – it looked like a medieval scene!
Back at the boat I sat in the library for while and chatted about art with the restaurant manager. Then Syl came to fetch me and I had a Bloody Mary in the Panorama Bar before going to dinner. Tonight I had a tomato and Basel salad, then a delicious Butterfish and a typical Russian soft cheese desert with strawberry sauce. We have

both put on weight because all we do here is eat!

Day 5: Cruising down the Neva

Patricia

I am alive today!  I had such a good sleep because Syl put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door - and it worked.  I stayed in bed until mid-day and only got up when Syl came to collect me for lunch.  I didn't mind skipping breakfast because we have been living from one meal time to the next so I had a banana and a cup of tea.

We had a wonderful lunch - a salad buffet, sandwiches and a tortellini which I thought was lunch, but there was also a main menu to choose from!  The food here is above 5 star.
Our guide warned us that the visit to Mandrogy would be difficult but we decided to visit it anyway.  At 2pm we arrived at the 'cooked up village' with wooden houses, strange totem poles and tourist souvenir shops. There used to be a real village here but it was destroyed during WW11 and all the inhabitants moved away and settled in other villages. In 1996 Sergei Gutzeit, a St. Petersburg entrepreneur and patron of the arts, decided to revive the village and make it a tourist destination for the many tourists on the river cruises between St. Petersburg to Moscow and Kizhi. 
There were a few buildings I didn't go into - by choice - but I visited the main one with all the crafts and shops and it wasn't difficult for Syl to push me around the village.
When we got back to the boat we spent the rest of the afternoon in the Panorama bar at the front of the boat with windows all around so that we get this wonderful view of the river side villages and an occasional passing boat. After two teas, I decided to have a Bloody Mary - with Russian Vodka - which was much stronger than the Virgin Mary I had the other day.

Sylvia

Last night – or early this morning – I felt the boat start up and rocking as we sailed on down the Neva. Patty decided to have a pyjama day today so stayed in bed while I went to breakfast. After breakfast we assembled in the Sky Bar for a lecture on Russia given by our guide Mikhail. He referred to a large map of Russia and told us about the history, the people and their languages, geography, agriculture, trade and industry, politics etc. Russia wraps around almost half of the globe, with 11 time zones (there are 24 altogether) has 84 states but only 150m people. The bulk of Russia is made up of Siberia with the northern part being mostly un-inhabitable with no industries and few people. He spoke about the changes in the country, pointing out two sides of the coin. Housing, medical, education etc used to be free, now people pay. People can now own land and build their own houses or start businesses but very few can afford to do so. They can choose to use the government medical service or pay for private services (which are more costly). People can now travel extensively. Crime has increased because, in the past the KGB were the police, judge and jury and crime was practically unheard of. Now there is a lot of crime and many places that people find unsafe – especially in large cities and at night. He spoke about freedom of speech, association and religion. The majority of Russians follow the Eastern Orthodox church (not the Roman Catholic Church). There are Lutherans in the North West border with Finland, Islam in the South, and Buddhists on the border with China and even a few Hare Krishna’s. Michael said that he didn’t think the Krishnas would survive  because they shave their heads, wear thin cloth, don’t eat meat or drink alcohol! To survive in Russia you need to wear fur, eat a big steak and toast God with vodka!

After that talk, another guide gave a talk on Russian Souvenirs and what we could expect to find as we travelled down the river. Most of the souvenirs are made of wood – of which there is abundance. During the winter there is little to do and most souvenirs are crafted during the long winter months.
At 12h30 we went to lunch - all we do is eat, eat, eat! At 2pm we berthed next to the restored Arts and Crafts village of Mandogry where we saw typical wooden Russian houses, a pottery, art centre - where 4 young women were painting the little dolls we see everywhere, as well as a Vodka museum, and a souvenir shop.   Its a bit like Shakaland at home - a village re-created in the style of old Russia for tourists.

When we got back to the boat we went up to the Panorma bar and here we sit, sipping tea and hot chocolate, as we set off again, cruising down the Svir.
We heard that Mikhail had taken ill half-way through his second lecture on Russian History and that we would have a different guid the next day.

Day 4: Very expensive tea!

Sylvia
We could have gone on optional tours today to another palace – Peterhof - or a canal cruise – but decided instead to stay in and rest and catch up with the blog and emails. We stayed in bed until 7h45 and had a leisurely breakfast before taking our books and laptop to the Panorma Bar where we stayed until lunchtime.
At 3pm were boarded the bus which took us to the Arts Square in St Petersburg which is close to the main street, Nevsky Prospekt. The Lutheran church of St Peters in Nevsky Prospekt, which was used as an indoor swimming pool was returned to the Lutherans and is now being used as a church. It was raining again so I wore my Altus raincoat and Patty carried her umbrella. I took her to see the church of the Saviour of the Blood, one of the most famous onion dome structures in Russia. (Those are the domes in the header of this blog). The guide warned us not to have coffee at the Grand Hotel Europa because it was so expensive but we decided to give it a try and sit under the canvas canopies at their pavement café. We had a pot of tea and hot chocolate with complimentary biscuits and meringues for 550 Roubles. Actually, I think we were had because she didn’t bring us a bill, just told us what the cost was and we paid, and gave her a tip. The guide told us that a pot of tea in a nice place usually costs around 100 roubles!
We got back just in time to shower and change and go up to the Sky bar for welcoming cocktails at 6:30pm. The captain, his first mate and the event manager introduced the crew and the head chef, restaurant manager, tour guides etc.   At 7pm sharp the boat set sail down the Neva, under the first bridge and past the city. For the first time we saw houses on the banks of the river, mainly summer homes. Dinner started late – at about 8:30pm and we sat with Richard tonight. Patty and Richard shared a bottle of Merlot so they were in fine form (I had water!).
It was announced that, because the level of the river was about 15cm higher than usual we wouldn’t be able to sail under one of the bridges so we would drop anchor and at 2am the road bridge would be raised so that we could continue on our journey. We only got to bed after 10:45pm.

Patricia

The events guide woke us with an intercom message at 7h45 otherwise we would have carried on sleeping this morning. It was great to sit upstairs with no rush to get onto a bus or go on a tour this morning. The afternoon free time in the city was great too.
St Petersburg is beautifully laid out with wide boulevards and gracious old buildings. Syl took me to see the the church of the Saviour of the Blood. It was quite strange to finally see it for real because I have seen it so often in the books Shaun bought me and it was unreal to stand in front of it at last.

After sightseeing, we sat under the red canopies of the Grand Hotel Europe - one of the top 10 hotels in the world - watching the hoi-palloi walking past us while we had our very expensive tea - about R140 for tea and a cup of Horlicks. We watched smartly dressed men entering the hotel and fashonable young ladies struggle by on the cobble stones in 10” high heels.

 The Russians are very fashionable and the summer fashion seems to be dresses - very pretty, summer dresses.

When we got back to the boat there was a notice that the doll painting workshop had been cancelled due to a lack of numbers. (Sorry Di, I was going to bring you back some hand-painted dolls!)